1. The War with Sin and the Costly Grace
The issue of “costly grace” versus “cheap grace” is extremely significant in Christian faith, and at the same time, it is an area that many believers grapple with, sometimes stumbling along the way. Pastor David Jang repeatedly highlights this topic from various angles, emphasizing that “costly grace” must never be downgraded to “cheap grace.” Costly grace refers to the holy and precious grace given to us through the holy blood Christ shed on the cross. We were originally sinners destined for the punishment of death, yet by the sacrifice of the Son of God we have been justified freely. However, if this grace comes to be treated as though it cost nothing—if it becomes something we take for granted in our lives—then it turns into “cheap grace.” In other words, if we forget the preciousness of the blood our Lord shed and treat His grace as a mere “free, natural outcome,” it becomes a serious distortion and destruction of the essence of our faith.
Pastor David Jang refers to the shamelessness of turning costly grace into cheap grace as a “deadly sin.” If one fails to understand how great the sacrifice of the Lord’s suffering on the cross truly was, and simply rests on the fact of belonging to a church or having received baptism to speak too lightly of salvation, neglecting to seriously meditate on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then eventually the very foundation of our faith collapses. If we forget the earnestness Jesus displayed in Gethsemane, where He prayed until His sweat became like drops of blood; if we regard the unspeakable physical and spiritual agony of the cross as merely head knowledge—something we casually acknowledge—then we fall immediately into cheap grace. “Costly grace” is the heavenly gift and life-transforming grace brought about by the cross, which atoned for our sins. This gift from Christ changes the entire being of a believer and causes us, from the depths of our soul, to hate sin and yearn for holiness.
Yet in practical terms, there remains a further challenge for those who have “been saved.” It is the “sinful nature” that still lurks within us even after salvation. Pastor David Jang reminds us of Romans 6:23—“the wages of sin is death”—and stresses that we must never take lightly the fact that the power of sin still remains within us. Though we have received a “legal declaration” (justification) through the redemption of Jesus Christ, during our earthly life, old habits and tendencies corrupted by sin still cling to us. This residue or nature of sin in us continually tempts us to commit wrongdoing, whispering that we should drift away from God.
Inside the saved individual coexist “two selves”: the “redeemed me” and the “old habitual me.” The two clash and cause inner conflict. Pastor David Jang explains this structure as “me” and “the not-me within me” existing simultaneously. Such conflict arises regularly in the Christian life, particularly when we examine whether our character has truly improved compared to before. We may feel confusion or self-reproach, asking, “Why do these negative emotions still well up in me? Why haven’t I escaped these sinful habits yet?” What matters here is to grasp the true meaning of the apostle’s confession in Romans 7, “What a wretched man I am!” Even though Paul was already a child of God, he still wrestled with his sinful nature. This struggle is an inevitable spiritual battle in the process of sanctification.
Ultimately, another core task for those who have received “costly grace” is to “correctly understand and contend with the tension between salvation and sanctification.” To avoid cheapening costly grace, we must first delve deeply into what the cross really means to us. We must also recognize why we, despite detesting sin, simultaneously remain prone to its enticement. By doing so, we can reduce confusion between “the salvation already received” and “the salvation yet to be fully realized.” Salvation indeed includes a process leading toward its final completion, and in that process we must continually cast off sin. When we do, we echo Paul’s lament—“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”—yet at the same time share in the assurance of victory in Christ Jesus, savoring these two realities together.
Pastor David Jang, reflecting on this theme of “costly grace and battling the habit of sin,” repeatedly urges believers not to neglect the ongoing war against sin even after salvation. If we become insensitive merely because we call ourselves Christians—shouting “I am already saved!” while leaving the power of sin unchecked—this is the path that once again devalues God’s precious grace. Conversely, if we are overly conscious of sin, constantly lamenting, “I am ever a sinner—what shall I do?” and sinking into perpetual self-accusation, we end up doubting the complete saving power of Jesus’ blood. Therefore, we need to avoid these two extremes and continuously maintain a serious resolve to live in accordance with the “costly grace.”
