“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:1-7 NASB’95)
Many preachers and pastors today are teaching the opposite of what this teaches. They are teaching that all you have to do is to make some kind of confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and of belief in his death and resurrection, and of what he did in dying on the cross to take away our sins, and now all your sins are forgiven (past, present, and future) and heaven is guaranteed you when you die. But few teach that faith in Jesus Christ, which is of God, results in us dying to sin and in us walking in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but as servants of God and of his righteousness.
Thus, we have many people making professions of faith in Jesus Christ who have not been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have not been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands. And so they are continuing in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord, in willful rebellion against the Lord and his commandments (New Covenant), convinced that all their sins are forgiven, and that heaven is what awaits them when they die, but regardless of how they live.
And that is a lie straight from hell! So, does that mean that we must be absolutely perfect in every way and never sin again, not even once, or we will go straight to hell? No, it doesn’t (see 1 John 2:1-2). But this is also not carte blanche to continue living in sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. We are not to continue in sin. Sin should now be put to death in our lives. For if by faith in Jesus Christ we have died to sin, how can we still live in it? May it never be! We are now to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as followers of Jesus Christ.
For, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord Jesus, our old self is crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we will no longer be slaves to sin, but so that we will live to please God with our lives in walks of surrender to his will and in obedience to his commands. For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our sins, and if obedience to our Lord is not our practice, then we are not saved from our sins and we don’t have life eternal with God.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
Jesus, Hold My Hand
By Albert E. Brumley
As I travel through this pilgrim land
There is a friend who walks with me
Leads me safely through the sinking sand
It is the Christ at Calvary
This would be my prayer, dear Lord, each day
You help me do the best I can
For I need Thy light to guide me day and night
Blessed Jesus, hold my hand
When I wander thru the valley dim
toward the setting of the sun,
Lead me safely to a land of rest
if I a crown of life have won;
I have put my faith in Thee, dear Lord,
that I may reach the golden strand,
There's no other Friend on whom I can depend,
Blessed Jesus, hold my hand.
Jesus, hold my hand
'Cause I need Thee every hour
Through this pilgrim land
Protect me by Thy power
Hear my feeble plea
And O Lord look down on me
When I kneel in prayer
I hope to meet You there
Blessed Jesus, hold my hand
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Are We to Continue in Sin?
An Original Work / March 24, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love