Paul writes in Romans 6:12–13:
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 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.”
At first glance, it can sound like Paul is giving us an impossible task: “Don’t let sin reign.” But when we look at the context of Romans 6, he is not putting us back under law or effort. He is reminding us of a reality that has already taken place through the cross.
Before Salvation: Slaves of Sin
Before salvation, sin ruled. Paul says we were “slaves of sin” (Romans 6:17). The body was the instrument through which sin expressed itself (Romans 7:5).
- We couldn’t help living from our self. (Read what it means here).
- Sin had dominion because we were still in Adam.
- Every part of us was under its influence.
Sin wasn’t just something we occasionally did; it was the master we lived under.
After Salvation: The Body of Sin Rendered Powerless
Through union with Christ in His death, that “body of sin” was “done away with” (Romans 6:6). The Greek word καταργηθῇ (katargēthē) means rendered powerless, inactivated, deprived of its force.
This doesn’t mean the physical body disappeared or became perfect. It means sin no longer has legal authority to rule over us. The old slave-master has been dethroned.
Now the body is not “the body of sin” but “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). Stop undermining the body, but use it as instruments of glory (Also read Believers Don’t have a sinful body: N.T. Wright’s take on flesh).
Paul’s Command: Not Effort, but Remembrance
So when Paul says, “Do not let sin reign,” he is not saying, “Work hard to keep sin down.” He is saying:
- Remember sin’s reign is finished.
- Don’t give it room, because it no longer has the right to control you.
- Present yourself to God as one already alive from the dead.
It’s not about suppressing sin in your own strength. It’s about recognizing that sin has been disarmed and Christ now reigns.
The Role of the Unrenewed Mind
Even though sin’s reign is broken, we can still experience its pull through an unrenewed mind, which is the flesh. Paul says in Ephesians 2:3that before Christ we lived by “indulging in the desires of the flesh and of the mind.”
An Old Testament Picture: Jehoshaphat and Ahab
Think of King Jehoshaphat in 1 Kings 22. He was not enslaved to Ahab, but by choice he let Ahab influence him. He joined himself to a king who had no authority over him.
That’s what it looks like when a believer “lets sin reign.” Sin doesn’t have ownership anymore — but if we yield our minds and bodies to it, we can live as though it still does.
Conclusion: Live Free as God’s Instrument
The message of Romans 6 is not “Try harder.” It is: “Remember who you are.”
- Before Christ: sin reigned, and we were powerless.
- In Christ: the body of sin is rendered powerless, and we are alive to God.
- Now: we present our bodies, not as slaves of sin, but as instruments of righteousness.
The Christian life is not about suppressing sin but about enjoying the freedom that Jesus has already secured. Sin is no longer master. Christ is.
Leave a Reply