November 8th, 2009 by Darin Hufford
A License To Sin
The number one complaint I get about the grace message from people is that they feel it’s giving us a license to sin. I am certain I’ve heard this accusation no less than a million times in the last five years. It usually goes something like this:
“You mean to tell me that I can do drugs, kill people, rob banks and burn down an orphanage and I’ll still go to heaven?”
It amazes me how folks come to that conclusion after hearing that we are forgiven for everything, and He will never leave us or forsake us. You have to wonder what’s in the heart of Americans today when betrayal and debauchery are the first thing that comes to their mind when offered security in a relationship.
Could you imagine going to a wedding and listening to the bride and groom recite theirvows: “I will never leave you – through sickness and health – for richer or poorer – for better or for worse – till death do us part,” and some guy on the front row raises his hand and says, “Woe dude, that means you can cheat on her, do drugs, beat her up and burn her parents’ house down.” It’s interesting that this is the mentality that people worry that others will take when offered a forever covenant with God. The separating factor between those who “get it” and those who don’t, is love. People who do not have love in their hearts almost always interpret a forever covenant as an opportunity to sin.
An open hearted human reaction to eternal security is almost never this. Security in a relationship causes the heart to open wide and become transparent and vulnerable. The forever covenant is assurance that every part of a person will be accepted and loved, no matter how ugly or dark. It encourages a person to no longer hide within themselves or live in secret. When they know they are safe forever, they are a thousand times more likely to give all of themselves and hold nothing back. This is the heart behind the marriage covenant of “Till death do us part.”
For any relationship to be authentic, it must start with a forever covenant of eternal security. Unfortunately, today, most relationships don’t have this one foundational element and they are plagued with secrecy, uncertainty, and shallowness. I think that more than anything, today’s relationships are saturated with control. I have found that control is humanity’s antidote to insecurity. This is where the heart of today’s Christian thinking exists.
Most Christian teachings today strip us of our security in our relationship with God. They create uncertainty in the hearts of people as to where they stand with Him at any given time. Once uncertainty has been swallowed, control sets in. It sets in because it is needed immediately. There is a vacuum created with unsureness that needs to be filled with something more powerful than itself. Control is not only needed, but it’s desired as well.
Teachings about accountability partners, spiritual leaders, submitting to authority and church covering are widely accepted with little or no resistance. When a loving God is made to look unpredictable and not so loving, people submit to someone who they think might know better than them. They lose confidence in themselves and their ability to please an unpleaseable God, so they put themselves under the care and control of others in an effort to find security again.
Without security, the Christian life becomes about “NOT sinning.” Every single aspect of a person’s relationship with God is determined by whether or not they have sinned recently. I have found that just about every Christian term is somehow linked to this pattern of belief. Anytime a Christian today is talking about his spiritual struggles, he is most certainly talking about a personal battle with some sin in his life. If a person is struggling to get closer to God, they are usually struggling to conquer a sin or a pattern of sin. When someone feels especially spiritual and close to God, it’s usually because they haven’t committed any of their big sins in the last few weeks. Because they feel as though theygot the victory of that particular sin, they feel freed up and confident to approach God.
“Growing in the Lord” is defined by how much less a person sins than they did before they met God. Today, we even consider our “witness for Christ” to be our public abstinence from sin. If a person sins in front of unbelievers, they are told that they “blew their witness.” Almost all Christian “testimonies” are about how a person was caught in a life of sin before they met Jesus. The bigger the sins a person was committing before they got saved, the more they are asked to give their testimony in front of others.
It doesn’t surprise me that when the grace message is preached today, the first thing that comes to mind with the average Christian is sin. The grace message is spoken of as a “license to sin” and the mere thought of that scares people to death. It goes againsteverything they think the Christian life is about. Finding out that God loves you whether you sin or not, is a bit scary because people aren’t sure what they’ll do.
One person actually told me that it’s safer to deny the grace message because that way they’d know for sure that they would sin less. “Freedom in Christ” sounds too much like “freedom to sin.” It’s just not worth chancing it.
I have listened to grace preachers all over the world respond to the world famous “license to sin” accusation. We all have our own way of trying to get people to not look at it that way, but to see the heart of relationship and what Christianity is really about. My approach to this has become vastly different from most. In fact, I believe it would down right scare the hell out of most pastors.
Do I think the grace message gives people a license to sin?
YES, I absolutely do.
