Logical Alternative

What say we say then?  Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase?  Romans 6:1  NASB

To continue – Who is Paul writing to in this letter?  You must answer this question before you can interpret his words.  There are several possibilities.  Is he writing to Jews in the Roman synagogue?  Unlikely.  They would certainly know that sin is insanity and death.  Their entire history would remind them of the enormous consequences of disobedience.  Is he writing to “Christians” in Rome?  The word itself is problematic since there were no “Christians” in Rome in the sense that we understand the term, but if we suppose that the term captures those who believed Yeshua was the promised Messiah, then we once again have Jews (who need no reminding of the seriousness of sin) and Gentile converts.  Only the Gentiles require admonishment on this subject.  And since Paul is clearly speaking to those who have experienced God’s graciousness, we may rightly conclude that he is addressing Gentiles who have come into the community on the profession of faith in the Jewish Messiah.

This helps us see why Paul poses the question.  No Jew, Messianic or not, would ever suggest that one should continue to sin in order to extend God’s grace.  But those who come from a world of liberty and license might actually believe that the greater the magnitude of sin the greater the glory of forgiveness.  They might carry their past paradigm of pagan excess into the synagogue community.  They might conclude that the marvelous relief experienced in the removal of guilt opens the door to endless dismissal.  In other words, they might infer that being under grace carries no obligation for obedience.  No Jew would be so foolish, but those who never knew the freedom of Torah could surmise that life without guilt means life without rules.  Only Gentiles ignorant of the consequences of sin would come to such a conclusion.   Paul is quick to point out that this interpretation of the function of grace is insane!

“To continue” is the Greek epimenomen, from the verb epimeno.  It means to remain on the present course, to stay in the same direction, literally “to rest in a given place of state.”  This is the man who accepts grace but does not move away from his past.  This is the man who wants forgiveness without hesed, without obligation.  This man is insane!

Amazingly, many in the Christian Church teach precisely the opposite of Paul’s claim.  In other words, perhaps without realizing it, they answer Paul’s question, “Yes, we should continue in sin so that God may have more room to forgive.”  Why do I say such an outrageous thing?  Because for Paul, obedience means a life under Torah but for many today, Torah means the absence of grace.  Insane!

Topical Index:  grace, Torah, to continue, epimeno, Romans 6:1

CORRECTION:  Yesterday’s comment about the re-election of Obama produced a lot of responses.  Two readers noted that the citation attributed to Tyler (Tytler) is not verified.  My mistake.  I got that quotation from another source that I trusted.  So, here’s the link about all the fuss over who actually said what.  But, while we don’t know who actually said this first, I still agree that it represents what I have experienced as I travel from country to country and see governments in all states of rise and fall – and it seem consistent with what I know about history.  So, Tyler (Tytler) might not be the author, but it sure sounds like the truth to me.  And in case we are looking for verifiable sources, I suggest James Black’s When Nations Die, which pretty much says the same thing about several trends across empires.  Sorry for the mistake.  Please forgive me.