Read Romans 6:1-14

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

There are many misinterpretations in the church today about the Christian’s relationship to sin. Some teach that the Christian gradually becomes more and more able to conquer sin over time as they grow in the Scriptures. Others teach that the Christian actually becomes more and more righteous as they learn to submit to the Holy Spirit. While yet others erroneously teach that the Christian can actually enter into a state of perfection and become sinless! — which is contrary to what the Apostle John clearly teaches in 1 John 1.

It’s understandable why someone may hold to one of these views, or even teach it as such, because it would seem that the Christian experience develops like this. But as responsible students of God’s Word we must interpret the Christian life, not by what seems to be the common experience, but by the facts presented to us in the Doctrine of God’s Word.

And what are those facts? Paul says it clearly here in Romans 6:14:

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

There are three facts given to us. First, sin shall not have dominion over the Christian. Second, the Christian is no longer bound to live by God’s Law. Third, the Christian is free to live under God’s grace.

You have to understand that the dominion that sin once had over your life is now gone! It’s been defeated by the cross and resurrection of Christ. As soon as you were saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ you were immediately granted full power and complete victory over all sin. Victory is not something you learn to have; it’s something you already have! Victory is not something you grow into; it’s something you were already given! It became a fact of your new life in Jesus the moment you were born again.

How, then, do we access this victory? — the same way we accessed eternal life. By faith.

“But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”” (Galatians 3:11)

“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves [by faith] to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:11, brackets mine)

The Christian life is to live by faith according to the New Man you were created to be in Christ! Don’t be fooled — your sinful nature is not going to get better or more holy. In fact, it’s growing more and more corrupt each day (see Ephesians 4:22).

Just as Cain’s offering was disrespected by the Lord, our sinful nature is completely and utterly unacceptable to God. To try to make ourselves more holy to the Lord is as futile as trying to make a dog become a cat. You may be able to change some outward habits that appear promising, but a dog will always be a dog, and your sinful nature will always be sinful.

That is why our sinful nature was crucified and buried with Christ, and why we were risen to New Life as a New Creation in Jesus Christ!

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4)

Therefore, Beloved, no longer be deceived into thinking you must build the strength to overcome sin. You are already dead to sin in Christ and you can experience victory over sin by simply reckoning it to be true. No longer be bound by trying to keep the Law to become holy; that will only make you miserable. The Law of God cannot make us any more holy than doing jumping jacks would.

“I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2:21)

Rather — simply trust in the victory that Christ has already given you, and by this you will discover freedom and power over sin. This is what it means to walk in the Spirit. This is what it means to walk by faith. Trust in the victory that Christ has already won today, and you will be triumphant!

“For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:5–7)