“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:1-3 ESV)
Throughout His letter to the church at Rome, Saint Paul stresses the doctrine of salvation by grace in order to refute those in the church who claimed that Gentile Christians had to follow the Mosaic Law. Lest he be accused of promoting licentiousness, here he emphatically states that grace never gives anyone license to sin. Grace does not cancel out our ethical or moral responsibilities to pursue righteousness. He teaches this message by reminding his audience of their Baptism. In Baptism we have died to sin. It has no power over us, only that which we give it. Sin should no longer have any appeal for us. With the help of the Holy Spirit we must fight against all its attempts to rule and enslave us.
The idea of fighting against sin and temptation should not be foreign to us if we are indeed united with Jesus. If it is, if we do not feel the need or the desire to put up resistance then perhaps we ought to rethink our relationship with Jesus. We should do this if we, like so many of those in our society and culture have already redefined sin in order to excuse or commend our own (or others) personal lifestyle choices regarding sex, pleasure, money, or material goods. Paul warns us that we cannot have it both ways. Those who give in to sin become enslaved by it. Those so enslaved lose their ability to choose freely. They go along their merry way, thinking they are willingly pursuing their personal lifestyle preferences, that God wants to be happy, He wants them to fulfill their dreams and desires. In fact are being led around by the nose.
Those who are in Christ are His servants. They no longer live for self but for Him. They live in His righteousness and walk in His will. Though mercy and forgiveness is always there for believers who sin, we should not deliberately place ourselves into situations or relationships where we will be tempted to sin. The Lord always provides a way to help us walk in righteousness and not fall.