“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” (Romans 6:12–13)
The doctrines of grace cannot be turned into an excuse for immoral living. In Romans 6 Paul emphasises that holiness is an essential consequence of our justification. Justification and Sanctification can never be separated in practice.
John Piper helpfully draws these together by pointing out:
‘Saving faith receives Jesus as Saviour and Lord and Treasure of your life.
And this faith will fight anything that gets between it and Christ. The distinguishing mark of saving faith is not perfection. The mark of faith is that I fight. I fight anything that dims my sight of Jesus as my glorious Saviour. I fight anything that diminishes the fullness of the lordship of Jesus in my life. I fight anything that threatens to replace Jesus as the supreme Treasure of my life. Anything that stands between me and receiving Jesus faith fights … with the truth of Christ.
So if all you can see in the cross of Jesus is a license to go on sinning, you don’t have saving faith. And you need to fall on your face and plead that God would open your eyes to see the compelling glory of Jesus Christ.’