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Does Grace Lead to License?

by David A. DePra

     One of the most common misunderstandings surrounding the
gospel of grace is that people often think you are preaching
license. When you say things like, "We are no longer under the
law," and "We are no longer judged by what we do," and "God's
forgiveness is final whether we believe it or not," some people
misunderstand. They think you are preaching license. They think
you are saying that Christians can live any way they please
because God forgives them unconditionally. They think that you
are insisting that God saves everyone no matter what, because
that is the only thing a "loving God" could do.
     This misunderstanding arises because the Truth of the gospel
is such a departure from, not only our natural way of thinking, but
from the religiousity which most people have been taught. The
world operates on a "rewards and punishment" system of conduct,
and most of have been taught that this is the way God operates.
Add to that the fact that we are born in sin, without any knowledge
of God's love and grace, and the misunderstanding is almost
inevitable.
     The misunderstanding, that grace equals license, has ALWAYS
surrounded the true gospel. Jesus was accused of doing away with
the moral law of Moses. That's why He had to finally say, "Think not
that I am come to abolish the law and prophets. I have not come to
abolish, but to fulfill." (Matt. 10:17) Steven was likewise accused of
doing away with God's Word through Moses. (see Acts 6:11) And
then there was Paul. All through his ministry, he was at odds with the
"Judiazers." They accused him of preaching that we could "sin that
grace might abound." (see Romans 6:1) And the epistle of James
was written to believers who misunderstood the Truth of grace. It
tells us that God's grace won't lead to license, but to Godly living.
     The Truth of grace sounds like license to us because we are so
used to trying to establish our own righteousness through works.
This practice is so ingrained in us that it comes natural. And to
suggest that the only righteousness we can have is a foreign one,
not of ourselves, and completely apart from our works -- that sounds
like we are doing away with good works altogether. But no. We
are going to see that grace, rather than do away with works, is the
only means by which Christians can do good works.
 
Does the Law Restrain Sin?
 
     It is significant that the gospel is misunderstood the same way
time and time again. Why do so many people who hear the gospel
of grace reject it as "anti-law?" What do many, when hearing that
we are no longer "under the law" think that means we can now sin?
And why, when some people hear that God's forgiveness is
unconditional, think this must mean we can sin all we want, because
God will forgive us anyways?
     When you take all of those misunderstandings and add them up,
you will see that they all come back to the same error: People think
that the law restrains sin. They think that if you say Jesus satisfied
the penalty for sin, as given in the law, that we will sin. People think
that if you remove the law's reward for obedience, that we will sin.
     Is that true? Well, natural thinking would say, "Yes, take away
the law -- with it's rewards and punishments based on our conduct --
and Christians will sin. There will be nothing to stop them. They
will use the grace of God as license."
     But there are many problems with this reasoning. First, it is silly
to say that Christians will start to sin if we take away the law. Why?
Because we never stopped sinning! The law never stopped
anyone from sinning! If it had, we wouldn't need a Saviour.
     Ask: Has the law given you the power to overcome all sin; to
stop sinning? No. Instead, the law has exposed you as a sinner,
unable to obey God. Therefore, saying that the law is a restraint
against sin is a mirage.
     If man were good by nature, and simply needed some guidelines
for living, then we might say that the law was necessary to restrain
sin. But man is not good by nature. He is a sinner. And while
keeping the law can give us an outward mode of conduct, it cannot
touch the sin nature.
     This is precisely why we cannot establish our own righteousness
by law-keeping. If we kept every law of God perfectly, we'd still
have the sin nature. And actually, the point is moot. The reason we
cannot keep the law perfectly is BECAUSE we have the sin nature.
So, in effect, God could not have given the law to restrain sin, for
sin cannot be restrained. It is in our very natures.
     Of course this does mean we say, "I cannot keep the law. So
what's the use. I might as well just sin all I want." No. But we are
going to see that a real Christian, despite no longer being "under
the law," would never do this. He cannot do this if he believes.
 
What is License?
 
     We need to understand what we are saying when we insist that
grace leads to license. What is "license?" License is NOT
weakness. It is not "sinning, even though I don't want to." No. All
Christians sin -- but don't want to sin. We are all as Paul, not being
able to do what we want, and often doing what we hate. Yet this is
not "license." It is weakness of the flesh, and at times, a giving into
the old nature.
     "License" is something else. Far worse. Think about it. What is
a "license?" It is a legal right to do something. So, as it pertains to
the topic at hand, "license" is the legal right to sin. A Christian who
practices license, therefore, has the attitude of WANTING to sin;
of WANTING to use grace as a license. He would not be "using"
the license otherwise. He is "sinning that grace might abound."
     Imagine doing that. Imagine deliberately sinning under the
belief that you have a right to do it, and that God will forgive you
anyways. Put aside the actual sin for a moment. Consider what
kind of attitude a person like that would have. Consider what their
"faith" in God must be like, and how they must think. How could a
person say they are believing and trusting in God if they are
practicing license? Could a man do that if he has truly repented?
     The answer is obvious. Anyone who is truly practicing license
is not a Christian. He could not be, if he truly wants to sin and thinks
it doesn't matter to God. He is, at best, deceived. At worst, he has
gone over to the other side.
     According to the Bible, there is NO such thing as a born again
Christian who WANTS to sin. There is no such thing as a born
again Christian who willfully practices license in the face of the
crucified Son of God. The apostle John said so. He said, "He
that abides in Him sins not." (I Jn. 3:6) -- that is, does not WANT to
sin. Or, if you will, does not want to practice license. He can't
practice license, for he has a new nature.
     The fact is, if I receive the grace of God -- the way the Bible
teaches it -- it will never lead to license. It will not lead to license
despite the fact that those under grace are no longer under the
"rewards and punishment" control of the law. Grace never leads to
license because unless you have the sin question settled in your
heart you aren't going to receive the grace of God to begin with.
 
Repentance of Sin
 
    If we are really a converted Christian, then we became one by
first doing what? Repenting. We must repent of sin. There is no
way to bypass repentance, because if you do, you bypass
confessing you are a sinner. You bypass everything necessary
for you to see before you will embrace the grace of God.
     Repentance is from a Greek word "metanoeo" which means
"to change one's mind." It speaks of a renewal of the mind from
what it was, to something new. This is applied to sin in our process
of salvation. We "change our mind" toward sin, yes, but also
towards God. We realize our desperate condition of need. We
repent of what we are, and what we have done, and we cry out to
God. Then we embrace His free forgiveness and grace in Christ.
We enter into new life.
     Now notice: If I repent, I change my mind, indeed my life, towards
sin. I change it forever. I become a new man. So having repented
of sin, how can it result in my wanting to use grace as a license to
sin? It can't. If I am using grace as license, then the sobering fact is,
I haven't really repented. I may have had a worldly sorrow for my
sin. But not a Godly sorrow.
     We have to understand that to be born again means more than
just being forgiven by God. It means all of that. But it also means
that we are a new creation. Part of the new makeup of the new
creation is that we no longer want to sin. Thus, if you are born
again, license is not an option. You aren't someone who will want
to use license.
     Grace -- the way the Bible teaches it -- will never lead to license
because if you are walking in grace you have already repented of
sin. You have already entered into the reality of what it means to
be a needy sinner saved by grace. All the license has been
repented out of you!
 
But.....
 
     A Christian is a person who has received the grace of God. But
he has entered into that grace through the doorway of repentance
of sin -- not through the doorway of wanting to sin. Repentance of
sin is the forsaking of sin. And if it is real, it is permanent -- despite
the fact that it will take a lifetime to live out the permanent decision.
     Having said all of that, we must now face the fact that there are
many Christians who practice license. Christians hear the message
of grace, and they DO "sin that grace might abound." How can this
be?
     One reason it can be is that those who are practicing license are
not truly converted Christians. And because the Truth has been so
watered-down today, they themselves may not even realize it.
     None of us can really judge whether someone is truly converted.
Only God knows. But there has to be many unconverted out there,
because there is a lot of license out there. There are many who
profess Christ who don't seem to have any conviction about them.
     Never think that simply because someone professes Christ and
knows Bible verses that they are automatically a Christian. There is
such a thing as a "said" faith -- a faith which is not real. That's the
kind of faith mentioned in the epistle of James. It is a dead faith.
     The sobering fact is, if "receiving the grace of God" has led me
into license then I have not received the grace of God. I have NOT.
I have "received" something else. But NOT the grace of God.
Maybe I've simply adopted a religion which looks like Christianity.
But I haven't been born again, for he that is born of God cannot
sin -- that is, cannot want to sin. He wants deliverance from sin, and
the freedom to stop sinning. Not license.
 
