For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that the reason sin won't have ultimate dominion is not because we've perfectly fulfilled the law, but because our entire system of reliance has shifted. We're no longer operating under a "law-based" principle that merely points out sin, but are now under "grace," a dynamic divine power that actively works within us.
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is urging believers to actively resist sin's pull, just as he's exhorted them to see themselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. This verse serves as a powerful reassurance, explaining why they can and should fight sin: their new reality is under the power of God's grace, not the condemnation of the law. The following verses will explore the practical implications of this truth and address potential misunderstandings.
Does 'sin shall not have dominion' mean Christians never struggle with sin again? Let's explore what this powerful promise truly means.
This verse isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card for sin. While the power of sin to rule over a believer is broken, the presence of sin remains until we're perfected in eternity.
The Tyrant Dethroned
When Paul says sin "shall not have dominion," he means it will no longer be the tyrannical master of your life. You've been transferred to a new kingdom – the kingdom of grace, ruled by Christ. This isn't about the complete absence of sin's temptation, but the assurance that you are no longer its slave.
The Lingering Struggle
Even though sin is dethroned, its effects can still be felt. It might 'struggle' and 'vex' you (as noted in the commentary), but it cannot regain its ultimate authority. The Christian life involves actively resisting sin's influence, not passively accepting its presence as the ultimate determining factor.
Paul contrasts being 'under law' with being 'under grace.' What's the radical difference these two states make in our battle against sin?
The core of our freedom from sin's dominion lies in this foundational shift: from being under the Law to being under Grace.
Under Law: The Impossible Standard
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Being 'under the law' meant living by a set of perfect commands that exposed sin but offered no power to overcome it. The law demands obedience, condemns failure, and, as some commentators note, can even intensify sin's pull by its prohibitions. It's like being given a rulebook for a race you're not equipped to run.
Under Grace: The Empowering Reality
Conversely, being 'under grace' means you are under God's merciful, empowering favor revealed in Christ. This isn't a license to sin but the very source of power not to sin. Grace provides forgiveness for the past, strength for the present, and the ongoing enablement to live a life pleasing to God. It's the promise and provision that makes victory possible.
Understand the original words
kurieuō · Greek Noun/Verb
Lordship, sovereign rule, or authority. It describes a position of power over someone, implying obedience is owed to that authority.
nomos · Greek Noun
Refers to the Mosaic Law or the principle of legalism; a system of regulations that demand perfect obedience and expose sin, but cannot grant the power to overcome it.
charis · Greek Noun
The unmerited, undeserved favor of God shown to humanity through Christ. It is the sphere of the new covenant in which believers live, characterized by divine enabling and forgiveness.
This passage directly precedes Romans 6:14 and explains the believer's death to sin and new life in Christ, which is the foundation for why sin should no longer have dominion.
Galatians 5:16-18This passage contrasts walking by the Spirit with fulfilling the desires of the flesh, reinforcing the idea that believers, now empowered by grace, have the capacity to resist sin's dominion.
John 8:31-36Jesus states that 'everyone who sins is a slave to sin,' but 'if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed,' echoing the freedom from sin's dominion that believers possess through Christ.
Colossians 2:13-15This passage highlights how God has forgiven our sins and disarmed the spiritual powers, showing that our liberation from sin's power and condemnation is a completed work through Christ's death and resurrection.
henryRomans 6:11-15: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
6:11-15 The strongest motives against sin, and to enforce holiness, are here stated. Being made free from the reign of sin, alive unto God, and having the prospect of eternal life, it becomes believers to be greatly concerned to advance thereto. But, as unholy lusts are not quite rooted out in this life, it must be the care of the Christian to resist their motions,…
cambridgeRomans 6:14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
14 . For sin , &c.] It is not quite clear whether this verse closes or opens a paragraph. Meyer takes it as opening the new section of argument. But it is quite in place as closing the previous one, while yet pointing forward also. On this view, St Paul makes the statement on purpose to animate the disciple to that exercise of will which yields his whole being to God. He is reminded of the re…
The verse highlights that the reason sin won't have ultimate dominion is not because we've perfectly fulfilled the law, but because our entire system of reliance has shifted. We're no longer operating under a "law-based" principle that merely points out sin, but are now under "grace," a dynamic divine power that actively works within us.
Paul is urging believers to actively resist sin's pull, just as he's exhorted them to see themselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. This verse serves as a powerful reassurance, explaining why they can and should fight sin: their new reality is under the power of God's grace, not the condemnation of the law. The following verses will explore the practical implications of this truth and address potential misunderstandings.
Paul is urging believers to actively resist sin's pull, just as he's exhorted them to see themselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. This verse serves as a powerful reassurance, explaining why they can and should fight sin: their new reality is under the power of God's grace, not the condemnation of the law. The following verses will explore the practical implications of this truth and address potential misunderstandings.
"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." — The verse highlights that the reason sin won't have ultimate dominion is not because we've perfectly fulfilled the law, but because our entire system of reliance has shifted. We're no longer operatin…
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Last reviewed October 2026