Romans 6:14: For Sin Will Have No Dominion Over You, Since You Are Not Under Law But Under Grace

Romans 6:14
[14] For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (ESV)

As you read this verse it is easy to find encouragement in the idea of sin not being allowed to have dominion over us. The initial recipients of this letter were still having a struggle with the rest of the verse. Paul says that because we are under grace sin has no dominion. For some of his readers they would have argued that we are under law and that is why sin will have no dominion.

Let's consider for a moment what Paul is saying here. First of all, we need to talk about this idea of sin not having dominion. Does this mean that true believers will never sin again? We would have a hard time reconciling that with the rest of Scripture. In fact, Romans 7 would dispute that claim. Sin will still be a struggle for us, but Paul is saying that sin will not overcome us and rule us.

For those who believed that it was the law that enabled a person to not be overcome by sin one needs to only look at the fact of Jesus coming to Earth. If the Law was able to give one victory over sin than there was no reason for Jesus to come. The only thing the Law did was to point out just how sinful we were. The Law shined a spotlight on people who were in the dominion of sin.

Thank God for his grace. Because of the grace of God I know that I have right standing with God. It is given to me, not earned. This gives me confidence in the battle with sin. The Law brings a curse for all those who disobey it. The grace of God covers my sin and gives me hope in Jesus Christ. Sin is a struggle, but it has already been defeated at the cross. It need not defeat me.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by sin? Do you feel like it has dominion over you? Reach out to Jesus. Ask him to forgive you. Place your faith in the work he accomplished for you at the cross. Thank him for his grace that covers your sin.