Part of giving someone freedom, is giving them their choice back. Christianity today has stripped us of our choice to sin. When we are told that sin separates us from God and we will be punished, our choice in the matter is taken away. We have an entire generation of people who quit sinning because of the outer voice of their religion rather than the inner personal voice of their heart. In other words, their quitting didn’t come from their heart; it came from their head. The grace message gives people back their right to sin, and it provides an atmosphere in which they can grow spiritually right and find truth in the center of themselves rather than in a system. A license to sin is not an encouragement to sin, but it’s the right to sin. Take away that right, and you take away relationship altogether.
“Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”—but I will not be mastered by anything.” –Paul–
Without a license to sin, I don’t believe people will ever know their own heart, much less the Heart of God. The problem is that in the process of molding themselves to fit religion’s requirements, a person learns to deny any and all inner emotions of the heart that might cause them to sin. Things like anger, passion, lust and greed are shut down and the result is that they lose contact with self and eventually forget who they are altogether. Sadly, Christians today stand adamantly against sin, but they have no idea why. They don’t feel a thing in their hearts about sin, other than the memorized knowledge that “it’s wrong.” They believe it’s wrong, not because their heart sings that truth, but because that’s what they’ve been taught. When you shut down some aspects of the heart, you end up shutting down ALL aspects of the heart.
Some people who believe that Christianity is about “not sinning” will inevitably say, “What difference does it make? As long as a person isn’t sinning, who cares what’s behind it?” This is an anti-intimacy mentality. Would you rather have your spouse not cheat on you because adultery is a sin or because they love you? Givingsomeone a license to sin is the only way to get to the “because I love you” answer. Most fear that answer will never come, so they opt for the “adultery is a sin” card. It’s more controlling and has a better guarantee. They’ll say something like, “If you ever cheat on me, I’ll divorce you” in a feeble effort to guarantee the other person’s faithfulness. Real relationship says, “If you ever cheated on me, I wouldn’t leave you.” It leaves faithfulness completely up to the heart of their spouse. The thought of that is terrifying.
When my six-year-old daughter informed us that she wanted to run away, we packed a suitcase for her and opened the door. Needless to say, she changed her mind and told us she wants to stay with us. I’m not interested in making prisoners out of my children. The only way to accomplish that is to give them a license to run away. The same is true with the grace message. God wants relationship that is based on a heart’s desire for intimacy with Him. He’s not interested in keeping prisoners. The only way to have this intimacy with people is to give them a license to sin.
True freedom comes only when the hand of control is removed and a person is given choice to sin or not to sin. If you have a hundred birds in a cage and fifty of those birds belong to you, but the other fifty do not; how many will fly away if you open the cage?
ALL OF THEM.
However, fifty will eventually fly back. Then and only then, is relationship possible.
29 Comments
Leave a Reply
Darin Hufford speaker, evangelist and author
of "The Misunderstood God."
11:04 am on November 25th, 2009
I’m sorry….I am just wondering if you are saying it is alright to sin? From what I read in God’s word, it is very clear that Jesus says after healing many sick “…and Sin no more”… Jesus was very clear that you are to put off your “old self” and that is the sinful nature. (After being saved) Paul also talks over and over about being “disciplined” and “running the race” and again, putting off our old self and denying ourselves. AND TO DIE TO OURSELVES. THAT IS SIN. from everything I have read about what Jesus teaches….You may NOT sin. Of course, we are not yet glorified, and we are still humans, and WILL sin, but that is supposed to be the constant struggle true Christians have. Struggling against our flesh, the desire to sin. I think it’s kind of a mockery to suggest that we can go ahead and sin because Jesus loves us, and it’s better for our “relationship” with him…..He DIED for our sins, BECAUSE of our sins. We are to be ever EVER grateful and thankful, full of praise and wonder for the fact that he saved us….and then — “fight the good fight” as Paul says, batteling our fleshly desires to sin, WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT’S HELP AND OF COURSE OUR LORD JESUS. I hope I am just mis-interpreting your view…..because if I am right and you think that it is ok and to just do what you want and then you will find out its wrong in the end…and to follow your heart (by the way Jesus says our hearts are decietful beyond measure, so anyone that follows their “heart” and emotions instead of God’s perfect holy words is being fooled.) Anyways, How about just trusting in the lord Jesus to forgive out sins, but realizing at the same time how that sin caused him to die. How about we stop suger-coating things and say SIN IS TERRIBLE in God’s eyes. Pray that he will give you the strength and will to resist it and walk with the Lord Jesus ona daily basis. Just my thoughts.
11:19 am on November 25th, 2009
If you honestly – after reading this post – have come away thinking that’s what I’m saying, you might read it again. You’ve missed the heart of everything being said here.
