Yesterday we faced the truth about the flesh through Job’s confession. Today we turn to Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, who gives the clearest doctrine for believers today:
while the flesh remains present, its dominion has been broken.
The believer does not stand under Law or condemnation, but under the steady, securing grace of God.
Good morning. Today’s Bible verse is Romans 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
In today’s verse, Paul gives the clearest doctrinal perspective for this conflict. In his epistles, he explains the old man, the flesh, and the believer’s new identity in Christ, showing us the grace by which we stand and the Spirit-empowered walk by which we live.
The phrase “shall not have dominion” is not a possibility but a settled truth. Once a person has believed the gospel of grace, that person is not, nor ever shall be, under the domination of sin—freedom now and freedom forever.
The flesh has not changed, but grace has changed the believer.
Those who trust in Christ still possess the sin nature. Charles Spurgeon once observed in his sermon, “Indwelling Sin,” that “There still dwells in the regenerate the lusts of the flesh.” While Spurgeon did not write from a Pauline dispensational framework, his observation describes the continuing presence of indwelling sin, a truth Paul explains with doctrinal clarity.
The flesh remains present,
but its dominion is broken.
The believer’s victory over sin does not come through observance of the Law, self-reform, or fleshly resolve. It comes through knowing our identification with Christ, reckoning ourselves dead indeed to sin, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit under grace.
Dear brothers and sisters, the world, the flesh, and the devil are arrayed against us, but do not give up hope. The old man still seeks to use our bodies, yet sin’s hold has been broken.
You do not have to fulfill the lust of the flesh. By grace, you can say no to sin and yes to God. Paul wrote of this struggle and victory in Romans 6 and 7, and that truth steadies us in the ongoing battle with sin.
Grace does not deny the conflict.
Grace teaches us how to stand in it.
When you sin, do not run from God in despair. Come to Him,
confess your sin with humility and honesty,
resting in the truth that the One who called you
and saved you is faithful to keep you.
Your standing in Christ is secure.
The struggle is real.
But the victory is already won.
One day, it will be fully realized.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ro 6:14.
Meditation:
Father, thank You for the grace that not only saves me from judgment to come, but also teaches me how to understand the ongoing conflict with the flesh.
Reflection Question:
Am I viewing my struggle with sin through condemnation, or through the finished victory God has given me in Christ?