Romans 7:25, followed immediately by 8:1—“So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”—is a passage all Christians should meditate on daily. We should pay attention to how the “lamentation of chapter 7” and the “declaration of victory in chapter 8” follow one after the other. Even though lamentation exists in chapter 7, chapter 8:1 begins with “Therefore,” indicating that, despite being believers still wrestling with sin in a very real sense, we must never lose our assurance of salvation. God’s love is forever open to us sinners, and the declaration that the saved are never utterly condemned stands at the heart of holding on to costly grace.
Thus, the reason and necessity for those who have received “costly grace” to fight against sin are absolutely clear. Pastor David Jang emphasizes again, citing Ephesians 6 and the “spiritual armor of God,” that we must never stop fighting the good fight of faith. We must firmly hold to our identity as saved believers and combat sin. Although at certain moments sin may overpower and topple us, just as Cain killed Abel, still God covers us again—like giving Adam and Eve garments of skin—by clothing us with the righteousness of Christ. This cycle of falling, being restored, and continuing forward in faith is itself the evidence that we are still clinging to the “costly grace.”
In the end, the key point Pastor David Jang emphasizes in this first major section is that “the cross is never light or trivial; the salvation granted to us was built upon extreme suffering and sacrifice—thus it is worthy of the highest honor.” This grace should not be taken lightly, nor should we lose the joy of salvation under the weight of excessive guilt. Because it is truly “costly grace,” we are compelled to wrestle with sin, relying on the power of the Holy Spirit as we gradually become more like our Lord. And in this journey, an unending battle with sin is inevitable. However, those who are in Christ are already free from condemnation; therefore, day by day, we should not forsake our “assurance of salvation,” while simultaneously continuing in the “holy struggle against sin.”
2. Justification, Sanctification, and the Meaning of Being “In Christ Jesus”
Pastor David Jang places great importance on the relationship between justification and sanctification as emphasized by the Apostle Paul. In Romans chapters 5 through 8, Paul develops a line of thought showing how believers, living in the tension of the “already” and the “not yet,” can hold firmly to their assurance of salvation while still engaging in a battle with sin. Justification is the legal declaration of our acquittal, brought about by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. It is entirely the result of God’s unilateral love and grace, leaving no room for human works or merit. In other words, since we could not achieve salvation by perfectly keeping the Law, God provided it freely through His only begotten Son. This is the heart of “costly grace.”
Even after entering into a state of justification, however, our actual lives and character are still far from perfect. Sanctification refers to the process in which a justified person gradually attains holiness, a journey that involves practical effort and struggle to cast off sin and be conformed to Jesus Christ. Pastor David Jang explains that during this process, believers often fall into two extremes: either becoming discouraged—“What really has changed? My current situation doesn’t look much different from before”—or becoming proud—“There’s no need to battle sin any longer; everything is already finished.”
As Paul confessed, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Even after believing in Jesus and receiving salvation, we must be on guard against sin every single moment and fight against it. Nevertheless, since we already have full assurance of salvation in Christ, our fight is never hopeless. Although it may seem like a paradox, justification and sanctification are not contradictory but rather two sides of the same coin. For the one who has been justified, the pursuit of sanctification is the natural course of spiritual growth, and God grants us the indwelling Spirit to help us along this path. Holding onto both “the assurance of salvation (justification)” and “the holy struggle against sin (sanctification)” at the same time is by no means a fantastical ideal.
Pastor David Jang encourages us here to read the latter part of Romans 7 and the opening of Romans 8 together. Romans 7:25 says, “So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin,” followed by 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” These statements should not be separated but seen as a single, integrated message. That is, “Even though I still feel the pull of sinful habits, those who are in Christ Jesus are never condemned.” This is the core of the gospel message Paul declares.
A well-known phrase appears here: “in Christ Jesus.” Being “in Christ” is not just about respecting Jesus or following His ethical teachings as an act of imitation; rather, it refers to a mysterious spiritual union, as Jesus describes in John 15 with the analogy, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” If the branch is separated from the vine, it cannot receive life. Similarly, a believer lives each day by receiving life from Christ. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you” is not simply a poetic metaphor; it is the concrete structure of real Christian living. If we are not nourished by the Lord, we easily lapse back into bondage to sin.
Pastor David Jang teaches that to truly grasp this mysterious concept of “being in Christ,” one must fulfill the commandment of “love.” Jesus Himself said, “Just as I have remained in my Father’s love, you remain in my love,” and “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love.” Ultimately, when God’s love and our obedience meet, we experience true “abiding in Christ.” It is not a system of condemnation and punishment through the Law; rather, we directly encounter the character of a God who loves sinners to the end. Receiving that love into our hearts becomes our spiritual breath. In such a state of union through love, Paul encapsulates everything by saying we are “in Christ.”
Some legalists misunderstand the proclamation “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” twisting it to mean, “Then it’s okay to live as we please.” But Paul’s intention is the exact opposite: If we were sinners who have now been forgiven and set free, how could we turn back to the slavery of sin? If we did revert to a life of compromise with sin, that would be the very “sinful act of turning costly grace into cheap grace” highlighted in the previous section. Therefore, the message of Romans 8 is to use “no condemnation” not as an excuse for complacency but as a driving force to move on to a new life free from sin. Romans 8:2 declares that through “the law of the Spirit,” we have been “set free from the law of sin and death.” This means sin no longer reigns over or overpowers us. At the same time, it calls us to continue “daily putting to death the misdeeds of the body” in the Spirit’s power.
In this way, justification, sanctification, and being “in Christ Jesus” are closely interconnected. The identity of the saved believer is defined by this truth: “I am in Jesus, made righteous by His blood, and thus I die to sin daily so that I may grow to resemble Christ.” Pastor David Jang, in explaining this process, points out that while believers may face what appears to be the “same problems” as before, the “essence” of these problems has changed. He refers to this as “the same form but a different substance.” Though we may encounter identical-looking trials or temptations after salvation as we did before, the quality (essence) is now entirely different. We now undergo suffering that arises not from sin but as a righteous struggle. It is suffering shared with Christ, or pain endured for the practice of love.
Indeed, Jesus commanded His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Paul likewise said, “I die daily.” This is a call to a daily life of self-denial and a lifestyle centered on Christ. However, this struggle is not devoid of all joy, as if it were a purely mechanical and painful exercise. That is because we have the assurance that we are already “set free in Christ.” Even as we fight against sin, we possess the profound joy and hope of salvation.
Romans 8:1—“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”—captures this entire process. Chapter 7 ends in lament, yet in 8:1 Paul declares triumphantly, “Therefore.” Sinful conflict still exists in our lived reality, but that conflict can never take away our salvation. Our salvation is entirely rooted in the love of God, most vividly displayed on the cross of Christ, and confirmed by His resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Summing it up, Paul exclaims in Romans 7:25, “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” In that spiritual amazement, he confidently proclaims in 8:1 that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This is the deep meaning contained in the word “therefore” at the beginning of 8:1.
Ultimately, Pastor David Jang insists that without justification, sanctification is impossible, and justification without sanctification loses its true significance. Because we have already received forgiveness of sins through justification, we must daily drive out our sinful habits with the Spirit’s help. And the driving force behind all of this is none other than “union with Christ Jesus through love.” Our intimate spiritual fellowship with the Lord—through the Word, the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, and prayer, by which we experience God’s presence—forms the foundation upon which we wage war against sin.
Romans 8:3–4 reads: “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh… in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us.” This highlights how Christ’s incarnation and His crucifixion perfectly satisfied the demands of the Law. What we could never fulfill ourselves, Jesus accomplished completely, and His righteousness is imputed to those who believe. Meanwhile, those who have received this imputed righteousness must continue to follow Christ’s pattern of life. That is the way of sanctification.