In reference to your “heart is deceitful” statement – that is an Old Testament principal that no longer applies to you and me. Scripture says that the day will come when He takes our heart of stone and makes it a heart of flesh. That day is NOW. Why would you ask Jesus into your heart if you can’t trust your heart?
Darin
10:40 pm on December 3rd, 2009
Good material on Grace…
As a missionary and preacher for 20+ years (the last 11 in Asia) I cam to the recent realisation that I have not really represented HIM. What Christ am I RE-PRESENTING to a lost world? A vindictive, judgmental and hard Christ OR a Lover, Healer, Forgiver, Restorer, Saviour?
I use to feed so much on Edwards, Whitfield, and other cla**ic revivalist preaching. An I certainly appreciate some of their writings still, but I found myself becoming, well, obnoxious. I must RE-PRESENT the Christ of the Gospels. Full of Grace and Truth!
Blessings
S
10:48 pm on December 3rd, 2009
Good idea Steve:-) I like the way you think man.
12:47 pm on December 24th, 2009
A twist of the word here and a twiat of the word here and you wonder why people misunderstand “Your thoughts” on the Word? All nonsense really.. for is there a better teacher then Christ? For when you connect to the unseen “Kingdom of God” non of this nonsense comes to mind.
6:12 pm on December 28th, 2009
I will never see god the same after reading your book. If we really know gods heart we would not want to sin. just like our children want to see a parents approval. I have stuggled for years in and out of church. I dont think I can walk away from god now !!! Thank You
6:39 pm on December 28th, 2009
Thanks Roy. I’m glad you enjoyed the book. Sounds like you got it straight in your heart. That’s always nice to see. Please help me get this to the world. People need to know this. There is such a freedom that comes over people when they truly swallow this wonderful truth.
Blessings my friend.
Darin
2:30 pm on January 5th, 2010
Darin,
Just finishing up reading your book. The lineage of reading that has changed my “self Image” started with THe Shack, then to He Loves Me, then your book. WoW! I grew up in family of 5 kids that should have only had one-I was insignifigant. Church teaching left me guilty and condemned with a poor self image that I was not worthy. Your book has swept out huge loads of debris. I wish to continue with a fine dusting to: 1. Get a firm grasp on what He did for me on the cross. 2. Continue learning about the depth of His love for me. What further step do you suggest? Is there a follow up book? or volunteer at a food kitchen to learn to love as you did?
Thanks for your insights into my distorted view of my Father.
Richard
4:57 pm on January 8th, 2010
Ah, but the real question is, “can you ever leave Him?”
“You mean to tell me that I can do drugs, kill people, rob banks and burn down an orphanage and I’ll still go to heaven?”
It depends if you sincerely repent. If not, I don’t think
you will.
“Could you imagine going to a wedding and listening to the bride and groom recite theirvows: “I will never leave you – through sickness and health – for richer or poorer – for better or for worse – till death do us part,” and some guy on the front row raises his hand and says, “Woe dude, that means you can cheat on her, do drugs, beat her up and burn her parents’ house down.”
But you can still leave her, can’t you? She’ll always accept if you return, no matter what, but you’re still free to leave on your own.
If that’s what you’re calling a “liscense to sin,” then yes, I agree with you. If you mean you really CAN live like the devil, and remain unrepentent and still get into heaven, I disagree.
Yes, it’s a change of heart, not works, that gets oen into heaven. One can do many good works enterely for the feeling of pride it affords you. That is no ticket to heaven. But hearts don’t always remain open to God. They can be darkened, and shut up to the lord.
6:13 am on January 27th, 2010
I understood what you are saying especially in light of love is. Our new hearts filled with love would…well I doubt very much there is any drug that could compete.
My sixteen year old son asked permission to stay over at a friends house a few weeks ago after being out late a few nights in a row coupled with a confession to underage drinking. When I said he could not stay the night he got huffy and said it was his life and he was going to go and stay.
I told him that he had asked my permission for something and I had given my answer, if it was not acceptable to him then he could begin ‘his life’ for real the next day by finding his bags packed at the front gate. He was like WHAT!
Then he asked if he could just go out for a while and be home by a certain time – I said that was ok with me. Then he calls me later and says he was going to stay at his mates, so I reminded him of what I had said and if he didn’t come home he could begin his life the next day and choose to live it how he wants.
I told him I would still love him no matter what and he would always be welcome to visit and that I would come visit him in his new digs too.
He came home at the agreed time and said that for the last few hours he came to realise that he is not equipped to live ‘his life’ yet.
The freedom to choose is a very empowering thing. I learnt a lot about God that night, just as much as my son learnt whatever it was he needed as well.
