Romans Chapter 6 · Verse 14
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Original Language Analysis
γάρ
For
G1063
γάρ
For
Strong's:
G1063
Word #:
2 of 13
properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)
γάρ
For
G1063
γάρ
For
Strong's:
G1063
Word #:
7 of 13
properly, assigning a reason (used in argument, explanation or intensification; often with other particles)
ὑπὸ
under
G5259
ὑπὸ
under
Strong's:
G5259
Word #:
9 of 13
under, i.e., (with the genitive case) of place (beneath), or with verbs (the agency or means, through); (with the accusative case) of place (whither (
νόμον
the law
G3551
νόμον
the law
Strong's:
G3551
Word #:
10 of 13
law (through the idea of prescriptive usage), genitive case (regulation), specially, (of moses (including the volume); also of the gospel), or figurat
ἀλλ'
but
G235
ἀλλ'
but
Strong's:
G235
Word #:
11 of 13
properly, other things, i.e., (adverbially) contrariwise (in many relations)
Cross References
Romans 8:2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.Galatians 5:18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.Hebrews 8:10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:Romans 6:12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.John 1:17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.John 8:36If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.Romans 8:12Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.Matthew 1:21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.Galatians 3:23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.Romans 11:6And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Historical Context
Jewish Christians struggled with the law's role post-Messiah. The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) debated Gentile circumcision; Paul consistently taught that covenant identity comes through faith in Christ, not law-keeping. 'Under law' meant under the Mosaic covenant's jurisdiction—both its promises and curses. Roman legal system also operated jurisdictionally; Paul's metaphor of changing jurisdictions (from law to grace) would resonate. Grace (charis) in Greco-Roman culture meant patron-client favor; Paul transforms this: God's grace isn't quid pro quo but freely given, enabling transformed life.
Questions for Reflection
- How does understanding that you're 'not under law but under grace' affect your battle with habitual sin?
- Where might you be living as though still 'under law,' trying to earn righteousness rather than living from grace?
- What does 'sin shall not have dominion over you' mean practically when you still experience temptation and failure?
Analysis & Commentary
For sin shall not have dominion over you—hamartia gar hymōn ou kyrieusei (ἁμαρτία γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐ κυριεύσει). The future kyrieusei (κυριεύσει, shall lord over, exercise mastery) contains assurance: sin's tyranny is broken and will not reassert itself because of believers' new position. This isn't prediction but promise based on the reality Paul has expounded. The verb kyrieuō (κυριεύω) indicates total mastery, lordship—sin no longer has legal authority over those justified in Christ.
For ye are not under the law, but under grace—ou gar este hypo nomon alla hypo charin (οὐ γὰρ ἐστε ὑπὸ νόμον ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ χάριν). The prepositional phrase hypo (ὑπό, under) indicates dominion, jurisdiction. Believers have changed jurisdictions: from under law (which condemns but cannot empower) to under grace (which justifies and empowers). This doesn't mean lawlessness but new covenant empowerment. The law's jurisdiction ended at death (Romans 7:1-6); believers died in Christ, escaping law's condemnation and entering grace's realm where the Spirit enables obedience. Paul's logic: law-keeping for righteousness produces sin's dominion (because law reveals but doesn't remedy sin); grace-reliance breaks sin's dominion by providing both forgiveness and the Spirit's power.