Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. . . . What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? -Romans 5:20, 6:15-16 (KJV) When Paul started teaching the people of his day about the Law and grace—how the law produces sin, but where sin abounds, grace abounds even more—the early believers got a bit confused. They reasoned, "Well, then, if the more we sin, the more grace abounds, and if God takes such delight in giving us His grace, then we ought to sin as much as we can so we can get more grace" (See Romans 6:15).
So Paul had to write to straighten them out, saying, "God forbid! Don't you know that when you sin you become a servant to sin? How can you go on living in sin when you have been declared dead to sin?" (See Romans 6:16).
Grace is not just an excuse to stay where we are, claiming that we don't have to do anything about ourselves and our lives because we are not under the law but under grace. That is the mistake the early believers were making.
Yes, God's grace will keep us from condemnation even though we sin. God's grace does keep our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life even though we aren't perfect. God's grace does save us, declare us righteous in His sight, assure us His blessings and a home in Heaven, carry us through this life, and give us peace of mind and heart and many, many other wonderful things.
But God's grace does more than all of that, it also teaches us to live as God intends for us to live—which is in holiness. It not only gives us the power to live, but it is given to us to lift us out of sin.
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