Who Is God?

Grace gets misunderstood a lot. Some folks treat it like a get-out-of-jail-free card. You know, “I’m forgiven, so I can just keep living however I want, right?” But that’s not what the Bible teaches at all. If anything, real grace changes you. It doesn’t just forgive you—it frees you. It gives you a brand-new life.

Paul talked about this in Romans 6. He asked, “So, should we keep on sinning so God can show us more grace?” (v. 1, NLT). Then he basically shouts, “No way!” Why? Because if we’ve died to sin—like, spiritually buried the old self—then we can’t just keep living like we used to. That old version of us is gone. We’re alive in Jesus now.

He goes on to say that when we were baptized, we were united with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3–5). That means our old, sinful selves were nailed to the cross with Him. And just like Jesus rose from the dead, we’re raised to live a new kind of life—a life where sin doesn’t call the shots anymore. That’s huge.

Paul even says, “Sin is no longer your master” (Romans 6:14). We’re not under law—we’re under grace. But here’s the catch: grace isn’t a license to keep sinning. It’s the fuel that helps us live holy lives. It’s not about being perfect overnight. It’s about living different because Jesus has changed us from the inside out.

Now, this isn’t just church talk or religious language. It’s actually grounded in something way deeper. Philosopher and theologian William Lane Craig, in his book The Kalam Cosmological Argument, argues that if God really exists—and He does—then He’s not just the Creator, but the source of moral truth. He says, “If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist” (Craig 104). In other words, if there’s no God, there’s no real right or wrong. But because there is a God, there is a right way to live—and He calls us to it.

So when Paul tells us to give our bodies as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13), he’s not being legalistic. He’s saying, “God made you. He saved you. Now live like it matters.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re perfect. Not even close. Paul himself says in Romans 7:19, “I want to do what’s right, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what’s wrong, but I do it anyway.” That’s all of us, isn’t it? We still struggle. But that’s the point—we’re fighting against sin now, not serving it. There’s a difference.

And John adds another layer in 1 John 3:9: “Those who’ve been born into God’s family don’t make a practice of sinning… they can’t keep on sinning, because they’re children of God.” He’s not saying Christians never mess up. He’s saying we can’t just live in sin comfortably anymore. It bothers us now. The Spirit in us convicts us. That’s a good thing—it means God is working on us.

Some people get nervous when you talk about holy living because they think it sounds legalistic. But holiness isn’t about earning God’s love. It’s the response to already having it. You’re not living holy to be saved—you’re living holy because you’ve been saved. It’s a “thank you” life, not a “prove yourself” life.

Craig even talks about this idea when he discusses how the universe isn’t just random—it’s designed with purpose (Craig 147–149). Well, if the universe has purpose, then you better believe you do too. And part of that purpose is to reflect the One who made you. That’s why sin matters. It wrecks the design.

At the end of the day, the Christian life isn’t about trying harder or pretending to be perfect. It’s about being alive in Christ. It’s about walking in the freedom He gave you. Like Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

So no—grace isn’t an excuse to live in sin. It’s the reason we walk away from it. We don’t live for ourselves anymore. We live for the One who died and rose again for us. That’s the power of grace.


Bible Verses Quoted (NLT)

Romans 6:1–14

Romans 7:19

1 John 3:9

Ephesians 2:10

Romans 6:13

Works Cited:

Craig, William Lane. The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2000.

The Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers, 2015.

BibleGateway. New Living Translation. https://www.biblegateway.com/

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