What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!
Romans 6:15 NIV
By No Means
In 1914, Canada was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire, but it did not control its own foreign affairs. As during the South African War (1899-1902), the Canadian government would decide the nature and extent of Canada’s war effort, but legally the country was at war the instant Britain declared one. In 1914, most, but by no means all, Canadians would have agreed with the 1910 statement of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier that “When Britain is at war, Canada is at war. There is no distinction.”
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I love the phrase “by no means.” It has a completeness and finality to it. The apostle Paul uses that phrase in the book of Romans in dealing with a tension in the Christian faith. God’s grace is given to those who repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by anything we do – our salvation is provided solely by Jesus’ death on the cross. It is offered as a gift from our Creator and received by faith. So, some were asking Paul a logical question – doesn’t it make sense that if we are no longer bound by the keeping of the law in order to be accepted by God that we are free to live any way we want since God will forgive us? Wouldn’t that make God’s grace even more obvious? Listen to how Paul answers that in Romans 6:15: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” There is that phrase – by no means. In fact, just the opposite is true. Set free from sin by grace, we live a life to honour and love the One who first loved us.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley