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"Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Rom.6:1,2). Those who have become dead to sin cannot have an inclination to continue in sin. On the contrary, now their desire is to stop sinning. They know that before they came to Christ they were dead in sin, and it was that recognition that brought them to Jesus for salvation. So how can it be that they can still think that it is alright to continue in sin?

The most common reason is that they have not actually become dead to sin. Perhaps it was not the sin issue that brought them to Jesus, but a desire for some benefit such as healing. Such people have not really seen Jesus as their Saviour, but only as a Provider. Perhaps some just wanted to escape the punishment of sin in hell; they realised they were sinners deserving punishment, but they did not really turn away in their heart from sin. Becoming dead to sin or towards sin is to have a hatred for sinning in future, now that they have received forgiveness for their past sins. This is a distinguishing mark of a born again person.

It is not that a born again person may not fall into sin, because of ignorance or weakness. Perhaps the ignorance is because he has been taught that sin does not matter, because of an exaggerated interpretation of grace. But for a person who has truly experienced the new birth, in his heart he wants to stop sinning (1Jn.3:9). God's plan is also to save us from sinning, and not just from the penalty of sin (1Jn.2:1).

The gospel that many bring to people is not the one that Jesus came with. Even though Jesus did many things for people because of His compassion towards them, His real mission was to save us from our sins (Mt.1:21). In many cases, the preaching is aimed at adding more people to the list rather than bringing them to salvation. So the invitation is towards a Jesus who will provide all that you want, or it can even be to present the grace and love of God in such a way that it appears that sin does not matter any more. As a result, many people have been told by the preachers, and many assume on their own, that they have been born again. There are many ways by which it can be tested, by looking at our life. One sure component is to see if we have really become dead towards sin. If we can be honest with ourselves and before God, the Holy Spirit can give us the answer, for getting an assurance of our salvation.

We should not get into a defensive position here, as if we were trying to fight an accusation against us. If we are honest, we can see where we stand, and then if we find ourselves lacking, we can take whatever steps we need to come to assurance. If we are scared to examine ourselves and face the possibility that we are not children of God as we imagined, consider the possibility that we may have to face that situation in eternity when we will not have any more opportunity to set things right.

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