We close the week with a question from a listener named Bob, Pastor John, I struggle with understanding

what the Bible teaches on grace and how I should live in light of this wonderful gift.

I've been taught to be killing sin or it will be killing me, but I've also been taught

to relax that there is grace enough in all this spirit to take care of us.

This all makes my head spin and seems a bit dangerous for how comfortable I can get with

my own sin.

I know that we should not sin so the grace abounds, but then how ought we to live?

What's a biblical view of grace in our sanctification?

There are some head spinning things in the Bible and one of the callings of teachers and one

of the hopes I have for this podcast is I can keep his head from spinning off.

The first thing I think I should do is clarify what might be a slight distortion of the

meaning of God's grace in the way the question is posed.

Bob asks or contrasts the work of killing sin with a kind of relaxation.

He contrasts the work of killing sin with a kind of relaxation that seems to say that

grace is what you're enjoying when you relax, but something else is operating when you're

working or striving.

He says, but I've also been taught to relax.

There's grace enough in the Holy Spirit to take care of us.

Well, yes, and a lot of people have that view and the problem with it biblically is that

grace in the New Testament is not just the gift of restfulness, but the power of God

to enable us to strive for holiness and work for holiness.

For example, 1 Corinthians 15, 10, by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace toward

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