Sin Shall Not Have Dominion Over You - (Rom 6:12-14), Part 4/4

“Sin shall not have dominion over you.” If that line from Romans 6:14 sounds too bold for the week you’ve had, you’re exactly who we’re talking to. We slow down and press on the difference between a command you might fail and a promise God guarantees, then we follow the ripple effects into assurance, sanctification, and real-life obedience. 

We talk about why grace is not a softer version of law, and why “under grace” is not a license to drift. Gratitude becomes the engine for holiness as we yield our minds, hands, and whole selves to God as instruments of righteousness. We also address discouragement head-on: it’s normal to feel downcast, but it’s not a reason to forget what Christ has done or to live like sin is still your king. 

Then we tackle the controversy: can a true believer lose salvation? We argue that Romans 6:14 is comfort for Christians, not a carrot-and-stick threat, and that mixing Christ’s work with law-keeping turns the gospel into a performance contract. The law exposes sin, but grace brings liberation, power, and a new identity in Christ’s kingdom. 

If this strengthened you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs peace, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of “under grace” do you need to believe again today?

Transcript

Divine Grace And Our Response

SPEAKER_04 0:00

The new Jerusalem, that's us. This description also reminds believers of the magnitude of our divine grace that we have received from our Lord. A divine grace that he was under no obligation to impart to anyone. Why he would make use of this wretched frame as I have right now, I do not know, but I am grateful and thankful, as I know all of you are as well. A person that has been raised from death owes his entire existence and life to the one who gave him that life. You owe him. Get off of your backside and serve. And stop whining and complaining and serve. It's fine, it's okay to be downcast from time to time. It's okay to have to find yourself in submission to or in a depressed state. It's fine for you to be downcast, but it is not fine for you to disregard the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to reflect on what he has done for you and to find that hope and to have that spirit of yours revitalized. He will never leave you or forsake you. Never. I know it's tough. I know it may be easier said than done. But you need to find comfort in these things. We owe it to him. We owe it to our Lord. Can anyone say, I don't care how bad what your life is? Can you say that you had it worse than our Lord? If you can tell me that, if you can tell me that, I will shut my mouth.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Because the servant can never be greater than the master, it scripture says.

SPEAKER_04 2:02

No. When you can say that your troubles are worse than the sin that our Lord bore on the cross, who was sinless, taking on the wrath of the Father, if you can say that whatever it is you're going through is worse than what he's going through, I will shut up.

Gratitude That Fuels Holiness

SPEAKER_04 2:25

Which means baptism.

SPEAKER_06 2:30

Nothing can even compare to that at all.

SPEAKER_04 2:35

That's right. That's right. And so we recognize that every spiritual blessing has come through God's sovereign mercy and gratitude. The gratitude that we have should be a powerful motive for holiness in the pursuit of it. The Christian does not represent himself to God as a slave that is seeking a slave wages, but we should see ourselves as one that has been rescued from death and lovingly restored to life. We have been made partakers of that first resurrection.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Y'all, you need to understand this. You need to understand this.

SPEAKER_04 3:38

And so Paul's repeated command to yield your members as instruments of righteousness unto God, it shows and puts an emphasis on the practical holiness that we need to be pursuing and putting into action. Righteousness is not just an inward disposition, but it's an inward disposition that acts outwardly, that expresses itself, it expresses itself outwardly. And every member, every faculty in our being is to be actively employed and deployed in God's service as God's service, because of that gratitude. The mind where we meditate on his promises, and the hands that perform works that are pleasing to him. And sanctification should take part of our entire being. And there should be no area in our being that is exempt from God's claim. Give sin and Satan and the world, give it nothing. Don't let it take you down. Don't let it take you down. The last verse.

Sin Shall Not Have Dominion

SPEAKER_04 5:16

Verse 14. For sin. See this, Meg.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Yeah, look how big it is.

SPEAKER_04 5:29

I'm sorry, y'all. I had to get my sister. Meg sent me this thing. I tried to get her not to, but I told her I was half blind, so she sent me this thing so I can see with bigger context. So if you see me looking away, it's because I can I can't read my own writing unless I blow it up.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Yeah, you didn't send me a picture, by the way.

SPEAKER_04 5:47

Well, I just so I just showed you the real thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

I'm glad. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 5:53

All right. All right, all right. So let me get through this last verse for you guys. In verse 14, Paul says, after telling us about yielding our members as instruments or weapons of righteousness unto God, he tells us in verse 14, and this is the last verse for tonight. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For you all are not under the law, but are under grace. This verse provides a tremendous, tremendous comfort to us, a tremendous encouragement. And it supports all of the preceding commands that he gave us up to this point. He says, Listen, for sin shall not have dominion over you. He's telling this to people who are Christians. Anybody tell me what the biggest word in this verse is. Dominion. I take it a step further. I take it. Sin shall, I should have said two words.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Shall not.

SPEAKER_04 7:21

Shall not. Sin, right, Terry, sin shall not have dominion over you. So after all this talk that he gives us about yielding our members one way and not the other way, he then tells us to do these things because sin shall not have dominion over you. Why? Because you are not under the law but are under grace. So he's telling you, fight and don't flee. He's telling you to fight. The victory is already yours. Sin will not have dominion. He's giving you a promise. Sin shall not have dominion over you, which should be the overriding comfort and encouragement for every Christian.

Why Salvation Cannot Be Lost

SPEAKER_04 8:28

This is why all of these liars that are on this platform and other social media platforms and in pulpits who tell you that you can lose your salvation, they are lying to you. Believe me, when I was writing my notes on this, there were some people whose names I wanted to call out, but I'm trying to be nice these days as I get older. But there's a lot of people, and the majority of the people, the majority of the people that you will hear in pulpits and any social media platforms, they will tell you that you can lose your salvation if you don't continue abiding by the law. What does Paul say? Sin shall not have dominion over you. And then he tells you why. Because you are not under the law. So why do these clowns are always telling people that you need to do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do?

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Tells us they want to spy out our liberty we have in Christ. That's what the problem is.

SPEAKER_04 9:37

They do. We are under grace.

SPEAKER_09 9:43

Aren't we gonna be under law or grace? Which one? Law or grace?

SPEAKER_04 9:48

And see, sister, you said it. Because you have these lawkeepers, and here's what I say's what I say to all these lawkeeper people that always like to brag about how they keep the law. You need to understand something.

SPEAKER_09 10:01

Not one of them keep it. Not one of them.

SPEAKER_04 10:03

No, not one. Not one of them keep it. Not a single one. And the idea of believing that you are already a Christian, washed in the blood of Christ, having your sin imputed to him, and having his righteousness imputed to you, and then still believing that the only way your salvation is complete is by your own works to law, is an affront on the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, both in his death and in his resurrection. You are saying that there's some part of what he has done for us was not complete. Either he didn't wash away all the sin, or he didn't impute to you all of his righteousness. And so if you are one of these people, these lawkeeper people, if you are under the law, then you are not under grace. And therefore, sin remains and holds his dominion over you. Amen. Amen. This is not primarily an exhortation, but this is a promise. You are under grace, Christians. And because you are under grace, that means and assumes you have been, you have died with Christ, planted together with him, have been made alive. And so what Paul is telling you, act like it. If you've been made alive, act like it. If you're under grace, act like it. Because you are invincible until our Lord comes and calls you to go home. Amen. Paul here does not say that sin ought not to have dominion, but that it shall not have dominion. Not that it will have, not that it, not that it won't have dominion if you continue on the ro on on obeying legal laws. No, he's telling you before, while you still have so much life ahead of you, he's telling you that sin shall have no dominion over you whatsoever. You are not under the law. Not under it.

