There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1

It’s a strange thing to be accused of “preaching too much grace.” After all, it is by grace alone that we are saved (Eph 2:1-10). One would think that because grace is so central to the Gospel (cf. Rom 3:24) it would be impossible to make too much of it!

Yet, when we preach the Gospel and the free grace of God we open ourselves up to precisely this charge. The implications of the Gospel are extraordinary! The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us by grace through faith (cf. Rom 3:24-28, 2 Cor 5:21). Our sin has been atoned for, and the merit of Christ is credited to us. It’s as if we ourselves have kept the law of God perfectly.

It’s at this point that some might (and do) argue, “Well, if the righteousness of Christ is credited to you, then in theory you could live however you want and still be “justified.” Now, it is here where the legalist and I part ways. The legalist will answer… “No! Just look at our “good works!” Now, don’t misunderstand, I believe that the Holy Spirit, upon justification, impresses the law on the hearts of believers so that it is a delight to honor God in obedience (cf. Jer 31:31-33, Titus 2:11-14). Nevertheless, I think the legalist skips a step by jumping over Paul’s argument in Romans 6-8 and going straight to Romans 12 and the imperatives that follow.

Paul doesn’t answer this charge by pointing to the law! Rather he doubles down on grace and our union with Christ:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:1-4) …For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (6:14)

So, what am I suggesting exactly? Well, I’m suggesting that we approach the Christian life in the manner Paul did in Romans. The Christian is not under the law, we are under grace. That is, the law no longer condemns those who are in Christ Jesus (cf. Rom 8:1). It is the grace of God that counter intuitively leads us into obedience, even when we find ourselves struggling to do what is right (cf. Rom 7:15-25).

Therefore, the Christian is to come back to the Gospel daily and drink in the good news of King Jesus (cf. Rom 8). The work is done! Christ has kept the law and it’s legal demands (Rom 8:3-4). We are no longer condemned by the law! I don’t obey the Lord to “prove my salvation.” I desire to obey the law to glorify him! And, I will still fail because of indwelling sin. But thanks be to God I am in Christ! I am not condemned! I am free, forever and always. My obedience (or, lack thereof) earns me zero merit before him. He cannot love me more than he already does. This is grace. It’s all of grace.

The legalist struggles with this point. For the legalist, the Christian life is about constant improvement, the vindication of new spiritual life. I do not disagree that the Christian is created for (Eph 2:10) and zealous for (Titus 2:11-14) good works. Rather, I understand these things to be down stream from our position in Christ, which is precisely Paul’s point in Romans 6-8. I believe that good works and obedience are the outflow of my feasting on Christ. I will never feel as if I have enough good works to justify myself before a holy God. Neither did Paul (Phil 3:12). But setting my gaze towards the glory of Christ, I am transformed from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18).

So, living Christianly is not about “trying harder.” It’s not about “doing better.” It’s about abiding in Christ. Because when we do, the promise is that will bear fruit (John 15:1-8). That’s a promise.

I’m reminded of Martin Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) famous quote from his sermon series through Romans:

The true preaching of the gospel of salvation by grace alone always leads to the possibility of this charge being brought against it. There is no better test as to whether a man is really preaching the New Testament gospel of salvation than this, that some people might misunderstand it and misinterpret it to mean that it really amounts to this, that because you are saved by grace alone it does not matter at all what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it will redound all the more to the glory of grace. This is a very good test of gospel preaching. If my preaching and presentation of the gospel of salvation does not expose it to that misunderstanding, then it is not the gospel.