Shall We Continue In Sin?

Shall We Continue In Sin? A Crucial Question for Believers Answered by Scripture by Arthur. T. Pierson.

Revised in 2024: Delve into the profound truths of Romans 6–8, where Paul systematically addresses the believer’s calling to live free from the power of sin. Anchored in the believer’s union with Christ, these chapters reveal how justification and sanctification are inseparably tied to His death and life. With clear and sober reasoning, Paul outlines a seven-fold view of this union—Judicial, Vital, Practical, Marital, Spiritual, Actual, and Eternal—showing how Christ not only removes the penalty of sin but also breaks its power. This book calls every disciple to understand and embrace the divine foundation for living a life set apart to God.

Introduction to Shall We Continue In Sin by A.T. Pierson

The Bible is the most practical of all books. It is remarkable and important that, within God’s Word, there is at least one thorough discussion on every topic closely connected to salvation and sanctification.
For example, the value and excellence of the Law of God is treated in Psalm 119; the reality of Vicarious Atonement in Isaiah 53; the nature of the Kingdom of God and its true subjects in Matthew 5, 6, and 7; the beauty of Charity in 1 Corinthians 13; the Resurrection of the Dead in 1 Corinthians 15; the principles of Christian Giving in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9; the person and work of the Holy Spirit in John 14, 15, and 16; the present Rest of Faith in Hebrews 3 and 4; and the danger of an untamed tongue in James 3. Likewise, in Romans 6, 7, and 8, we have the Duty and Privilege of not continuing in sin laid out with such clarity and thoroughness that it makes further discussion almost unnecessary.

The subject addressed here is unmistakable. Romans 6 begins with the straightforward question: “Shall we continue in sin?” A similar question is repeated in verse 15: “Shall we sin?” and again in Romans 7:7, “Is the Law sin?” In each instance, the response is a short, powerful, and emphatic, “God forbid!” The very notion is to be dismissed as a deadly snare to the soul, much like when Christ rebuked Satan, saying, “Get thee behind me!” This emphatically teaches that continuing in sin is to be viewed by every true child of God as both unnecessary and wrong. The doctrine presented here is not one of sinlessness, but rather of not persisting in sin. Being sinless and not continuing in sin are two entirely different matters.

Thus, Paul introduces a discussion on this theme, which spans three chapters of this epistle; for there seems to be no break in the continuity of his argument until the close of the eighth chapter, where he clearly concludes this topic and transitions to another. To fully examine this subject and grasp the entire force of the divine argument, we need to treat these three chapters as a cohesive whole and follow Paul’s reasoning step by step until we reach the grand climax.

A central thought runs like a golden thread through this entire process of reasoning: the disciple’s security against continuing in sin is rooted in his union with the Lord Jesus Christ. What Paul previously presented as the sole ground of Justification is now also revealed as the sole basis and hope of Sanctification. Just as Christ removes the penalty for sin through His death, so through His life, He breaks its power over the true believer.
Careful examination of these chapters reveals that this union of the disciple with Christ is explored in a seven-fold manner, which, for convenience, can be represented by seven terms. These terms, though perhaps not perfectly precise, serve as helpful markers to outline the major divisions of Paul’s argument: Judicial, Vital, Practical, Actual, Marital, Spiritual, and Eternal.