Under Law Or Under Grace

SPEAKER_04 12:24

This the the the certainty rests not upon human determination, but upon divine grace.

SPEAKER_09 12:37

Those who are under the law will walk in it. They're under a curse. They'll live by it. They will live by it, and they're under a curse. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 12:48

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_09 12:50

God is guaranteeing Jesus became a curse for us.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 12:56

God Himself guarantees the ultimate defeat of sin's ruling power over the believer. The struggle may be intense, progress may often seem slow to many of us, but the outcome is assured because it depends upon God's purpose and Christ's triumph over Christ's triumph rather than human strength. Has nothing to do with you or I. We were weak and impotent to the point of death. We were actually dead. Dead people make no decisions. No decisions. And this is what we need to understand, brothers and sisters. We need to understand that. And so it becomes hard. Can somebody let Brother Aaron up? I don't know how to do it. Let Brother Aaron Patrick up. And so and so this promise here doesn't just, it doesn't imply, it doesn't imply sinless perfection in this present life. We're not saying that we're we're sinless. We're not saying that. Scripture consistently teaches us that believers continue in this battle against indwelling sin and corruption. And this will happen until the day we die. But what the promise, what the promise is dealing with is dominion. Sin no longer has dominion over us, it no longer rules over us. I'm trying, Brother Patrick. I don't I'm not I'm not seeing how I could do it. Let's see here. Brother Aaron.

SPEAKER_03 14:51

Okay. All right, Brother Aaron, if you got an invitation, uh respond to it, Aaron.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

I don't think he requested up. I think he says, light him up, Jonathan. That's what he said in the comments.

SPEAKER_04 15:04

Oh, he did. I'm sorry. See, that's why I gotta have this. So I can see.

SPEAKER_06 15:12

Glasses on.

SPEAKER_04 15:15

So anyway, so Paul's pointing out that sin remains. Sin, listen, this is this is sin in our life, everybody. It remains, it remains an enemy in our lives, but it is no longer our king. And this is what we need to understand. Sin may harass and tempt us, and it may wound us, and it may grieve the believer, but it can never reclaim the throne in your heart. It can never do that again. It's over. That's a victory that Christ has already established and shown us by his resurrection. Shown us this. And every genuine, every true, genuine believer may therefore take comfort that however fierce the conflict is, the reign of sin in your life and mine has ended. Has ended. It's over. And Paul is saying, act like it. Act like it. The reason for this assurance is given in this in the concluding statement. Look what he says here. For you are not under the law, but under grace. Notice how clear he makes this. Because what he's saying is that there's only two places you could be, one of two places. You can either be under the law or you are under grace, leaving no room for an admixture of the two, no matter how slight. No matter how slight. You cannot fully be under grace and be partially under the law. You cannot partially be under grace and partially under the law. You cannot be fully under grace and fully under law. So it's either one or the other. You are either under law or you're under grace. And anybody who says that they are a Christian, but that the maintenance of their Christian and the security of the completion of their salvation is based on works they do in accord with the law, these are not God's people.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

These are not his people.

SPEAKER_04 18:06

These who stand ten toes down on this notion that their salvation is a combination of the work of Christ and a combination of work that they add, these are not the Lord's children. I'm sorry, they're not.

What The Law Cannot Do

SPEAKER_04 18:24

Being under the law refers to standing beneath its condemning authority and covenantal demands as a means of obtaining righteousness before God.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

The law.

SPEAKER_04 18:59

It was intended to be a revealer of the sin that is in us. It was intended to arouse sin in us. It was intended to awaken us to the sinfulness of sin. That was the point. That was its very purpose. Paul tells us this in this very book. We've already covered it. It reveals sin, it exposes guilt, and it pronounces condemnation. But it does not impart the power that is necessary for obedience to God and acceptance and reconciliation to God through the death of Christ. If the law could do any of those things, there would not have been a need for Christ to come in the first place.

SPEAKER_09 19:46

It separates the sheep from the goats.

