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 dive deep into this foundational truth.
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:
Last week, when I dealt with these verses, I drove home the point that performance-based righteousness is impossible and unnecessary. We discovered that God’s acceptance comes through faith alone, not through religious works. This truth sets us free from the endless cycle of trying to be good enough for God. The good news is that Jesus was good enough FOR US!
But whenever grace is preached boldly, there’s always pushback. Religious people immediately raise their hands with the same tired objection: “Wait! If people don’t have to work for God’s approval, won’t this lead to moral chaos? Isn’t grace just giving people a license to sin?”
During the live stream, our electricity was interrupted here, in the Dominican Republic, so I will circle back to the same verses and attempt to drive this home further today.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. People Who Think Grace Is A License To Sin Have Never Truly Been Changed By God’s Grace.
Paul asks: “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?” Anyone raising this concern has clearly never witnessed what happens when authentic grace touches a human heart.
How this applies to you:
— This question comes from people who still believe in behavior management rather than heart transformation. They think morality only exists because of threats and consequences. They’ve missed the fact that grace doesn’t just change what you do. Grace changes what you love. There is a huge difference.
— The question assumes humans are basically rebellious and only controlled by religious fear. But when someone genuinely encounters God’s unconditional acceptance, something shifts at the deepest level. You don’t avoid sinning because you’re afraid. You avoid it because it conflicts with your new nature. Said another way, I used to serve God because I was afraid of going to hell. Now, I serve God (with much more passion and fervor) because I love Him, and my heart has been changed.
— People asking this are evaluating grace through a law-based framework. Law requires external pressure to produce compliance. Grace produces internal desire that leads to willing obedience. These operate on completely different principles. One is external (The Law), the other is internal (grace).
— The question shows they view Christianity as behavior control rather than God renewing your identity. Religion tries to improve your conduct. The Gospel gives you a completely new heart. A new heart produces new choices automatically.
— When grace genuinely impacts someone’s life, exploiting it becomes impossible to imagine. Grace generates worship, not rebellion. Why would I want to live in sin if I know Jesus died for me to be delivered from sin?
— A person truly changed by unearned love doesn’t search for ways to take advantage of their freedom. No! They search for ways to use that freedom to say thank you to the God who made them free!
— If someone is still wondering, “What’s the maximum I can do wrong?” they haven’t grasped what grace actually represents. Grace isn’t permission to disrespect your Heavenly Father. It’s a supernatural ability to bring joy to the One who rescued you from sin and death.
— True understanding of grace shifts your question from “What can I get away with?” to “How can I show my gratitude?” Grace changes your entire motivation system from self to God! The Law put the emphasis on what you had to do for God. Grace puts the emphasis on what God has done for you!
2. The Way Paul Addressed The Thought That Grace Is A License To Sin Shows How Crazy The Concept Is.
Paul responds instantly and forcefully: “What a horrible thought!” Paul is flat-out appalled that anyone would suggest Christ encourages sin.
How this applies to you:
— Grace doesn’t encourage sin; it empowers holiness. When you truly comprehend that Christ died for your failures, the natural response isn’t increased rebellion but increased devotion. Grace creates love, and love creates commitment.
— Suggesting grace promotes sin demonstrates a total misunderstanding of the purpose of Calvary. Christ didn’t die to give you license to sin. He died to break sin’s dominion over you. The cross reveals two major things: the cost of sin (it cost Jesus His life) and God’s incredible love (He gave His only begotten Son).
— Rather than encouraging sin, genuine grace encourages righteousness. When I was legalistic, I tried NOT to sin, with all my human ability, and failed over and over. But now, after an authentic change of heart by the Holy Spirit, godly behavior is natural and not forced.
— Those who genuinely experience grace are driven by gratitude, not given license for selfishness.
3. Grace Doesn’t Eliminate Sin Struggles, But It Does Provide a New Way to Handle Them.
Paul doesn’t pretend believers never face sin challenges. He admits these battles exist, but shows this doesn’t invalidate grace. As a matter of fact, dealing with sinful thoughts demonstrates our ongoing dependence on God and His grace.
How this applies to you:
— Grace doesn’t pretend the struggles of sin disappear. Instead, it supplies divine strength to win those battles. Living under grace doesn’t guarantee sinlessness. It guarantees that when you do sin, you have immediate access to forgiveness and restoration.
— Recognizing your temptations to sin is a sign of spiritual growth, not spiritual weakness. Pride declares, “I’ve conquered the sin issue.” But grace produces honest humility. John explains this in 1 John 1:8-10 (TPT): “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 create perfection—it creates honesty about imperfection and confidence in God’s solution.
— Rather than hiding, denying, or rationalizing sin, those who have embraced God’s grace run toward God for cleansing and strength. Grace creates openness, not deception.
— Under the Law, confessing sin brought condemnation. Under grace, confessing sin brings restoration. This transparency becomes the pathway to victory.
— Grace doesn’t create instant sinlessness, but it does create steady improvement. The target isn’t immediate perfection; the target is continuous movement toward Christ-likeness. Grace supplies both the desire and the power to live holy. You may not be sinless, but you should sin less!
4. Authentic Grace Actually Serves as Your Personal Trainer, Teaching You to Avoid Sin.
Titus 2:11-12 helps us with this debate: “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.”
How this applies to you:
— Grace doesn’t merely forgive your sin; it transforms your appetite so sin becomes less appealing. This distinguishes religion (external pressure) from grace (internal transformation).
— The grace of God can cause people to walk away from things (like drugs, alcohol, porn, etc.) that have had them bound for years, and one touch of God’s love and grace can set them free. The Law could never do this. The Law could tell you that you were wrong, but it could not give you the power to live holy.
— Grace provides both the longing for righteous living and the power to achieve it. Under The Law, you have the requirement to be good but no ability to be good. Under grace, you receive both the desire and the supernatural capacity to live righteously.
— Grace develops self-discipline that flows from love, not fear. Fear-based self-discipline is temporary and creates inner conflict. Love-based self-discipline is permanent and creates inner harmony. When you live in harmony with the Holy Spirit, you simply have no desire to do the things that are displeasing in His sight.
— Grace teaches you to refuse sin because you have something infinitely better to embrace. It’s not about willpower and self-effort. It’s about falling so completely in love with Jesus that sin becomes undesirable.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me that grace doesn’t give me a license to sin. It delivers me from the power of sin.
I am not free TO sin. I am free FROM sin!
I declare that Your love inspires me far more than Law ever could.
I’m not seeking permission to sin. I’m seeking ways to honor and please You.
Grace has changed my heart! I serve You now because I want to; out of love and not the fear of going to hell!
Grace is teaching me to reject sin and embrace holiness.
I am living #TheGraceLife, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
