Romans 5:20 The law was brought in so that sin might increase. But where sin increased, grace (God's unmerited favor) abounded all the more
When Paul started preaching the message of God’s grace, it was the most radical thing the Jewish Believers had ever heard because they were raised under the law. And Paul preached grace so radically that some of the Jewish Believers misinterpreted what he was saying and thought to themselves, “we have a license to sin because grace will cover it”!
Obviously, that is not what the Apostle Paul was saying.
What Romans 5:20 reveals is that the law is what causes sin to increase. The law not only reveals the existence of sin, but any attempt to live a sinless life through the law will only produce the opposite effect which is a lifestyle of sin.
This is what is so ironic about the law. The very thing that many believe will produce morality within, actually has the opposite effect!
Sin, in the Bible means “to miss the mark”. It is humanity’s inability to attain God’s perfect, high standards. Every time we try to “hit His perfect mark” we will fail. But that’s where grace steps in.
Romans 5:20 says that no matter how much sin is increasing, God’s grace will always surpass it and superabound even more. No matter how badly you have failed to hit God’s mark, no matter how much sin has increased in your life, even if you are enslaved to addictive lifestyles, God’s grace has the power to deliver you from all – it's His superabounding grace.
How does this grace work?
It’s seeing Who and Where the source of your righteousness comes from – It’s Jesus. We do not produce our own righteousness, we receive the gift of Jesus' righteousness (Romans 5:17). As you turn your eyes towards and begin to dwell upon this truth, the righteousness of Jesus goes to work in your life.
The more preaching you listen to that proclaims your righteousness is through Christ, the more this will become truth that begins to transform you.
When we preach against sin and tell people not to sin, they only become more “sin conscious”, which only causes people to carry guilt and condemnation every time they do fail, but also subconsciously.
But preaching grace and Jesus' gift of righteousness will cause you to become “righteousness conscious”. This is when the superabounding grace of God goes to work in your life and will rescue you from sin, temptations, and addictions! What you have been trying to overcome for so long, God’s superabounding grace will do it for you!
Your part is to just believe and be conscious of Jesus' gift of righteousness and persevere with patience – it will begin to produce righteous living in you!