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Paul was explaining "salvation" to Roman Christians. He contrasted the sin, condemnation, and death that has been passed down to the generations because of Adam with the righteousness, justification, and life that is ours because of the finished work of Christ. He clearly explains that what Jesus offers is a gift, obtainable only through faith, that personal response of acceptance of the gift, and that all of what Christ has done, and my response to it, has happened, and does happen, solely because of God’s grace – His incredible outpouring of love, totally apart from anything I might attempt to do to earn it. In fact, Paul says, grace abounds beyond any measure of sin that we can commit.
At this point, Paul anticipates the faulty thinking of his readers, as well as the faulty thinking of some believers today that allows them to entertain sin at their own personal whim. Such faulty thinking can be so blatant as to say quietly, if not aloud, "Wow! Grace is a good thing! And sin increases grace, sooo, let’s sin, so we can increase grace!" Similar faulty thinking recognizes the forgiveness that grace gives, and decides that since sin can have a pleasurable or convenient aspect to it, "Let’s go ahead and sin, because God’s grace will be there to cover it up with forgiveness!" Paul’s response, however, to such thinking brings an adamant, "May it never be!" or as the King James Bible says even more strongly, "God forbid!" God’s desire in extending grace to us, beyond the fact of effecting our salvation, is that He would be recognized as the Giver of grace. Grace glorifies God. Grace gives to others a picture of who God is. Our sin, on the other hand, totally distorts the picture of who God is.
When we are willing to confront the sin issues of our lives, God’s grace does abound. It abounds to give us the discernment and enablement we need to say "no" to sin, and turn away from it. And grace can even shape our will, to bring us to the place of "being willing to be made willing." And, yes, grace abounds bigger than any sin we can commit when our struggle with sin finds us saying "yes" instead of "no." But, as God’s daughter, as the recipient of His lavish love and grace, may we never, ever, knowingly, willingly, and habitually choose to sin, and flaunt the grace that comes to us at an immeasurable price.
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