Paul introduces another variant of the common objection to the gospel that if we are forgiven you can do what you like. The cross is not about being "let off". The question here is "if are under grace not law shall we sin?". The answer Paul gives is that we were slaves of sin and the cross sets us free from this slavery.
Sin is not good for you, it is not fun (at least in the long run), it does not give you freedom. On the contrary, sin enslaves you. You lose control of yourself and your life. We have a choice, be a slave to sin or to righteousness. Being a slave to sin results in death.
The command that John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter on the day of Pentecost issued was "repent and believe". We need to believe, and we need to turn from sin and to Christ.
If all you do is say "I believe in Jesus but I will continue living as I always have done" then you are not saved, you are still heading for hell.
When we chose to follow Christ we give our lives to Him, we dedicate our lives to live as He wants us to live. This has nothing to do with "earning" salvation, for you cannot earn salvation. We can do nothing to pay for our past sins, and we cannot set ourselves free from sin. But we are called to follow Christ. As we do this we become progressively sanctified because of the work of Christ on the cross and of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The wages of sin are death, the free gift of God is life. We should choose life. Anyone who has any notion that the cross means we can live how we like and get away with anything has not got a brain cell, or at least has not used it! We need to be forgiven, we need to be transformed. Through the death and resurrection of Christ we are forgiven and we are set free.
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