Sinners in Grace

Galatians 2:17-21    
17 “But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

We have been freely and completely justified, saved, by Jesus Christ while we were sinners.  That does not mean Christ condones sin and we can continue in it because our works cannot earn salvation, only His grace.  Instead, we build on that pardon from sin so that we live for God His way in obedience and with righteousness as the aim of our choices.  Our identity in Christ is as if we died on that cross with Him where He nailed the handwriting of requirements (the law) to that wood and we left them there by death together, rising again in newness of life.  Now we live by trusting Him who lives within us, the one who so loved us to die in our place when we were still His enemies.  This grace brings His righteousness which cannot be earned by what we do, yet leads us to desire to please Him by righteous obedience afterwards.  He did not die in vain because our righteousness always comes up short, but effectually died so we can live in Him alone.