Read

Romans 6:1–2 “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

Think

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “God loves you no matter what.” And it’s true. That kind of grace is the heartbeat of the gospel. But if you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Well then, what’s the harm in this one sin?” you’re not alone. Paul anticipated that exact question.

Romans 6 opens with a tension we still wrestle with today. If grace covers all our sin, why not just keep sinning? Why try so hard to resist what Jesus already died to forgive? And if God’s love never runs out, then what’s the real urgency to change?

Paul answers with strong, almost shocking language: “By no means!” In other words, absolutely not. This isn’t a small clarification. It’s a dramatic correction. Paul is not just trying to keep people morally in line. He’s trying to show them how incompatible sin is with their new identity.

He doesn’t say, “Don’t sin because God will stop loving you.” He says, “Don’t sin because you died to it.” There’s a difference between avoiding sin out of fear and resisting it out of freedom. Paul wants us to see that grace isn’t a loophole to keep on living the same way. It’s the pathway to live a whole new way.

Think about it like this: imagine someone being rescued from a sinking ship. They’re pulled from the cold, dark water, wrapped in warm blankets, and brought safely aboard. But then, just a few minutes later, they ask if they can jump back in. Why? Because they liked the view. Or the thrill. Or because they’re not quite sure what to do on the ship yet.

It sounds ridiculous. But that’s how it is when we keep choosing sin after being saved from it. We forget the cost of rescue. We forget what sin actually does. We forget we’ve already been pulled out of the water.

Paul is reminding us that salvation isn’t just about forgiveness. It’s about death and resurrection. When we placed our trust in Christ, we didn’t just receive a pardon. We received a new identity. The person who was enslaved to sin died with Jesus. That version of you—full of shame, stuck in patterns, dominated by impulse—is no longer who you are.

That doesn’t mean temptation disappears. It doesn’t mean the struggle is fake. It means that the struggle is no longer between two equal forces. You’re not half light and half dark. You’re a new creation learning to live like it’s true.

Paul says, “We are those who have died to sin.” That’s not a metaphor. That’s a reality. Sin is no longer your master. It doesn’t own you. You don’t belong to it. Its demands may still shout, but its authority has been broken. You’ve changed citizenship. And the culture of your new kingdom doesn’t celebrate what used to destroy you.

Sometimes we still live like we’re under sin’s control because we don’t fully believe   we’re free. We assume struggle means defeat. We confuse grace with apathy. But grace doesn’t ignore sin. It empowers transformation. It says, “You’ve already been rescued, now live like it.”

It’s been said, “Grace is not the permission to sin. It’s the power to stop.” That’s what Paul is saying here. Not that your salvation hangs on your performance, but that your performance changes when you understand salvation. The more you believe you’ve died to sin, the less appeal it holds. It no longer fits who you are.

You’re not just fighting against sin. You’re walking away from a corpse. The old you is buried. The new you is alive in Christ. When you fall, it doesn’t change your identity. But when you rise, it reminds you of it.

This passage invites us to stop asking how much sin we can get away with and start asking how much freedom we’re actually willing to walk in. Grace is not a license to keep sinning. It’s a door into a life where sin no longer defines us.

So when the thought creeps in—“It’s not a big deal,” or “God will forgive me anyway”—don’t just think about the act. Think about the story. You’ve been rescued. You’ve died to the old life. Why would you jump back in the water when you’ve been given the ship?

Apply

Today, pay attention to the small compromises that try to justify themselves through grace. When a temptation arises, remind yourself out loud: “I’ve died to that. That’s not who I am anymore.” Don’t argue with the sin. Agree with the Spirit. Let your freedom in Christ be louder than your excuses.

Pray

God, thank you for rescuing me. I confess that sometimes I treat your grace like permission instead of power. Help me believe that I’ve died to sin and that I don’t have to live in it anymore. Remind me of who I am in you and teach me to walk in the freedom you’ve already given. In Jesus’ name. Amen.