If you think any of the following… That the Bible tells me that because I am saved, I am free from the law, so I can do what I want to do. That I can keep on sinning because God will keep forgiving me. That I can never lose my eternal security, so I can do whatever I want to do. Those legal people are so strict, and I certainly don’t want to be like them. Or, finally, I can do whatever I want to do, even if other Christians are offended.

The Bible speaks rather clearly against using a license to sin in Romans 6:1,2,15. Paul asks us, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may increase? GOD FORBID!” Also, verse 15, “Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? GOD FORBID!” The Lord was very clear when He told us not to continue in sin.  In Ephesians, the Christians are encouraged to walk worthy of the work they are called to do (Ephesians 4:1-3). They are told not to walk as the other Gentiles around them are walking (v. 17). In Ephesians 4, he lays out the basics of our salvation: 1. Put off the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt. 2. Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. 3. Put on the new man … put away lying, control your anger, do not give the devil an opportunity, and be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:22-32). 1 Peter 4:2 and Colossians 3:5-7 give the same commandments. No longer live in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will God!

Galatians 5:19-21 lists the works of the flesh: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing … If we do these things gradually, we’ll fall off the road because our eyes will be off of Christ.

So then you ask the question, “How do I stay where Christ wants me to be, and avoid using license to sin?” First of all, you need to have a good understanding of sin and the power it has. Psalm 51:5 tells us we are born in sin. Romans 8:7 warns us that a mind set on the flesh is hostile against God. And finally, we see in Romans 7:21-25 that the Law cannot free us from sin, but only convict us of our sin.

Next, we need to learn how we are delivered from sin in Christ Jesus and apply it to our lives to be free from sin and its power. Know that our old man is crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we should no longer be slaves to sin (Romans 6:6). Romans 6:11 tells us to reckon ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God. Romans 6:12 tells us to not let sin reign in our mortal body. Finally, Romans 6:13 tells us to yield ourselves to God. To yield means complete surrender.

Also, we need to confess sin we have in our life so our heart does not become hardened to it (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 3:13). Walk in the Spirit and produce the fruit of the Spirit, by letting His power deliver us from the flesh (Galatians 5:16-25). We are a new creation and we have a new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17,20,21). We are called to be His ambassadors. We are made the righteousness of God in Him. Present your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1,2). Renew your mind by being in His Word and staying in fellowship with Jesus and fellow believers. Do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5). By doing this work, it shows we understand the Grace of God and that we want to share that.