For sin shall not have dominion over *you*, for ye are not under law but under grace.
Paul has just called believers to give themselves to God as people brought from death to life. Now he gives the reason such a life is possible, and it raises an old question: does taking a believer out from under law make him safer from sin, or more dangerous?
What "dominion" Means
Dominion means rule. One writer connects the promise to the meaning of the name Jesus:
The very first page of the New Testament tells us there is something more than the forgiveness of our sins. It says, "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." He saves not only from the penalty of our sins, but from our sins themselves. "Sin shall not have dominion over you." Literally this is, "Sin shall not lord it over you."
Power Broken, Presence Remaining
The promise is not that sin disappears from the believer. One writer draws the line between now and later:
We speak of the power of sin, not of its presence. Let the reader carefully note this. On the question of sin, there is a real difference between a Christian now and a Christian in the life to come. Now he is set free only from the power of sin. Later he will be free from its presence. In his present condition sin lives in him, but it is not to reign. One day it will not even live in him. The reign of sin is over and gone. The reign of grace has begun.
That leaves room for real struggle. It also ties our freedom to how well we know grace:
There may be sudden temptation — yes, failure — but sin shall not have dominion — it shall not reign. But why shall sin not reign? "For you are not under law but under grace." … The more the free favour of God in Christ Jesus is known and enjoyed, the greater our deliverance from the slavery of sin, and the more we can live a holy life.
Why Law Cannot Break Sin's Rule
The reason the verse gives is surprising: law itself leaves a person under sin's mastery. One commentator lists what law fails to supply:
Being under law leaves me under the dominion of sin. What we want is a free life, free from bondage to sin; for he who commits sin, says the Lord, is the slave of sin. Law gives no life, no freedom, no strength, and not even an object to turn our hearts elsewhere. It rightly forbids sins, as it must, but it gives no life and no power. But under grace we have power. Life is given, strength is given, and an object is given; none of which, as we have seen, law gives. So, under grace, sin has no dominion over me. Under law it does.
Two Positions, Never Mixed
These two phrases mark two positions, each with its own history:
"Under law" simply means a position where law has authority. Israel was in that position from Mount Sinai until the cross of Christ. "Under grace" means a position where grace rules. The contrast is drawn clearly and completely. The two things cannot be mixed. "Under grace" is our position, and it comes from the blessed cross of Christ. "Under law" was a position that supposed no cross and no salvation from bondage.
The Objection Answered
Some fear that grace makes people careless about sin:
Sin, then, is not to have dominion over us, for the very reason that we are not under law but under grace. Some say that if we tell people they are no longer under the rule of law, they are sure to plunge into sin. Here is God's answer to them. The fact is that nothing so subdues the heart and promotes holiness as the grace of God.
Elsewhere the same writer shows how grace does this:
In Christianity grace not only saves but teaches, and what an effective teacher it is! It does not fill our heads with cold rules and regulations. Instead it brings our hearts under the subduing influence of the love of God. We learn what pleases Him, as shown to us in Jesus. And because we have the Spirit, we begin to live the sober, righteous, and godly life.
Summary
- Dominion — sin will not lord it over you. Christ saves not only from sin's penalty but from sins themselves.
- Dwelling, not reigning — now you are free from sin's power, later from its presence. Failure may come, but rule may not.
- Law's poverty — law forbids sin but gives no life, freedom, strength, or object for the heart. So it leaves sin in charge.
- Grace's supply — grace gives life, strength and an object for the heart. That is why sin no longer rules you.
- Grace's schooling — grace is not permission but a teacher. Nothing subdues the heart and promotes holiness like the grace of God.