12:57 pm on March 25th, 2010
Since I have finished the book, I have been mulling over the teachings and I completely understand what you are saying. I came to the realization that love (real love) may have the permission to be disobedient (sinful) but not the desire to be so. Real love sacrifices on both sides for each other. We will sacrifice our freedom for obedience because of love. It doesn’t mean we no longer have the freedom, merely that we choose not to use the freedom because our love for God over-rides the momentary desire to sin (in whatever form sin takes.) Now I am in the struggle of where to call home for a church as I don’t know of any churches that walk this walk without the begging and guilting and promising part of it.
Any suggestions, or should I simply ignore the bad (and explain the differences to the kids)?
1:36 pm on March 25th, 2010
Hi Wendy. I understand what you’re talking about. There aren’t any churches that I know of who teach this. They don’t teach it because they don’t know it. We basically gave up on the institutional church system about 5 years ago. I’ve found that fellowship with other believers happens on it’s own if you allow it too. Since I’ve been out of the church system, I’ve had more fellowship then I ever did when I was inside. I’ve also been able to hear the voice of God in my life like never before.
Darin
9:50 am on April 4th, 2010
you voiced what i`ve been believing for many years.why am i supprized? (i thoughti was special,LOL!).darin i think that part of the problem is the tendency to take scripture out of context…for instance paul made it very clear in his letters that he was writing to “babes” who could not take in “meat”so as a wise master builder he started with the basics…milk.much of “the church” today is being fed the same pa**ing of as “meat”.i know that what is not of faith is sin.so i don`t much mind that.i believe ones motivation is what counts.one body,many functions.
11:45 pm on April 8th, 2010
What can I say? One of the best articles if not THE best I have ever read on the subject! I am a long time member of the Worldwide Church of God now appropiately renamed, “Grace Communion International”. When you have known the spiritual hell of trying to “measure up” and the pain, confusion and the guilt of not ever being able to, then you have experienced
8:26 pm on April 22nd, 2010
There’s an old saying: “If you love something, SET IT FREE. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, it NEVER was.” That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? If you aren’t allowed to choose sin, then you really don’t have a choice at all, do you? If you aren’t allowed to choose sin, then you really can’t choose Grace either, can you? Choosing Grace doesn’t mean you’re suddenly perfect. It just means that you’re placing all of your trust in Jesus as the only One who can show you the journey home. But, it’s still a journey, not an immediate destination. Along the way, your choice is always in front of you. It always has to be there, otherwise, if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be a choice, would it? Until He finally brings us Home, we’ll be on the journey. As long as we keep our eyes on Him as we go down our path, we know we’re going the right way. We might get a rock in our shoe once in a while, or need to sit down and stop for a while, but He has promised that He’ll wait with us as we shake it off or rest or whatever we need to do until we’re ready to move forward, and He’ll stay with us until the end.
2:20 am on May 27th, 2010
Thanks so much for your article. I needed to hear this message again. It remimded me of a book I once read by Phillip Yancy called What’s so Amazing About Grace?
Now I’m gonna have to read your book.
3:01 am on May 27th, 2010
Yes, I charge you Dominique. Go and read The Misunderstood God:-) I really think you’ll relate to it. Let me know how you like it.
Darin
6:47 pm on June 10th, 2010
“True freedom comes only when the hand of control is removed and a person is given choice to sin or not to sin.” Amen!
God is not a God of control. And the controlling marriage is the perfect example.
Perfect love cast out all fear. I could not imagine anyone seeing perfect love for what it is and abuse it or walk away from it forever. When we have the Holy Spirit living in us, never leaving or forsaking us, we do have the freedom to leave the cage and come back and call it home. There is room for mistakes with God. God’s love is like a huge unbreakable elastic always drawing us back. If sin could break the cord none of us could ever keep God’s love!
4:46 pm on June 16th, 2010
Don’t the Episcopalians teach that? I’m sure some of the Anglicans do in the UK and I always a**umed the Episcopalians were roughly equivalent. That has always been my understanding of Christianity and I don’t know where else I would have got it from except from the New Testament of course.
Tiggy (UK)
3:53 pm on June 25th, 2010
There is a special, supernatural thing that happens. When you connect with the unseen kingdom of God; you just don’t have a lot of these struggles; the Holy Spirit makes it easy for you. I know I am blessed; I think it is available to all. I would say it comes from letting God be the fixer and you be the one who prays and has peace; the rest is taken care of from on high.
