Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. For what?

Grace abounds for forgiveness of sins. More than that, there is abundance of grace to bring us to a life of overcoming sin. Paul writes in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more.” He also writes earlier in Romans 5:17, “Much more will those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” We cannot say that we reign in life when we become angry, offended or impatient, even if we have the forgiveness of sins. Paul continues in Romans 6:14, “For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” When we get offended – even if we don’t want to – then it is clear that sin has dominion over us.

The gift of righteousness

“Knowing this that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:6-7. It is our old man – whose mind is bound to the lusts of the flesh – who is the slave of sin.

We read about the gift of righteousness that we received through this abundance of grace in Hebrews 2:14. Jesus partook of the same flesh as us and through death destroyed “him who had the power of death, that is the devil.” The devil only has power through the lusts of our flesh. During the days of His flesh Jesus brought these lusts into death and thereby destroyed the devil. And since He partook of the same flesh as us, this death is now reckoned to us – this is the gift of righteousness.

True grace abounds

“For the death that [Jesus] died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.” Romans 6:10. So now we can put off our old man, and in time of temptation reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11) By following Jesus’ example, we start living a victorious and transforming Christian life: now it is no longer we who live but Christ lives in us. (Galatians 2:20)

So now we are under grace and have the power to put to death the lust of our flesh. (Colossians 3:5) In this way we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:10) And more and more we come to reign in life through Jesus Christ.

This is the true grace of God. (1 Peter 5:12) This grace abounds!