SPEAKER_04 19:49

Right. It does. It does. I'm so excited about that. I have a heart attack right here. I'm so excited right now.

SPEAKER_09 19:59

It separates faith from works.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

It does. Left under the law, fallen humanity remains both condemned and enslaved. So to be under grace, however, is to stand within the realm of God's saving favor, which is only made manifest in Christ. We are under grace. Paul, in Romans 6 through 8, this is the overwhelming thing he is trying to convey. Being under grace makes us in Christ's kingdom. We're not in that world anymore. We're not governed by the rules of the old world, the kingdom of darkness. We have been translated out of that kingdom into the kingdom of the Lord's dear Son, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of Christ. These are all synonymous terms. It just depends on who's saying it. He's saying that you have been, you who were kidnapped, as it were, from the from the terror of sin and death. Christ has come and rescued us from that and brought us home where we belong. We're not over there anymore. Stop acting as those who have Stockholm syndrome. You've been set free. You've been liberated by the gospel of Christ. Grace accomplishes what the law could never achieve. It doesn't abolish God's moral standard, but what does it do? It produces the obedience that the law demands. And that's only possible because of the impudent righteousness of Christ to us. Our lives have been transformed. And our victory over sin rests not upon a legal standing or legal striving for that matter, but upon the effective operation of God's sovereign divine grace, unmerited through and through, beginning to end. And these verses here, they present both the duty and confidence of the Christian life that we all should have and be made aware of. We have a duty, and we should be confident in the fact that we shall accomplish what he has assigned to us as his servants. Those who are motivated and moved by gratitude and love for him. We are commanded to resist sin, to refuse his claim. And we need to devote ourselves entirely to God. And yet these commands are surrounded by gospel assurances through and through. I love this verse. For sin shall not. Because the salvation can be lost for a person who has been truly washed in the blood of Christ, which is impossible. How can Paul say that sin shall not have dominion over you? We need to get this in our minds and in our hearts.

Fighting Sin From Victory

SPEAKER_04 24:22

No. We fight against sin as those who have already been liberated. Not as condemned criminal seeking acquittal. But we are as those who have already been justified. We are not as those who are defeated slaves struggling for victory. But we are as those whose victory whose victorious king has already secured the final triumph. Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ for his victory over death and sin and Satan. And for imputing to us his righteousness that gives us the victory over all those things so that we can be certain and know with absolute confidence that sin shall not have dominion over us.

Closing Reflections From The Group

SPEAKER_04 25:28

That's all I've got tonight. That's it. For now, your last words. Your last word for tonight.

SPEAKER_08 25:39

Man, it's been really this has been a good one, Jonathan. Because it's hard to enlighten me sometimes. But you definitely did.

SPEAKER_02 25:47

All right, I'm glad.

SPEAKER_08 25:49

You know, yeah, me too. Because, you know, I don't think about things like that sometimes. My mind doesn't go there. So when you bring something up, I love it. You know, but yeah, it's been really good, you know. And and I think that I've been so aggravated. I'm gonna put that word in there. I've been so aggravated. And after this, I'm like up. I'm I'm just up. And I I love that because God does not want us to be aggravated. No, never does. But we have to go through the chastisement sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

That's right.

SPEAKER_08 26:21

And so, you know, I just I love this. I just I'm just I'm in glory right now as much as I can be. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 26:30

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 26:31

I love it. I love it. I'm with you. My heart rate is going beating pretty fast, my stellar sister. I mean, it it's it it feels good tonight. It feels good tonight.

SPEAKER_08 26:39

I mean, I really I fell asleep, and that's why I wasn't on here early. I fell asleep because I've been so exhausted.

SPEAKER_06 26:45

Right.

SPEAKER_08 26:46

And but you know, I you get on for a reason. Bobby called me and she goes, Are you are you up? Johnson's on. So, you know, thank God for my sister, you know, because I would have missed it all, and it was great.

