Bro, I struggle with sin but I also hear that grace is abounding in sin. Is this true? How can I be free?
— Reshma A.

💭 The Real Issue #

This question often comes from either fear or confusion: “If grace is a gift and not earned, then is obedience still necessary?” The answer is understanding what grace is—not just what it does.

What Is Grace? #

In Greek, the word for grace is charis (χάρις). It speaks of divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life.
Grace is not only unearned favour—it is an empowering presence. It changes who you are.

Paul taught that grace trains us:

“For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly [immoral] desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [with a purpose that reflects spiritual maturity] in this present age.”
— Titus 2:11–12 AMP

Grace doesn’t lower the standard. It raises you into Christ, who is the standard.

But What About Sin? #

Some think grace permits sin because forgiveness is already available. That is a distorted view of the gospel. True grace doesn’t hide sin—it frees us from it.

Paul answered this plainly:

“What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow? Certainly not! How can we—the very ones who died to sin—continue to live in it any longer?”
— Romans 6:1–2 AMP

In other words, grace is not an excuse to sin—it is an invitation into union with Christ’s death and resurrection. You are no longer a slave.

Why Then Do I Still Struggle? #

This is part of the journey. The old man (Greek: palaios anthrōpos) was crucified with Christ, but the mind must be renewed. Grace removes the penalty of sin, and empowers you to overcome the power of it.

But you must yield. Grace is not magic—it is relational. It calls you higher.

What Grace Produces #

True grace doesn’t leave a man where it found him. It works from the inside out, teaching, transforming, and empowering. A person living under grace is not perfect, but they are being conformed to Christ.

“For those whom He foreknew [and loved and chose beforehand], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son [and ultimately share in His complete sanctification], so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved and honoured] among many believers.”
— Romans 8:29 AMP

This is grace’s final goal: not to cover us, but to reveal Christ in us.

Final Word #

Can you sin and still be okay with God?
Only if your idea of “okay” means missing out on everything Christ died to give you. Grace does not excuse the flesh—it invites you to walk in the Spirit.

Sin no longer defines you. Christ does.

Shaliach.