The Question of Grace and Sin

Paul opens Romans 6 with a rhetorical question that has echoed through centuries:

“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?” (Romans 6:1–2).

Paul had preached God’s grace so powerfully (Romans 1:5; Acts 20:24) that it was inevitable some would misinterpret him. If salvation is by grace alone and not by works, does that mean Christians can live however they want? Paul faced this accusation not once but three times in Romans (3:8, 6:1, 6:15).

And this isn’t unique to Paul’s day. As John Stott once observed, if you preach the gospel the way Paul did—highlighting the absolute freeness of grace—you will be accused of teaching “license to sin.” Recently, in social media when I posted Do Christians Still Need the Ten Commandments? Paul Says No, I was asked the same thing?

If no one ever raises that charge, perhaps the gospel you’re preaching isn’t Paul’s gospel at all.

Paul’s Outrage at Misunderstood Grace

Paul’s answer is not to water down grace or retract his teaching. He doesn’t backpedal or add disclaimers. Instead, he shows the absurdity of the objection:

“GOD FORBID! MAY IT NEVER BE!”

Why? Because Christians are people who have died to sin.

This doesn’t mean we are insensitive to sin, or incapable of sinning, but rather we do not want to sin, really. Also read this article.

The “old self,” dominated by sin, has been crucified with Christ. If dead, why do we sin? We explore that here. We do not have a sinful nature.

Crucified with Christ: A New Identity

Paul makes the same point in Galatians 2:19–20:

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

To be baptized into Christ is to be baptized into His death (Romans 6:3). At the cross not only were our sins taken care of, we died with Christ.

Sin’s hold over us-BAM! gone!
Law’s hold over us- BAM! gone

Till the death of Christ, the whole idea was to not sin so that one would be closer to God. Paul rips that thinking apart in Rom 2-5 where he says that the law was not intended for that. He flips the whole idea and shares the heart of God’s plan from the very beginning, it was to change us so that we would not want to sin, that which he called the circumcised heart!

if we’ve truly died to sin, why would we go back and live in what is dead?

Dead In Sin vs. Dead To Sin

Before Christ, Ephesians 2:1 and Colossians 2:13 describe us as “dead in trespasses and sins.” But now, in Christ, we are “dead to sin.” That’s the great exchange.

This truth plays out in our new nature:

• Our spirits, born again, are identical to Christ’s (1 John 4:17; 1 Cor. 6:17).
• Our new man was created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24).
• We are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13).

Therefore, while our bodies and souls are still capable of sin, our new identity is not defined by sin. We cannot sin in our spirit, because the old nature that compelled us to sin is dead.

Why Do Christians Still Sin?

If the sin nature is dead, why do believers still stumble? The answer is that sin no longer comes from our identity but from the old mindset called flesh giving in to temptation. As Paul develops in Romans 6–7, Sin is no longer our master, but we can still allow it footholds.

Importantly, Paul shifts the motivation for holy living. We don’t resist sin to earn God’s acceptance—Christ already accomplished that. We resist sin because:

1. Our nature has been changed—we no longer want to live in sin.
2. Sin opens doors to the enemy, giving him inroads into our lives (Romans 6:15 onward).

Thus, the call to holiness flows from identity, not obligation.

Grace Produces True Holiness

Paul never tones down grace to avoid misunderstanding. Instead, he magnifies it. Grace doesn’t free us to sin—it frees us from sin. To be alive in Christ is to walk in the power of a new nature, a new Spirit, a new identity.

As Andrew Wommack puts it, “The part of us that compelled us to sin is dead.” And because of this, holiness is not something we strive for to prove ourselves—it’s the natural outflow of who we already are in Christ.

Conclusion

Grace doesn’t encourage sin—it kills sin at the root. By uniting us with Christ in His death and resurrection, grace makes sin incompatible with who we are. That’s why Paul is so appalled at the suggestion that grace could ever be a license to sin.

The gospel Paul preached is radical, and it will always be misunderstood by those who think acceptance with God must be earned. But the truth stands:

We are dead to sin.
We are alive to Christ.
And grace is not a permission slip for sin—it’s the power to live free.