Slavery to Christ results in holiness of personality and behavior. Holiness of personality and behavior results in eternal life. The believer who continues in the lusts of the flesh will be paid with eternal death.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

To continue:

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure faith. (Romans 12:3)

"Grace," as used in the verse above, means the gift of apostleship given to Paul on the road to Damascus. It has little to do with covering or excusing unrighteous behavior.

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; (Romans 12:6)

"Gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us" reveals that Divine grace includes the endowment of God's Spirit given to us by the Holy Spirit in order to build the Body of Christ and to bear testimony of Christ to the world. Grace, as used here, clearly is not referring to an alternative to righteous behavior.

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. (II Corinthians 8:7)

Grace as employed above refers to the willingness of the Christian to share his material resources, not to God overlooking his sins.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9)

"My grace is sufficient for thee" refers to the virtue, wisdom, and power of Christ as He enables Paul to fulfill his apostleship. Grace, in this usage, is not referring to a covering of sin.

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4)

Again we see that Paul did not contrast grace with righteous behavior but with the Law of Moses. The Book of Galatians is an argument against obtaining salvation by keeping the Law of Moses, not against endeavoring to walk in moral purity, peace, sobriety, and dedication to the Lord

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7).

The grace of God includes the forgiveness of the sins of the individual who serves the Lord Jesus faithfully.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

The above two verses are often used to show there is nothing we need to do except believe in Jesus. But the following verse reveals that we are saved in order that we may behave righteously.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

From the above we see that the very purpose of grace is to produce good works in the believer. Therefore it is inappropriate to attempt to "balance" an emphasis on righteous living with constant references to God's mercy and grace.

To be continued.