Don't Let Sin Reign

October 27th, 2024
by Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Oct 23, 2024

Dr. D. Lance Waldie

Romans 6:12-14 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Paul’s words in Romans 6:12-14 are applicational for every Christian, working together with the theology Paul has previously written. If separated from Paul’s previous context, they lack the power for implementation. They can be preached anywhere at any time, but when separated from Paul’s context, they are like a car with no fuel. Where the cross of Christ is not preached, and salvation by faith alone in Christ alone is ignored, the application of vv. 12-14 is essentially impossible. Only genuine Christians have the God-given ability to apply these truths on a daily basis and live by them. Everyone else can attempt to obey, but they will ultimately fail.

“Let not sin reign” is an imperative for Christians directed at their “mortal body” whereby the “mortal” body, or that which is subject to death, indulges its “lusts”—a term used in this context for sinful passions, both sensual and material. It is notable that Christians would be commanded such given that their lives have been transformed by Christ. But it serves to prove that even the redeemed continue to struggle with sin. In spite of believers dying to sin, sin itself remains alive. Yet Christians now, because of Jesus Christ, have the power to conquer it.

“Reign” (Gr. basileuō) is a term used for kings and their authority to rule sovereignly. This means that Christians cannot use the age-old excuse after sinning and say, “I’m only human.” Human though they are, Christians have the same power residing in them that raised Christ from the dead and are no longer slaves to sin, their former lord and king. Sin, however, has the power to cause us to “obey its lusts” (v. 12). Interestingly, “obey” (Gr. hupakouō) is translated “answer the door” in Acts 12:13. The Christian’s “newness of life” (6:4), then, means that they are to be slaves of righteousness, those who daily refuse to “answer the door” to sin’s tenacious beckoning. Simply put, since Christians have died to sin and are alive to God, they live daily to please God, not their sinful inclinations. Genuine believers will thus no longer allow sin to reign in them (v. 12) like a sovereign king over them. Whereas prior to salvation, sin was their king, now in Christ sin no longer has the authority to enforce its demands. Sin as king is dead to them.

A follow-up imperative for Christians is found in v. 13, forbidding Christians from using their “members” (i.e., hands, feet, eyes, etc.) to sin. The term can also refer to the mind of man, the place where sin originates. These “members” are not to be used as “instruments” (Gr. hoplon)—a word used for weapons in the NT (John 18:3). One’s eyes ought not be used to lust, one’s ears must not be given to listening to gossip, one’s mouth must not be given to profanities and the spreading of gossip, and one’s mind must not be given to coveting, hating, lusting, etc. All of these sins are unbecoming a Christian who has died to sin and thus has the God-given ability to not sin. God’s charge for His redeemed people is that they use their hands to help, their eyes to worship, their ears to hear the truth, and their minds to dwell upon His words. Sinful use of one’s instruments is indicative of death and unrighteousness. But God-honoring use of them is the way Christians present themselves to their Maker who transferred them from death to life.

In sum, sin must not rule over believers, for they are not “under law, but under grace.” They have been removed from the old era where law served to intensify sin (3:20; 4:15; 5:20). Now they are “under grace,” having entered the new era with a freewill to overcome sin. Believers no longer live under the Law’s condemnation but under the grace of God in justification.

Food for Thought

Too many so-called Christians are using their bodily members to sin today just like they did prior to their so-called faith. They live together outside of marriage, their language remains foul, their attitude selfish, and they scoff at reading Scripture daily and attending a Bible-believing, Christ-honoring church. Perhaps they don’t grow as Christians because they’re not Christians? Evaluate yourself today and determine whether your faith genuine. Do you love that which God loves? Hate that which He hates? Or, do you even know what God loves and hates? Search the Scriptures daily to discover everything God has revealed about Himself. If your faith is genuine, you’ll never stop!