Overcoming the Old
 
     Another reason some Christians practice what appears to be
license is ignorance. They don't realize they must overcome the
old creation. They don't see the need to make Godly choices. So
they just go on, almost oblivious to what they are doing. Probably
all of us are guilty of this to some degree, for we are all in certain
stages of growth.
     God will, of course, convict us of sin -- as He does His work in us.
But it is there that we must choose to forsake sin and choose
holiness. Some Christians will not. They instead choose to hold
on to the old.
     Why? Because they won't pay the price for Truth. They won't
pay the price of letting go of the old creation.
     There is a price to pay -- not FOR grace -- but because of it.
That price is the old man in Adam. He is dead, but now we must
begin treating him like he is dead. This will not please the flesh. But
the only way to go on with God is to forsake the old and embrace
the new. Some Christians won't.
     The Bible uses the phrase "fallen from grace" regarding those
who want to be justified by their own works. (see Gal. 5:4) It also
talks about others who give away God's free gift. So it is possible
to lose faith and disobey God. But this is not done because grace
leads to license. It happens because people stop believing the
Truth. It happens because people will not surrender to God.
     We are new creations in Christ Jesus. We have been set free
from sin. We do not want to sin. This is normal for the redeemed.
But God has NOT made it impossible for us to sin. He has not
made it impossible for us to work against our new nature and grieve
the Holy Spirit. We have our free will and must choose. If we fall
back and choose evil, then the last state becomes worse than the
first.
 
More Than Law-Keeping and Position
 
     We saw earlier that one of the reasons why people think that
grace leads to license is that they assume that the law restrains sin.
But there are other reasons too. One of them is that people think
that the "legal position" we have in Christ is all there is to being
saved.
     Through Christ, our "legal position" before God IS changed.
Christ satisfied all the requirements of the law. He gave God just
and legal reason to forgive us. We ARE legally justified.
     But is that it? Is that all that is changed by the death and
resurrection of Christ? Just the "legal position" we have before
God? If all that changed through Christ is a change in our "legal
position," then there is no change in US. Consequently, we would
have no freedom to stop sinning; to overcome the sin nature. This
would obviously lead to license. We would "sin that grace might
abound," because that is just about all we could do.
     In Christ, our "legal position" IS changed. But this would be a
terrible lie and misrepresentation if WE were not changed. It would
be as if God were calling us something we really aren't.
     God tells us that WE are changed through Christ. Truly. That
doesn't mean that the change immediately manifests itself. It does
not mean that we no longer have a sin nature, or don't have to
overcome the flesh. But because we have been born again, we are
NEW creations. That is change.
     A new birth in Christ results in a new heart. It results in being
transformed from a creature who wants to sin to one who does not.
     This aversion to sin is inherent in the new creation in Christ. As a
result, using grace as a license to sin isn't something a new
creation is going to want to do. In fact, our faith in Christ is going to
product good works and holy living.
     Could it be that many of those of us who think that grace leads to
license have made this mistake? Could it be that we do not grasp
the fact that salvation brings a change -- a change in us which
give us a growing desire to avoid sin and pursue holiness?
     When God tells us we are born again, and that we are new
creations in Christ Jesus, He is NOT merely speaking of a "legal
position." The legal part IS satisfied. But all of the terms which
describe us are NOT merely reflective of a new way God has of
looking at us. Rather, we really ARE those things in Jesus Christ.
     For example, when Paul says, "he that is died is free from sin,"
and that we should, "reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to
God," is he just giving us verses to make us feel better about
ourselves? Or, is he describing reality? He is describing the fact
that something has happened to us which has changed the very
fabric of our spiritual and moral makeup?
     Make no question about it, either the new birth is real and actual,
or it is not. There is no middle ground. You can't be half-born. And
if it is real, then it is something we can experience NOW -- to the
degree that the residual presence of the old creation will allow.
 
