In Romans 6.1-4, the Apostle Paul asks a thought-provoking question about the relationship between grace and sin.Here’s what Paul writes:

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Paul’s thought-provoking question follows hard on the heels of what he writes in chapter 5. In verse 2, he argues that we have access to grace because of faith, not works. In verse 8, he reminds us that Christ demonstrated God’s love by dying for us when we are still sinners. In verse 16, he writes, “the gift [of grace] followed many trespasses and brought justification. In verse 17 he speaks of “God’s abundant provision of grace.” And in verse 20, he concludes, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” No wonder Paul asks in Romans 6.1, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” If grace increases whenever and wherever sin increases, maybe we should sin more to receive more grace.

There’s a kind of logic at work in this idea, but it’s a faulty logic. As Paul points out, such a conclusion misinterprets what grace accomplishes. Grace not only covers our past with divine forgiveness, it empowers us in the present so that we can live holy lives. Paul highlights the transforming power of grace in two ways. First, he highlights the role of baptism in the Christian life in Romans 6.1-4. Then, he highlights the purpose of Christ’s death and resurrection in Romans 6.5-10.

Today, we’ll look at baptism. Tomorrow, we’ll look at Christ’s death and resurrection.

For Paul and the early Christians, water baptism symbolizes the most important dividing line in a person’s life: the dividing line between sin and salvation. When the pastor puts someone under the water, it’s as if that person dies with Christ on the cross. His or her old life is over. When the pastor pulls someone up out of the water, it is as if he or she rises from the dead in order, Paul writes, to “live a new life.”

Think of baptism like a wedding ring. You can be a Christian without being baptized, just like you can be married without a wedding ring. But like a wedding ring, baptism is a powerful symbol of your union with Christ. When you wear a wedding ring, you no longer go looking for dates with other people. You’ve found your lifelong mate. And the ring signals to others that you’re off the marriage market. Similarly, baptism symbolizes to you and to everyone else that you belong heart and soul to Jesus. You’re off the sin market, so to speak.

So, as I said earlier, the logic of continuing to sin to get more grace is faulty logic. You’ve been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Grace changes you. It makes you desire sin less and holiness more. When you’re baptized, you don’t sin to get more grace any more than you wear a wedding ring to get more spouses.