There are ministers who are preaching grace. Some don’t like that because they feel like it’s giving people a license to sin and not practice holiness. So, those same ministers preach abstaining from sin and holy living.

Here’s the thing. Both grace and abstaining from sin are in the bible and both should be preached.

We know why grace is taught. It’s the reoccurring theme for the new covenant. However, why are some preaching sin? What’s the motivation?

There seems to be two reasons why people continue preach sin. One is true and the other is false. If people are preaching holiness and abstaining from sin because sin hardens our hearts towards God, it damages our souls, it has natural consequences, and ruins relationships, then they’re preaching the truth with the correct motives. These scriptures can be found in Hebrews 3:8-13, Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:15, Proverbs 16:28. However, if people are telling people they’re going to hell, God is displeased with them, God doesn’t love them, or God won’t bless them because of sin, that’s false and unscriptural.

All sin (past, present, and future) has been paid for by Jesus, so sin won’t send us to hell (Colossians 2:13-14). Because of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God is pleased with us (Hebrews 11:6). God has and always will love us (Romans 8:31-39). Romans 2:4 says the goodness of God leads to repentance. This means He’ll always be good to us regardless of our behavior. 

Abstaining from sin absolutely should be preached. But it should be preached because we want to see people delivered from self-destructing behaviors and positively benefit from this abundant life Jesus died to provide. 

James 1:13-15 NKJV Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.