Furthermore, Pastor David Jang notes that the ultimate destination of believers is “glorification,” referring to the final state when we are resurrected to share in the Lord’s glory. But glorification does not come as a sudden “magical moment” descending from the sky. Rather, it draws near as we persevere in our sanctifying struggles here on earth. Just as Noah built the ark, endured the flood, and then began anew in a renewed world, so we, having entered the “ark of salvation” through justification, proceed through the sanctifying process of cleansing away the stains of sin and being restored to our original created image in God. The conclusion of this whole journey is “glorification.” Therefore, the lesson Pastor David Jang imparts is a passionate plea: “Never forget the essence of the salvation you have already received, and remain faithful in the spiritual battle yet to be completed.”
Being “in Christ” also implies that each believer is not following Jesus in isolation but as part of the one body of Christ (the Church). Although we have different gifts and functions, we all ultimately belong to Jesus as members of His body. As Paul illustrates in 1 Corinthians 12, we each fulfill a distinct role but together form one body. This principle is equally applicable in sanctification. We contend with sin on an individual level, yet we also grow more fully in holiness by serving, supporting, and praying for one another within the community of faith, exercising our spiritual gifts in love. Pastor David Jang underscores that “it is exceedingly difficult to complete the spiritual fight in a state of isolated self-sufficiency; we must grow together in the Lord’s body, the Church, bearing one another’s weaknesses and sharing in the Spirit’s gifts.”
Therefore, the conclusion we draw from this second main section is that justification and sanctification are inseparable. To be “in Christ Jesus” means that God’s love for us sinners is completely revealed through the cross, and when we abide in that love, we experience genuine freedom and power. A believer’s inner turmoil—continuing to face the enticement of sin—can never overturn the assurance that we have already been justified by grace. Recognizing this, we discover the right balance. We wage war against sin every day, yet we do not condemn ourselves. If we hastily condemn ourselves, we belittle the saving power of the cross and miss out on the full experience of costly grace.
On the other hand, if we disregard the battle of sanctification simply because we say, “I’m already saved,” that too distorts the core essence of the gospel. The tension between justification and sanctification inevitably arises between two pitfalls: “laziness” and “self-torment.” The solution in both cases is to hold fast to being “in Christ Jesus.” When we abide in Him, day by day we experience the forgiveness and love of Christ afresh, learning to manifest His character in our lives. Like branches attached to the vine, we continually receive the nourishment of life, thus gaining the strength to combat sin without losing the joy of salvation.
Pastor David Jang advises us to maintain a balanced perspective of “freedom and struggle” in Christ. This is precisely what leads Paul to that climactic moment in the latter half of Romans 8: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35). Whether death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, or any created thing—nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. This magnificent proclamation is the ultimate evidence that those “in Christ” can never be robbed of life by sin, death, or any condemnation.
Thus, our responsibility is to value the costly grace given through Christ’s sacrifice, to keep fighting against the sinful nature that still tries to surface within us even though we are already saved, and to press onward in sanctification through faith in our justification. In sum, “The costly grace propels us into battle with sin. Yet that battle is already guaranteed to end in victory and assurance.” From start to finish, what matters most is remembering that we are “in Christ Jesus.” As Pastor David Jang tirelessly reiterates, “in Christ” is the foundation of our very spiritual existence. When we firmly hold this foundation, even as the temptations of sin rush at us, we can advance boldly on the solid ground of our identity as “already-saved people.” The Holy Spirit helps us in this, the church community prays together, and God’s Word lights our path. Thus, we complete the race of sanctification. One day, when we stand before the Lord and enter into “glorification,” it will all be accomplished through the costly grace of the cross and our daily attempts—while abiding in Christ Jesus—to cast off sin.
In conclusion, the main points conveyed in this text can be summarized by two major themes. First, do not treat as trivial the costly grace given through the sacrifice of the cross. Second, dwell in the grace of justification and, by the Spirit’s help, govern sin and press on toward sanctification. In all of these steps, always keep in mind the spiritual reality that we “exist in Christ Jesus.” No sin, no difficulty in spiritual warfare, can cut us off from the love of God. Even amid the tension of “already” and “not yet,” even as we waver, we are not condemned. We must not lose hold of this grace; rather, we are called to follow the Lord wholeheartedly to the end—this, Pastor David Jang declares, is the message he wishes to impart.
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