Grace is Not a Free Pass
Why Obedience Matters
Whenever grace is rightly taught, boldly, biblically, and beautifully, it tends to provoke strong reactions. Some rejoice in the security of God’s covenant love. Others grow suspicious, worried that if grace is emphasized, people will think obedience no longer matters.
This concern isn’t new. Paul faced it head-on in his preaching. He wrote, “Why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, ‘Let us do what is evil so that good may come’? Their condemnation is deserved” (Romans 3:8, CSB).
That’s what happens when people raised on a works-based religion encounter the gospel of grace: they think it’s too good to be true, or too dangerous to be trusted. The idea that God justifies the ungodly, not the good (Romans 4:5), sounds reckless. Some try to balance it by adding conditions God never imposed or by subtly recentering the spotlight on human performance.
Faith Is Not Passive
The truth is, grace doesn’t cancel obedience; it fuels it. As Paul told the Corinthians, “Whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). The Christian life is not a passive one. Faith must be watched, nurtured, and exercised. It is a life of both confidence and vigilance.
We see this tension clearly in the story of Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8). When confronted with the sinfulness of his motives, Simon didn’t cry out in repentance; he asked someone else to pray for him. Peter called him to “repent and pray,” but Simon responded, “You pray for me…” That’s not surrender. That’s deflection.
Even so, Peter’s response shows that the door wasn’t closed. The invitation to repent was still on the table. Grace doesn’t mean sin is unimportant; it means sin can be forgiven.
Grace Holds Us, But We Must Still Walk
Here’s the balance: God is powerful to save, and He is faithful to keep us (Jude 24-25). His grace is greater than our failure. But that same grace also calls us to holiness. As Hebrews warns, “Watch out… so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception” (Hebrews 3:12-13).
Obedience is not the basis of our salvation; it is the fruit of it. We don’t obey to be loved; we obey because we are loved. And anyone who treats grace as permission to coast has misunderstood the cross.
The Real Danger
The real danger isn’t that grace makes us lazy. The real danger is that people cling to law and performance out of fear and pride, and never trust Christ enough to rest in His finished work.
Ironically, those who worry most about grace being abused often end up abusing law, using fear, guilt, or spiritual pressure to keep people in line. But Paul didn’t do that. He taught grace without flinching and trusted the Spirit to work in believers’ hearts.
The Call to Balance
Yes, we must warn people about the power of sin to enslave and corrupt. But we must also keep holding out the hand of grace, especially to the one who is broken, convicted, and seeking to return. That is the gospel. That is the heart of our Savior.
Let’s not respond to grace teaching with suspicion. Let’s respond with faith. Faith that God knows what He’s doing. Faith that grace truly transforms hearts. And faith that walking in the light means trusting, repenting, and following, not perfectly, but faithfully.
