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Some people seem to have an idea that in the Old Testament there were commandments, but in the new, grace has come to cover us. Whenever we sin, there is free forgiveness, and so all we have to do is to make sure that we confess our sins. Having known the story of the passover lamb whose blood was painted on the doorposts and which protected the people in the house from the angel of death, they find comfort in thinking that the blood of Jesus now covers them, protecting them from God's anger. This is partly true, but unless we look at the big picture, we cannot understand the implications.

The blood of Jesus was shed for the forgiveness of our sins (Ep.1:7). When we come to Jesus repenting from our sins and believing that He died in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, His blood washes away our sins, and God puts away His anger towards our sins. He accepts us as His children, and grants us blessings and privileges.

But grace does not leave us there, where we continue to live as before, excusing ourselves saying we are only human. Grace has delivered us from darkness to light, and now we ought to live as children of light (Ep.5:8;Php.2:15). Grace gives us help for that (He.4:16). This verse tells us that there are two things we can obtain at the throne of grace, mercy and help. Mercy is for forgiveness, and help is for when we are tempted to do wrong. It will be a great tragedy if we don't understand the second part of grace as help in the time of our need to help us to live as children of light. If we don't understand this, we won't believe this, and we won't be looking for it in the situations of life.

There was a time when sin was defined among some Christians as going to the movies, drinking and gambling. No. Sin is everything against the will of God and against His nature. An indicative list of sinful behaviour is given in 1Co.6:9,10. But Jesus pointed out that it is out of a sinful heart that sinful deeds come out (Mt.15:19). He said that it is from anger that murder starts (Mt.5:21,22) and it is from a lustful desire that adultery comes (vv.27,28). Under the old covenant God expected people only to avoid the external sin. But now God wants to set us free from the root itself. That is why grace came.

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age" (Ti.2:11,12). Grace gives us help to deny ourselves in order to follow Jesus in His example. That is how we can put away our old way of life and partake of the new life, which is the life of Christ (Ep.4:22-24). This is a much greater grace than just forgiveness of sins. This is our birth right as children of God. This is something we can receive now while we are on earth and while we are being tempted to sin. How sad it is if we satisfy ourselves with mere forgiveness of sins and continue to live a defeated life!

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