SPEAKER_03 27:00

You know, so God bless you and Baby.

SPEAKER_08 27:03

God bless everybody.

SPEAKER_04 27:04

All right, Sister Terry, last word for tonight.

SPEAKER_09 27:10

Well, it was just a wonderful night, and we have all been partakers of the first resurrection. We have all died with him and we have been born again. Right. Resurrected out of our death.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

Right.

SPEAKER_09 27:29

This is something I never had, I never understood. I never and I just can't thank you enough for this.

SPEAKER_04 27:35

Oh, thank you, Silver.

SPEAKER_09 27:36

What a blessing.

SPEAKER_04 27:38

It it truly is. When you when it when it lands, when it hits the heart and you see it.

SPEAKER_09 27:42

I just I just speak a blessing over you, Jonathan, and I thank God for you, and I pray in the name of Jesus that he continues to fill you with his truth. And that and that and that fervent desire in you just continues to grow. In Jesus' name.

unknown 28:00

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 28:01

I take that, sister. I take it, I take that. I'll take that all day long, sister. I really do. Sister Candy, your last word for tonight.

SPEAKER_07 28:16

Thanks. Thanks.

SPEAKER_03 28:18

It's hard, it's hard to hear you.

SPEAKER_04 28:25

It's it's really it's really kind of muscle.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

Just go ahead. We'll try and hear you. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_07 28:35

All praise and honor and glory to God for the message that you give, that you bring. No matter what we're going through in our own lives, He always sends the right message at the right time for the right purpose, for the right reason. We're in that right season.

SPEAKER_04 28:55

Amen, sister. Thanks. Amen. You got it. Anytime, sister, anytime. Sister Lisa, last word.

SPEAKER_05 29:04

Well, I just thank you so much. This was an excellent study again tonight. So much revealed. Again, I I stand in agreement with Terry's prayer over you. You know, keep on keep on giving us God's word. And it just was so good. And I'll just say the last thing is we got to remember, guys, we walk in the victory of Christ already. You know, when we're feeling like we're attacked and we're the, you know, stand in victory. This is a good thing, you know. Count it all joy.

SPEAKER_07 29:38

Yep.

SPEAKER_05 29:38

So God bless everybody, and I love y'all, and I'm so grateful for you. Thank you for everything.

SPEAKER_03 29:43

Thank you very much, sister. Appreciate that. Good word. Yeah, it it's it's good.

SPEAKER_04 29:50

Sister Mariah, last word.

SPEAKER_00 29:54

Yeah, I mean, it's really just putting in perspective to me, like you're you can be dead in Adam or reckon yourself dead in Christ and resurrected. I I guess this is so simple, but I never just put two and two together that you know we're walking around here one of two ways: either dead in our sins and our trespasses or crucified with Christ. And and I don't know how many people don't want to be crucified and counted as reckoning ourselves dead in Christ, that we may be alive in Him also. But I I guess when you ponder on that, man, I I guess when we were dead in our sins and trespasses, the Bible says that we were free from doing that which was righteous. And now that we are dead, uh dead to sin, we can freely do righteous things. So, I mean, the comparison, I don't think that this is drawn out enough for people to really comprehend how deep and really the identity in which we hold, you know, either we are unrighteous or righteous in Christ. So this was a great study.

SPEAKER_03 31:17

Yeah, yeah, you guys you guys make it fun to do, and and we all benefit from it, you know, and it's the Lord's work and it's his doing, and and and you can always, you know, you know, there there hasn't been a time where we've done this where you you don't sense his presence here, at least not for me anyway.

SPEAKER_04 31:36

And uh I'm grateful for it, and I'm grateful for all of you, you know, who who are willing to devote so much time to to to these these studies because they're they're good. They're good for us all. They're good for us all, and they bless us all. Sister Meg, if you want my last word and closing this out, that'd be great.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

Amen. I I think we did get some I think we did get some dominion back because sin shall not have dominion over us, but now we have dominion over it because we are free in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he is the kinsman, redeemer, the one who redeemed, he bought us back at a high price, and we are dead in Christ. We are dead at that cross, nailed, and now we're alive in Christ. So glory to God. It's it's awesome. Let's definitely, let's definitely pray.

