What is a license to sin?

"Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God's judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies." —Hebrews 10:26-27 (NLT)

A "license to sin" is the concept that those who have been forgiven by God are now free to sin without consequences. This is a completely unbiblical idea.

Yes, it's true that Jesus died on the cross and rose again to defeat death and sin. Yes, it's true that His sacrifice resulted in the gift of salvation, which is forgiveness for all our sins, a restored, eternal relationship with God (John 5:24), and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Ephesians 1:13).

This amazing gift of salvation is just that—a gift. And not something we earn through good works or good behavior (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When hearing this gospel, some believe that if Jesus' death paid the penalty for our past, present, and future sins, then they don't need to consciously avoid sinning. If the punishment for sin has been fulfilled, they believe they now have "rights" to do whatever they want and not go to hell.

Well...that's not exactly how living under God's grace works. Fortunately, the apostle Paul addressed this question very clearly in the Bible.

Should we go on sinning?

"Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living." —Romans 6:15-18 (NLT)

This passage speaks adamantly against the idea that we can continue to freely choose sin once we've been saved. Just because the grace of Christ has covered our sins, that doesn't give us any "rights" to live as we did before. In fact, to do so would be an insult to the sacrifice He made for our benefit.

Hebrews 10:26-39 gives a serious warning against rebelling against God's will or taking His grace for granted. For those who reject Christ to their dying breath, they will have lost their only chance for redemption. For those who have accepted Christ, while they will not lose their salvation, they will receive earthly judgment and suffer consequences for their sin.

"Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to us." —Hebrews 10:29 (NLT)

True Repentance Isn't Just Being Sorry

"No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." —Luke 13:3

Repentance is what the Bible calls the act of changing one's mind about a thing. When we "repent" of our sins, that means we see them as what they truly are for those living under God's grace—no longer an option (Acts 3:19; Acts 11:18).

Many believe that to repent is to simply tell God "I'm sorry" or to confess and ask for forgiveness. That can be a part of it, but true repentance goes much deeper than that. It's a new mindset and an adjustment of how we think about sin. True repentance inspires us to change for the better, to follow Christ more closely, and to actively reject the allures of sinful temptations (Acts 3:19).

Before we're made new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), we all choose to live however we personally feel is best. Repentance is when we acknowledge that we actually aren't the best judge of what's best for us and choose to trust and follow God's guidance and will before our own.

After we become new creations, we begin the process of undergoing a complete character change—also known as sanctification. Our part in our sanctification is a matter of intentionally separating ourselves from evil—because we truly believe that God's goodness is best.

What if I'm not perfect?

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." —1 John 1:8

The Bible acknowledges that all of us struggle with sin—even after receiving forgiveness, repenting, and beginning the process of sanctification. Because of our sin nature, we're never going to be perfect at following Christ. But God knows our hearts and has a lot of patience, grace, and forgiveness for our mistakes (1 John 1:9), and He will never revoke our salvation (2 Timothy 2:13).

The difference between an unbeliever and a follower of Christ is the mindset about our deepest desires. Those who do not have the Holy Spirit operate solely from their selfish natures. Even if they sometimes choose what's best, their motives will almost always come from a self-serving place. Those who have been saved understand that choosing sin is never the best decision. Even if temptations are strong, followers of Christ are still aware of what they should do when faced with sinful options.

"Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God." —Romans 6:13 (NLT)

Don't Take Salvation for Granted

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand." —John 10:28-29 (NLT)

While it's important to still take sin very seriously, we can rest assured that our salvation is secure. No believer can sin "too much" and lose their salvation (John 10:28-29). We can neither earn nor lose salvation. That said, we shouldn't try to "take advantage" of God's unbreakable gift.

If you regularly take advantage of a friend's forgiveness and keep hurting them over and over, it would be hard to say that you're even truly their friend. Treating God's forgiveness as if it's permission to sin is like continuously jumping in the mud after you were just given clean clothes to replace your dirty ones—and then expecting new clothes every time.

The Problem with Sin

Sin still has very severe impacts and consequences on our earthly lives—even though we're saved from the eternal consequences. Sinning hurts ourselves (Proverbs 11:17; 1 Corinthians 6:18), those around us (Proverbs 16:28), and our relationship with God. And God will allow those consequences to happen in order to help us grow and learn from our mistakes.

When we sin, the consequences may be immediate or observed over time. We may also suffer physically, mentally, or spiritually. When sin becomes our obsession, even worse things can happen, such as addictions and broken relationships. In those cases, it's our responsibility to seek reconciliation and healing (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Most important of all, sin damages our relationship and intimacy with God (Isaiah 59:2). As Christians, we should seek to deepen our relationship with Him throughout our lives—not actively disregard and push Him to the side. And yet, once again, His grace and presence is always available when we come to Him in repentance.

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." —James 4:8 (NLT)

Thank the Lord, we don't have to fight sin on our own! God helps us in our weakness and always gives us a way out of sinful temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13). We don't fight sin by "trying harder" in ourselves—but by "trusting harder" in God.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." —Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

ALSO SEE:

• What is salvation?
• Can a Christian lose salvation?
• What is the gospel?
• Why should I want to be saved?
• Will I go to hell?
• What is the grace of God?
• What is repentance?
• Have I repented enough to be saved?
• Do I really believe?
• How do you know if you have the Holy Spirit?
• Are all my future sins already forgiven?
• If all my sins are forgiven, why not continue to sin?