What is Cheap Grace? And How Can I Stop Sinning If That's Possible? Romans 6:1-13

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You will often hear the term "cheap grace" thrown around in Christian circles. In some ways it is an oxymoron, especially as it relates to the grace of God we have received in Christ Jesus. After all, the grace God gave to us through His Son was not cheap at all. In fact, it cost Jesus his life. It cost him everything. When God offered his only Son to us for our salvation through his innocent suffering and death, it was anything but cheap. It was quite expensive. 

But is there another way in which might say, "We can cheapen God's grace by the way we respond to it, as evidenced by the fruit produced in our lives. I.e. Is there any Christ-like quality in our lives which is experienced by others who know us well." Paul addresses the issue for the Roman church in chapter 6. He has spent five chapters making a careful case that we are justified by faith alone, not by works of the law. We could never justify ourselves by our own efforts, because we fall so far short of God's perfect standard. His standard is not only perfection in what we do, but what we don't do.  

But the question is once we have received God's grace, been justified, and set free from the chains of our sinful nature, where do we go from there? Paul needed to confront this argument because of our human nature's tendency to return to our old sinful ways. He says it this way, 

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Romans 6:1

He was responding to those who took his teaching and said, "I guess when sin multiplies so does God's grace, so I should sin more so God's grace can abound more and more in me." To this he replies emphatically, 

By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Romans 6:2

For the rest of the chapter Paul goes on to unpack the implications of verses 1 and 2. If you have been a Christian very long. I am sure you wrestled with the fact that though you have accepted Jesus as Your Savior and know your sin is forgiven, you still sin. You may have just accepted the fact that you will always be a sinner, so why try to change. Or, you try legalistically to beat yourself up with guilt and shame hoping if you feel bad enough you won't commit the same sin again. 

This is by no means an easy question to answer. Throughout church history theologians and church leaders have tried to give their explanation of the problem and the solution. Many churches and denominations have split over how to answer this question. In my own Lutheran tradition, Martin Luther said, "We are simultaneously sinners and saints." 

While this brilliant on one level and offers a good explanation for this tension between being saved by grace and living a Christ like life, at some level for me it isn't satisfying. It sort of sounds like I am in "no man's land" until Jesus comes back. I am just biding my time. Sometimes I am a saint and sometimes I am a sinner. I guess it just depends on the day.  

I don't have enough time to unpack all that these verses have to say in regard to this question, but let me offer a couple of things. (Also read Colossians 3:1-17 which Dallas Willard calls a "Curriculum for Christlikeness")

I think we need to start by saying that if we have any hope of living a Christlike life, it all needs to revolve on Jesus and his power not mine. When we came to faith in Jesus not only did he take our sin upon himself on the cross, but he infused in us his resurrection life and power through His Holy Spirit. 

Therefore Paul says in Colossians 3:1-3, 

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

In our passage today, Paul says in Romans 6:4

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Paul uses the term "dead", "dying", or "death" ten times in the first 10 verses of Romans 6. 

But the key thing is that we have died to sin, we are now alive in Christ. 

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:10

So what then can we conclude about cheap grace? Can we continue in our sinful nature and practices though we are born again? Where does Jesus' power begin and end and what is my role in the process?

I love Dallas Willard's saying which I sums up the right way to look at this question, "Grace is opposed to earning not effort!" 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "When Christ calls a man he bids him to come and die!" 

But I don't want to sound too negative here, because as we live in Christ and in the power of his resurrection, we can live the life we've always wanted. We can live our lives like Jesus did with joy, purpose, meaning, peace, love and in constant communion with Him who loved us and gave himself for us. We can live all day in Christ's presence, as we continually choose him over going back to our old way of life that was dominated by love of self and gratifying the desires of the sinful nature!  

Yes the Good News is not that Jesus JUST died on the cross for us, but that He ALSO wants to live through us every day, every hour, every minute. 

We can live a Christian life every day, not in our own strength but as we abide in him. As we abide in him we will bear much fruit and fruit that will last into eternity. John 15