Prayer For Freedom And Assurance

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord God, I just thank you so much for the liberty, Lord God, that you have brought to each and every one of us through your Son, Heavenly Father. Lord God, I thank you that when we read your word every single time, Lord, it just gives us this freedom, this assurance. And it's merely by your grace, Lord God, that any of us are ever here, Lord, but we just glorify you and we just we we just magnify you, Father. We just, I, you know, sometimes, Lord, I'm just at a loss for words because when I we truly get into your word and these things are seeked out, I still, Lord God, cannot comprehend just your grace and your mercy, God. Sometimes that's just so hard because I know that you are it. We look at ourselves so much as we know that we're unworthy and we know there's there's none not righteous, no but one, but thankful, think thankful to your son. Lord, we are now righteous and we have been justified. And I thank you so much for everything that you're doing, and then through each and every was any every one of us, Heavenly Father. And Lord God, I ask that you just continue to build us up all in the body of Christ. Lord, I thank you for Jonathan. I thank you for bringing his your word. Heavenly Father, I ask that you just continually bless him, Lord God. I ask that you just continue to strengthen him in all areas, keep him healthy, Lord God, keep his pep and his step, Lord, so that every time he comes on here to teach us, Heavenly Father, that we are all grace, not only with your word, but with your promises, Heavenly Father, that you will never leave us nor forsake us. I pray for every single person in this room, Lord God. I ask that you just all allow them to sleep well tonight, Lord God, wake up in the joy of your glory as we continue to focus our eyes on you, Lord God, and not the world, because you have truly made us a peculiar people, one that glorifies you and worships you, one that seeks all things that are in you first, one that glorifies you with the most glory that we can possibly give you, Heavenly Father, in this body that we're still unfortunately attached to. And Lord God, I just magnify you. I love you, Lord. I love you more than my next breath. And if you ever took it, Father, I know that I would be with you because you are my strong tower as you are all of us. And I thank you in Jesus' mighty, mighty, mighty name.

SPEAKER_08 35:08

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. You ain't never at a loss for words.

SPEAKER_01 35:14

No, that's true. She never stumbled over him tonight. I was like, hold on. And I'm gonna tell you why. Because my dog is in the background lopping water, and it threw me off because I was getting upset.

SPEAKER_08 35:26

Well, he gave me the words, he always does.

SPEAKER_01 35:29

Glory to God. Yeah.

Final Blessing And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_04 35:32

Well, freedom, freedom working in Carla. Thank you for being with us tonight. And the beginning of a new me. Thank you for being here. Cindy as usual, Jess as usual, so many people. Mac, just thank you guys for I'd like to acknowledge some of you people that are always in the chat. And all I don't always get to, but I'm so grateful that all of you spend so much time with us. And I guess it it it overwhelms me on a daily basis that so many people come back and spend so much time with us every night. And that just it just blows me away. You know, two and a half hours, you know, uh of of fellowship around God's Word and people stay and hang out. So it's a blessing. I feel so honored to be amongst all of you guys. So God bless you all. Have a good night, good evening. Oh no, and uh and may you wake up with uh with with a renewed joy and vigor, knowing that sin shall not have dominion over you.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Amen. Yes. And every time you say Mac and I see him, the first thing that pops into my head is return of the Mac every single time. I know y'all have heard it. If you haven't, Jonathan, I'll send you the song.

SPEAKER_04 36:43

I know the song, I know the song. But uh, all right, everybody. You guys have a great night until tomorrow. God bless you all.

SPEAKER_01 36:51

Each and every one of you.

SPEAKER_04 36:53

All right.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

God bless you guys.