Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians. Let’s get into it.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
Galatians 5:4 TPT
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans 6:14 ERV
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Galatians 2:17 TPT
“But if we acknowledge that we’re sinners even though we seek to be made right with Christ, does that mean that Christ actually promotes sin? What a horrible thought!”
Romans 6:1-2 AMPC
“What shall we say [to all this]? Are we to remain in sin in order that God’s grace (favor and mercy) may multiply and overflow? Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?”
Romans 6:15 TPT
“So what then? Should we sin to our hearts’ content since we’re not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not!”
Titus 2:11-12 TPT
“For here’s how God’s marvelous grace has appeared, bringing salvation to all people! Grace has trained us to turn our backs on ungodly living and sinful pleasures and to live each day with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God.”
Setting the Stage:
In yesterday’s message, we learned that you cannot earn God’s righteousness through performance. We discovered that God’s acceptance is not based on religious performance and that faith in Jesus is the only path to perfect righteousness. This revelation liberates us from the exhausting treadmill of trying to be good enough for God. Our performance will never measure up, and getting free from this is critical to the life of faith because (as you have heard me say many times) if your expectation of God (your faith) is based on your perceived level of goodness toward Him, then you will never be able to believe on the level that you are called to because, quite simply, you are not that good.
But here’s what happens every single time someone preaches the true grace message – religious people immediately raise their hands with the objection: “Wait a minute! If people don’t have to perform to be accepted by God, won’t they just go out and sin freely? Doesn’t grace give people a license to sin?“
Paul anticipated this objection because he’d heard it a thousand times before. In verse 17, he addresses it and we will discuss it today.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. When People Ask This Question, They Don’t Really Know Grace Yet.
Paul says: “But if we acknowledge that we’re sinners even though we seek to be made right with Christ, does that mean that Christ actually promotes sin?” This question reveals that whoever is asking it has never truly experienced the transforming power of God’s grace.
How this applies to you:
— People who ask this question are still thinking in terms of external control rather than internal change. They believe people only behave well because of fear, punishment, or religious obligation. This is an attempt to scare people into living by the rules so they don’t go to hell. These people don’t understand that grace changes the heart’s desires, not just one’s behavior.
— This question assumes that people secretly want to sin and are only restrained by religious threats. But when you truly experience God’s love and grace, your desires begin to change. You don’t want to sin against someone who loves you unconditionally. You actually grow to the point where you want to please God simply because you love Him.
— Religious people ask this question because they judge grace by how The Law works. Law operates through external pressure and the fear of consequences. Grace operates through internal transformation and the power of God’s love. They’re two completely different systems.
— The question reveals that the person asking it thinks Christianity is about behavior modification rather than receiving a new heart from God. Religion focuses on changing what you do. The Gospel focuses on changing who you are. Changed identity leads to changed behavior.
— When you’ve been genuinely touched by God’s unmerited favor, the last thing you want to do is abuse it. Grace creates gratitude, not rebellion. A heart that’s been changed (completely transformed) by grace doesn’t look for loopholes—it looks for ways to honor the One who showed such love.
— If you’re still asking, “How much can I get away with?” then you haven’t understood the love that grace represents. Grace isn’t about getting permission to hurt the One who loves you most. It’s about receiving power to please the One who gave everything for you.
— When you truly understand grace, the question changes from “How much can I get away with?” to “How much can I give back so I can honor God?” Grace transforms your motivation from getting away with something to giving back for everything.
2. Paul’s Response Shows How Ridiculous the Suggestion (that grace is a license to sin) Really Is.
Paul’s response is immediate and strong: “What a horrible thought!” The Greek word here (me genoito) is the strongest possible negation in the Greek language. Paul is absolutely shocked by the suggestion that Christ promotes sin.
How this applies to you:
— Grace doesn’t promote sin; it promotes surrender. When you truly understand that Christ died for your sins, the natural response is not to sin more, but to surrender more. Grace creates love, and love creates loyalty.
— The very suggestion that grace promotes sin shows a complete misunderstanding of the cross. Christ didn’t die so you could sin freely—He died so you could be free from sin’s power. The cross shows both the cost of sin and the love of God.
