Some reject the gift of grace to save us. They argue that it becomes a person’s free ride to indulge in sin.  They add on works and human effort to feel that they are earning their righteous standing with God. They try to master their sin on their own and portray to the world that they are a “good” person. But, in truth, if we mortal humans aren’t good enough to gain our salvation, how could we be good enough to sustain it. Only Christ can save us and break the hold of sin over us. A believer recognizes their desperate need for Christ to give them a spiritual heart transplant and newness of life. 

“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? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:1-7

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When Christ was crucified, he broke the dominion of sin over man. Now, all believers join in that experience. Christ’s crucifixion death becomes our death. Our sinful nature gets crucified too. Sin may vex us but it will not dominate us. When Christ was resurrected, we were also spiritually resurrected to new life. God takes out our heart of stone that is only self seeking and gives us a new heart that is alive and pulsing with desire to glorify Him. We are saved by His abundant grace and from the moment we accept His spiritual breath of life, He is at work to mold us and make us more and more into the image of His beloved Son. This is not something that we can do for ourselves. It is a process that we need only to surrender to. Everyday He is at work within our circumstances, our emotions, our experiences and our deepest desires. We must let Him do His work. It may require hard times and struggles but God will prevail. He will dig out and uproot every enticement of sin in our lives. 

I have now to serve him and delight myself in him, and use the power which he gives me of calling others from the dead, saying, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." I am not going back to the grave of spiritual death nor to my grave-clothes of sin; but by divine grace I will still believe in Jesus, and go from strength to strength, not under law, not fearing hell, nor hoping to merit heaven, but as a new creature, loving because loved, living for Christ because Christ lives in me, rejoicing in glorious hope of that which is yet to be revealed by virtue of my oneness in Christ. - Spurgeon