Obedience
 
     Christianity is real. It is a transformation from death to life. It is
a new birth. It is also a transformation from being "under the law,"
to being "under grace." But now we are ready to answer a few
questions about that. Does being "under grace" mean we are
free to sin? Does it mean that we no longer have to keep the ten
commandments?
     Let's begin our answer by examining two scriptures, which when
put together, forever settle the question of whether we are still
"under the law" as Christians:
Whatever the law says, it says it to those under the law.
(Rom. 3:19)
BUT -- you are not under law, but under grace." (Rom.6:14)
     Not only do we see the clear statement here that we are no
longer "under the law," but it also tells us what that really means:
Paul says, "Whatever the law says, it is speaking to those under
the law."
     The inescapable conclusion is this: If we are NOT "under the
law -- but "under grace" -- then the law cannot be speaking to US.
     Do we really see this? It is as plain as day. The law is no longer
speaking to us. It speaks only to those "under the law."
     Now, what does the law say? It commands. It says, "Thou shalt
not......" And then it says what will happen if we obey, and what will
happen if we don't. That's what the law says when it speaks. But
if we are "under grace," Paul says the law is not speaking to US.
     But before we jump to the conclusion that this is a license to
practice sin, we have to read further. If we do, we will find that
rather than suggest we can practice sin, this Truth about the law
actually leads us to a much greater possibility for holiness:
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith WITHOUT
the deeds of the law. (see Rom. 3:27-28)
     So we see that no longer being under the law does NOT result
in license and sin. Rather, it results -- if we believe -- in a
righteousness we receive without, or apart from, the deeds of the
law.
     Now notice something here, for it is the crux of the matter: If I
have been justified apart from the law, and been declared by God
to be righteous through Christ, am I free to sin? Would God declare
me justified and righteous, only to set me free to sin? Never. God
is able to declare me justified and righteous, not only because
Christ satisfied the legal demands of the law, but because through
Him I actually BECOME those things. I become, through the new
birth, someone who is born justified and righteous in Christ. This
will not lead to license, but to holy living.
     The righteousness we receive is a foreign righteousness, not OF
ourselves. But it is more than just a "legal position" before God. It
is a righteous nature born into us through the new birth. It is HIS
righteousness living in us.
     So in answer to the question, "Should a Christian keep the ten
commandments," the answer is, "Of course!" A Christian will WANT
to keep them. He won't do it perfectly, but will want to. A Christian is
going to live a life which is in full harmony with God's moral law.
 
Keeping the Law
 
     If you took a survey and asked Christians why they should
keep God's moral law, many would probably answer, "To avoid
the wrath or punishment of God." Others might answer in a more
positive way, "To earn a greater reward." And the fact is, if law,
any law, is to have any power over people, it must provide a
reward for obedience and punishment for disobedience. Indeed,
as we saw earlier, this is precisely why people think that the law
restrains sin.
     But we are no longer "under the law." That means the law is no
longer speaking to us. It means the law has no power over us. The
issue of rewards and punishments was ended in Christ, for He paid
the price for all sin, and we receive all things in Christ, free of charge.
So then ask: Why keep the law?
     This is, afterall, the real question, isn't it? If there is no reward for
works, and all is of grace, and I am forgiven for all my sin, then why
obey God?
     Christians should keep God's moral law because it is the RIGHT
thing to do -- the righteous thing to do. They should keep it because
it is LOVE to keep it. The influence of rewards and punishments
should not even be in the picture.
     Now that is worth repeating. We should keep God's law because
it is RIGHT to keep it. It is LOVE to keep it. Indeed, the apostle
John told us that all the law boils down to the agape love of God.
Love does the right thing without regards to reward or punishment.
     There is an important point we must see here, however. If I am
"keeping the law" because of love; because it is the right thing to
do, then I'm really not obeying God because the law is speaking
to me. It can't be speaking to me, because I'm "under grace." So
why am I doing what the law says to do? Because I am BEING
righteous.
     The moral law of God is His righteousness revealed in law form.
So if I live righteously, I will be in harmony with that law. But I won't
be forcing myself to obey the law -- because of rewards and
punishments. Those who are under grace don't need a law to
command them, "Thou shalt....," under threat of punishment. They
are obeying that law as the natural outcome of being righteous
in Jesus Christ.
     This is why Paul is able to say that if we are "under grace" the
law is not speaking to us. It doesn't have to speak to us. We
already have it written on our hearts. Conduct will follow which
agrees with the law anyways.
 
