Free From the Bondage of Sin

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” ‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jude calls us to contend (fight in defense) for the true faith. In the original language (Greek), the word is "epagonizomai" which means to "contend earnestly." Literally, it means to "focus on the struggle with skill and commitment." The root words are "epi" (focus on) and "agon" (contest or competition). We are to focus on the message of the gospel of Jesus so well that we protect its integrity from those who would pervert its meaning. Just as we saw in 1 John, in other New Testament books, (Galatians, Titus, 2 Peter), false teachers were infiltrating the ranks of the church and disrupting the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 2 and Jude are very similar in their wording. Jude was adamant about the need to stand against the onslaught of falsehood that threatened the message of salvation. Even today, we are inundated with false teaching that threatens the church. Satan has donned the robe of a minister and has stepped into the pulpit (see 2 Corinthians 11:13-15).  We hear some preachers tell us that it's ok to do things that are sinful and abominable. I believe in the grace of God! I believe that we are saved by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8-10). The issue of contention is simply this: God doesn't shower His grace upon us so we can sin. God showers His grace upon us because we have sinned. When we come to Christ, we are sinners. All of us are (see Romans 3:23). However, we are not to continue living in that state of life. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ We are to repent (to turn away from and go the other direction) of sin. “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yes, God's grace is what allows us to receive salvation but it, in no shape, form, or fashion, gives us an endorsement to live ungodly lives. We are sheep now. We are no longer pigs. Let's stop wallowing in the muck and mire. Grace isn't a license to do evil. Grace is an emancipation from the slavery of sin. We are free now! Free from the bondage of sin! “For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