— Paul’s strong response reveals that grace actually has the opposite effect. Instead of promoting sin, true grace promotes holiness. Not legalistic rule-keeping, but genuine heart transformation that produces righteous living.
— Christ cannot promote what He died to destroy. Sin is what separated us from God. Jesus came to reconcile us to God, not to give us permission to stay separated. The whole purpose of grace is to bring us into an intimate relationship with the Father.
— The suggestion is ridiculous because it makes Christ an accomplice to the very thing that caused His death. Sin put Jesus on the cross. To suggest that He now promotes sin is to make Him complicit in His own crucifixion.
— The suggestion reveals how little people understand about the transforming power of God’s love. Those who truly experience grace are motivated by love, not license.
3. Grace Doesn’t Make You Perfect—It Makes You Honest About Your Need for Help.
Paul says: “If we acknowledge that we’re sinners even though we seek to be made right with Christ…” Notice that Paul doesn’t deny that Christians still struggle with sin. He acknowledges it, but shows that this doesn’t invalidate grace—it validates our need for it.
How this applies to you:
— Grace doesn’t deny the reality of ongoing struggles with sin. What it does is provide the power to overcome them. Being under grace doesn’t mean you’ll never sin again. It means when you do sin, you have immediate access to forgiveness and restoration.
— Acknowledging your struggles with sin is actually a sign of spiritual maturity, not spiritual failure. Pride says, “I have this sin thing covered.” But grace creates an honest humility. John makes this clear in 1 John 1:8-10 (TPT) when he says, “If we boast that we have no sin, we’re only fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will always be faithful to forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we claim that we’re not guilty of sin, we’re calling God a liar and his word has no place in our hearts.” Grace doesn’t make you perfect—it makes you honest about your imperfections and confident in God’s provision for them.
— The difference is not that grace-filled people don’t struggle with sin—it’s that they handle sin differently. Instead of hiding, denying, or making excuses, they run to God for cleansing and help. Grace creates transparency, not deception.
— Grace gives you the freedom to be honest about your struggles without fear of rejection. Under The Law, admitting sin brings condemnation. Under grace, admitting sin brings cleansing and help. This honesty is actually the path to freedom.
— Your awareness of sin doesn’t disqualify you from grace—it qualifies you for more grace. The more you realize your need, the more you appreciate God’s provision. This awareness actually deepens your dependence on grace.
— Grace doesn’t make you sinless, but it does empower you to sin less. The goal isn’t perfection in this life; the goal is a progression toward Christ-likeness. Grace provides both the motivation and the power for this transformation.
4. True Grace Actually Trains You Away From Sin.
Titus 2:11-12 makes it clear: “Grace has trained us to turn our backs on ungodly living and sinful pleasures and to live each day with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God.” Grace isn’t permissive—it’s transformative.
How this applies to you:
— Grace doesn’t just cover your sin; it changes your desires so you don’t want to sin. This is the difference between religion (external control) and grace (internal conversion).
— Grace trains you like a coach, not threatens you like a tyrant. The word “trained” here means “to educate” or “to discipline.” Grace teaches you a new way to live by showing you who you really are in Christ.
— Grace gives you the desire to live right, then provides the power to do it. Under The Law, you have the obligation to be good but no power to be good. Under grace, you have both the desire and the ability to live righteously.
— Grace teaches you to say “no” to sin because you have something better to say “yes” to. It’s not about gritting your teeth and trying harder. It’s about falling so in love with Jesus that sin loses its appeal.
— Grace develops self-control that flows from love, not fear. Fear-based self-control is always temporary and creates internal tension. Love-based self-control is lasting and creates internal peace.
— Grace produces devotion to God that is genuine, not forced. Under The Law, you serve God because you have to. Under grace, you serve God because you want to. This makes all the difference in the world!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that grace doesn’t give me a license to sin—it gives me liberty from sin.
I understand that true grace trains me away from ungodly living, not toward it.
I declare that Your love motivates me more than The Law ever could.
I am not looking for permission to sin—I am looking for power to live righteously.
Grace has changed my desires! I serve You now because I want to. Not because I am afraid of going to hell.
I live from Your acceptance, not for Your acceptance.
Grace is training me to say “no” to sin and “yes” to righteousness.
I am living #TheGraceLife, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