Rewards and Punishments
 
     Anytime you introduce rewards and punishments and make
those the reason to obey God, you are no longer talking about
grace. You are no longer talking about love.
     Let's suppose that today you discovered that you do not have
have to keep any of God's commandments. Let's suppose you
are absolutely free of any consequences for breaking God's law.
Ask: Would you declare a holiday and go out and kill everyone
you didn't like -- I mean if you thought you could get away with it
legally? Would you steal at random? Would you start lying every
time it suited you? Would you commit adultery?
     If I do not understand the gospel of grace, I might answer, "Yes.
If you took away the standard of God's law, Christians would go out
and sin. They would sin that grace might abound."
     Now notice what such an answer indicates: It indicates that
there was only one thing which restrained sin: Punishment. Only as
long as a punishment or consequence for disobedience was in
place was sin restrained. But once that was removed, sin broke
out.
     That might be fine in the case of a civil government, or with a
child who doesn't know better. Punishment can keep people in line.
But what does it say about my moral character if the only reason I
do right is to avoid the consequences of doing wrong? What does
it say about me if I obey God only because I fear what will happen
if I don't?
     What it says is this: I may have done right things, but I was not
righteous. I may have obeyed the moral law, but I am not moral.
The moment I was free to do right or wrong, I did wrong. My true
heart was exposed.
     But wait. What if I don't go out and sin -- once I realize all the
consequences for sin are removed? In fact, what if I strive to keep
God's ten commandments all the more -- simply because they are
holy, just, and good? What if I strive all the more to do right because
I love God and simply because it IS right?
     This would also say something. It would say that there is
something in me that law cannot create. Life. A new nature. A new
freedom. A righteousness. Love. It would say that I obey God for
reasons other than a reward or to avoid a punishment. I obey
because it is RIGHT to obey. I obey because I have the love of
God in me.
 
Dead to Sin
 
     When the apostle Paul asked his rhetorical question, "Are we to
continue in sin that grace might abound?," he was actually revealing
something. He could not ask that question unless grace DOES
abound when we sin. Do you see that? If grace does NOT abound
when we sin, then you cannot ask the question, "Are we to continue
in sin that grace might abound?" It would be nonsense.
     God's grace abounds EVEN when we sin -- not EXCEPT when
we sin. It would not be grace if it only abounded when we obeyed.
We don't need grace when we obey. We need it when we sin
and fail.
     Now ask: If God's grace abounds EVEN when we sin, then why
not sin? That is Paul's question. Are we to continue in sin that grace
might abound? His answer to his own question reveals a great
Truth. He says, "God forbid. For how can we who have died to sin
live any longer therein?"
     Paul had the opportunity to give us any number of reasons why
we should not sin that grace might abound. He could have said,
"Because if you do, God is going to punish you." He could have
said, "If you do, you'll lose your salvation," or "you'll lose part of
your eternal reward." But he didn't. He gave one reason WHY we
should not continue in sin that grace might abound: We are dead to
sin.
     Paul is touching on a great Truth here. He is talking about the
creature we have become through the new birth. In Christ, we are
dead to sin and alive to God. This does not force us to act like it.
But it is nevertheless a fact.
     Now ask: Is someone who is dead to sin going to "sin that grace
might abound?" Paul is answering that question, here, in this
passage. His answer is, "God forbid. For how can we, who are
dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
     Carried in Paul's answer, and the subsequent passages, is the
Truth that those who are in Christ have been transformed from what
they were to a new creation. Paul shows us that while this does not
automatically force our wills to obey God, that it does mean we are
born anew with a new disposition -- one which will say, with Paul,
"God forbid that I should sin that grace might abound!"
     To conclude, Christians will keep God's moral law. If I am
a Christian, I am not going to be debating about that. I will want to
keep it. But I will not be keeping it because of a "rewards and
punishment" motivation. I'll be keeping it because it is the RIGHT
thing to do, and because I love God. I'll keep God's standards
because I have a new nature within me which cannot consider
wanting to do otherwise. *

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