"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Paul's rhetorical question beginning Romans Six is as relevant today as when he addressed it to the church of Rome nineteen hundred years ago. Actually, we have two questions here. The first, "What shall we say then?" or, "What, then, are we forced to conclude?" throws us back to the Holy Spirit's great argument at the conclusion of chapter five. Having told us that judgment resulting in condemnation came to all humans through Adam's initial sin (Romans 5:18); having stated that Adam's one act of disobedience constituted us sinners, and that Christ's one act of obedience on Calvary's cross constitutes the believer righteous (Romans 5:19); having stated that God's purpose in adding the Law was to give sin the nature of transgression (Romans 5:20 with Galatians 3:19); God then declares that -- though law-giving had jumped the number of offenses from one to many -- the "super-avalanching" of grace had greatly exceeded the ruin caused by sin.

"Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more ("super-overflowed, and then some"), so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21).

The world and the worldly church believe that sin outperforms grace; that man can do something that will undo the work of God. This is why the majority of professing Christians believe that salvation can be lost. A salvation that one could lose would not be salvation by grace; it would not even be salvation, but probation -- something vastly different. Remember, Paul has already been accused of teaching "Let us do evil that good may come" (Romans 3:8). Wherever God's pure grace is proclaimed, men whose carnal minds lead them to believe that sin is stronger than grace will suggest that continuing in sin is what is being promoted. If you proclaim God's grace to your friends and relatives, you will be accused of encouraging sin. Every Bible teacher who ever taught grace has been accused of promoting license. If I were not regularly so accused I would be greatly distressed because grace is always rejected by the carnal mind! Until a man learns to love the grace of God, he will hate it. God and Paul teach that the reign of grace has broken the reign of sin for every believer. This is contrary to human reason. Man would have it just the other way; he would have Queen Grace surrendering to King Sin.

The second question in our text is "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Man's logic might suggest that, if God is really glorified by extending grace to transgressors as Paul is saying, the believer should continue under sin's reign so that God can extend more grace and receive more glory. After all, if sin brings grace and grace brings glory, the more sin the more glory, man might reason. The argument is plausible, but contrived. Paul's enemies, the Legalists, were seeking to defend their position by destroying the credibility of Paul. A Jew who promoted sinning and suggested that it glorifies God would not deserve a hearing.

Paul's problem is ours. He taught God's grace and was accused of teaching that good ends justify evil means, and if you and I teach grace we will be so accused, make no mistake. Satan's attitude toward God's grace will never change. False accusation goes with the turf of grace teaching. If we are not being indicted as Paul was indicted, it is proof positive that we are not teaching Paul's gospel.

Paul's answer to the question, "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" is "NEVER!" The King James translators, looking for an English idiom strong enough to convey the power of the Greek, came up with "God forbid"; a literal rendering would give "May it not be," but, in this instance, to translate literally is to sacrifice the force of the Greek idiom. The KJV translators wisely compromised literalness here in favor of force. The Greek idiom has muscle; the English idiom must have muscle too!

I believe that understanding the great teaching of Romans Six is prerequisite to living the Grace Believer's life, the "Christian" life! This is a strong statement, I know, but I stand by it, so help me God! In Romans Six, God Himself explains the mechanics of life and ministry; if we miss the boat here, we miss the boat! There are many believers who care little about leading the type of life that is pleasing to God. To them I have little to say. I speak instead to those who are serious about Christ and positive toward Bible doctrine. WE MUST UNDERSTAND ROMANS SIX! That this chapter is lost on the majority of believers, I have no doubt, and I believe the reason is that the question in verse one and the answer in verse two have mistakenly been regarded as referring to our conduct when, in truth, they refer to our position. To continue in sin means more than to perpetuate sinful practices, it means to continue under the reign of sin as a monarch...to continue to live in the Kingdom of Darkness, of spiritual death.

God and Paul answer this suggestion by reminding the church of Rome that they had died to the reign of Sin when their Substitute died on Calvary. We must never forget that Christ had no death of His own to die (Hebrews 2:9); death is the wages of sin (Romans 6:23), and He had no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Death could have no claim on absolute Deity! Nor could death have a claim on a perfect human being! Christ did not, because He could not, die His own death; He had none to die! Christ died your death and mine. Our death has been died! (Colossians 3:3).

When Christ died, the believer died. It is as simple as that (Galatians 2:20). All believers died with Christ. How can this be, since we were not corporeally present on Calvary when our Lord hung on the cross? How can Paul say that we died with Christ when we hadn't even been born at the time of His death? Christ died in our place (1 Corinthians 15:3). That is the only possible explanation. God and Paul can tell us that we died with Christ only because Christ died for us and as us on Calvary. It is just as real as if you had been marched to Calvary to die as a sinner bearing God's wrath for your sins, and Christ stepped forward and died in your place.

Our union with Christ in His death brought to an end, legally, the Adam life. Our union with the first Adam constituted us sinners. Search Adam from stem to stern and all you will find is condemnation and death; That is all that he could bequeath to us. Our union with Christ, the last Adam, has constituted us righteous. Search Him from stem to stern and all that you will find is righteousness and life. To have Christ, to be in union with our new and permanent Federal Head, is to have perfect righteousness and never-ending life (Romans 5:15-19).

The great truth that when Christ died we died to the Adam life, and that when Christ rose we rose with Him to a new sphere of existence altogether is the very foundation upon which the believer's life and ministry must be built (Romans 6:5-14). Anything short of this is other than this, and anything other than this is wrong. By the grace of God, we have exchanged the Adam life for the Christ life. Now the only issue is, what will we do with this new life that we have received?