Sermon Snippet – God Forbid – Part III
INTRODUCTION – We have been studying the exceedingly strong Scriptural statement “God forbid.” This expression indicates divine impossibility and is a revelation of our loving Lord’s essential character. If God forbids something, we need to know what it is, and we need to heed His kind prohibition. Let us consider how “God forbid” is used in Romans 6 and 7.
1. GOD’S GRACE IS NOT TO BE TREATED LIGHTLY
In Romans 5:14-21, Paul had discussed the grace of God – His giving of Himself to us (note especially words like “reigned,” “gift”, “much more,” and “abound” in this passage). Because God’s “grace did much more abound” (5:21c), some were erroneously teaching that sin was not really an issue: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1-2a). Can we persist in a pattern of ungodly living and blithely say that it does not really matter, that God will simply forgive because He is beholden to us and must forgive? Absolutely not! In Romans 6:2b, Paul rejects that casual approach to Christianity, pointing out that we must be different people, transformed people, if we are truly Christians: “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” He repeats his refutation in Romans 6:15: “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” The Apostle then underscores the obvious in verse 16: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to who ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Paul’s absolute language is written against the truly wicked background of Greek and Roman culture, in which sin was not only permitted but encouraged (see, for example, his “God forbid” usage in I Corinthians 6:15). We are not saved to continue in sin, to dabble in sin, to see how close we can get to the ways of the woeful world. We are saved, in part, to be set free from the pernicious power of sin. It is ludicrous then to say that God’s grace is a license to sin.
2. THE GIVING OF THE LAW IS PART OF GOD’S GRACE
Too many Christians believe that the Old Testament is merely old-fashioned. There are a myriad of reasons to love the Old Testament, including the Law. As we studied last week from Romans 3, we need a standard of behavioral expectation – a standard that we find throughout God’s Word. This is Paul’s point in Romans 7:7: “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, ‘Thou shalt not covet.’” Paul adds in verse 13, “Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” The Law becomes a mirror in which we see ourselves and our failings (James 1:22-27). As such, it is a gift – it is actually part of God’s grace. We are saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, we are to respect all that God has revealed to us, including His Law. We learn more of Who He is and more of who we are as we study the complete Word of God.
CONCLUSION – God cares so much about us that He employs “God forbid” as a compassionate command against that which ensnares us and drags us away from Him. It is part of His grace. Let us not spurn His saving grace, readily available through faith in God the Son, Jesus Christ. Let us also not reject His full revelation of Himself, found in the entirety of His Holy Word.