My family and I love visiting different churches when we are away from Dallas. It has become something of a tradition. We step into new sanctuaries, hear fresh voices proclaim Christ, and see how each congregation lives out the faith.
Some churches feel like home right away because their teaching closely aligns with our understanding of Scripture and God’s call on our lives. Others leave us unsettled because their teaching differs from what we believe Scripture says. Yet nearly every church we have attended affirms Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the central confession of the Christian faith.
Faith that changes us
One recurring frustration stands out for me: the message, sometimes subtle and sometimes overt, that once you believe in Christ and are baptized, ongoing sin carries little weight. “You’re forgiven,” the reasoning goes, “so live however you want.” It is presented as freedom in grace, but it feels more like a dangerous shortcut that blurs the full teaching of Scripture and leaves many unprepared.
Where exactly does the Bible say that disciples of Jesus may keep sinning freely because of the cross? I have not found such a passage.
Romans 6:1-2 asks almost the same question: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Paul answers, “By no means!”
James 2:14-17 asks what good it is to claim faith without deeds. The passage concludes that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
2 Corinthians 5:10 teaches that every person must appear before Christ’s judgment seat and receive what is due for what they have done, whether good or bad.
Galatians 6:9-10 tells believers not to grow tired of doing good. Titus 3:8 instructs those who trust God to “be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.”
As I read these verses, they paint a consistent picture: grace is not permission to stay in sin. Grace gives us the power and reason to live differently.
Grace does not erase repentance
Titus also makes an important distinction. God “saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy,” according to Titus 3:4-8.
Good works do not purchase salvation. They should grow out of it.
Jesus warned in Matthew 7:21-23 that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, “but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
In Matthew 25:31-46, He describes a final judgment in which acts of mercy toward the hungry, the stranger, and the needy reveal something real about the heart.
God invites us to confess our sins honestly, and 1 John 1:9 promises that He forgives and cleanses those who do. He does not expect perfection overnight, but He calls us to repentance, a turning away from sin and toward holiness.
Grace is one of God’s greatest gifts, but it was never meant to become an excuse to remain unchanged. Christianity does not teach that salvation gives us permission to sin. It teaches that Christ changes us.
As 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
Truth with kindness
I know these conversations can feel uncomfortable. None of us likes being told that we are wrong, and staying quiet can feel easier. But I also believe one of the greatest ways we can love our friends and family is by helping one another grow closer to Christ and remain faithful to Him.
That does not mean judging people or acting as though we are better than anyone else. It means speaking truth with humility, listening with compassion, and remembering that every one of us is a sinner who needs God’s mercy.
If our mission as Christians is to help people find their way to Christ, then we should not fear honest conversations about what Jesus actually taught. Real love does not ignore truth. It shares truth with kindness.
My hope is that my generation will be known not for condemning people, but for pointing them to Christ with grace and truth.
Let us encourage one another to walk worthy of our calling and serve faithfully until we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.