4:20 pm on June 25th, 2010
Thanks Serena. That’s a good word:-)
4:25 pm on June 25th, 2010
Whatever we think of God inevitably reflects to others in our daily lives. When we feel pressured to live right, we are going to hold others to that same standard and judge them. And if we believe all is of Him, we are going to be judging others a lot less. We know we live and move and have our being in Him, as does everyone else, even when we deny Him. God has a purpose for everything, yes even the wicked for a day of evil. (prov 16:4)
4:29 pm on June 25th, 2010
It’s amazing how much of our life becomes a reflection on others. It explains a lot.
1:30 pm on July 1st, 2010
Lousy circumstances and three books I’ve recently read (similar to Richard, above) have literally and figuratively turned my spiritual world in an entirely new, wonderful, exciting, loving direction. It seems silly to say this at the ripe old age of 35 (having been baptized and accepting Christ as my savior when I was 8 years old) but I recently discovered something: God loves me. He really, truly loves me! And I didn’t know it. It is incredible to me how much guilt and shame I have shoved into the darkest corner of my soul, and just the knowledge that I am loved beyond my comprehension is such a relief that I can release that burden that my biggest problem now is that I am really struggling with how best to show my thankfulness and love right back to Him. I know that will come with time and wisdom and I need to do some hard-core soul cleansing and alone time talking things through guided by the Holy Spirit.
Two days ago I started praying for friends. This sounds crazy, but I have an insanely loving and wonderful husband and huge family, but I don’t have any friends. Guess what I realized just this morning as I woke up? I have the three best friends in the world: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I don’t feel as alone as I did two days before. I feel surrounded and completed and they will introduce me to more friends, I am sure. So now the stupid question, Darin……
If I’ve had such an epiphany that I am truly loved, that I have more friendship than I could have ever imagined, why am I scared that God is bringing me to a point in my spiritual development that makes me feel as if I am being prepared – almost groomed – for the biggest, most painful loss in my entire life? It’s almost as if I get the feeling that I am learning and growing and expanding so that when this “something terrible” happens it won’t destroy me; that I will have something left to hang on when I feel I have been plunged into utter darkness? Is this my fear working against my mind? My imagination spinning out of control? After all, my parents are getting older, I’m afraid of them dying, I have never had to lay to rest someone that I knew well or loved deeply. Is it possible that God IS getting me ready for something terrible? How do I deal with this and extinguish the mind-numbing fear to continue on my walk with Him? I feel like a small child stomping her feet and refusing to continue down the path because I’m scared, but I’m angry because I really want to grow up and do the important stuff too. (This has been a pride-swallowing admission.) Any advice would be welcome.
your loving sister in Christ
3:21 pm on July 1st, 2010
I think you should chalk this concern up to FEAR. The bottom line is that bad things WILL happen in your life and in mine, and yes He is always preparing us to get through those times. I think you should blame yourself for making this up and just relax and live your life. I used to think this exact same thing and it’s been years and nothing huge has happened yet:-)
11:53 am on July 25th, 2010
Can I say thank you? Yes, I will. Thank you. You are blessed with such insite and ability to speak in “laymans terms”.
I completely understood your writing on “Licence to Sin”, and I will now without a question buy your book. May Gods richest blessings be yours.
12:01 pm on July 25th, 2010
Thank YOU Marcia. I appreciate your kindness. I’m glad you’re going to get the book. I hope you enjoy it:-)
1:57 pm on July 26th, 2010
It really is amazing that people who have been “Christians” for many, many years still tend to think of God as being just waiting to “get us” for some “sin” when in fact sin is seperation from God and when he reconciles US to HIM by telling us he has forgiven us of that seperation and is so delighted that we now trust him enough to let HIM heal us of the disease of SIN that caused us to fear him.
Here is a paraphrase of Re Romans 3:24-26). “A Divine Remedy for Sin.–The atonement of Christ is not a mere skillful way to have our sins pardoned; it is a divine remedy for the CURE of transgression and the restoration of spiritual health. It is the Heaven-ordained means by which the righteousness of Christ may be not only upon us but in our hearts and characters.” I have purposely not ID the person who paraphrased this because sometimes legalist fundamentalists might focus on the messenger instead of the message.
Some 30 years or so ago when I heard a preacher say “It is by beholding that we become changed” and then referenced 2 Corintians 3:18 (New International Version)18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” That I realized that “sin” is the disease we acquired when we were seperated FROM God by the terrible lies of Satan that resulted in our seperation from HIM and that the only way to have them removes was to “keep our eyes on Jesus and the picture of God as reavealed in the life of Jesus.
Jay
9:28 am on July 30th, 2010
Wow, I was just accused of this very thing yesterday and today your article brings great comfort to me. What an excellent post. So true and so well written.
Thank you my brother and please keep it up!