Overview

1. Freedom from sin’s dominion comes by grace, not the law
2. The law exposes and stirs up sin, not restrains it
3. The trap of self-effort
4. Delivered from the law through Christ
5. Looking to Jesus brings true transformation

Freedom from sin’s dominion comes by grace, not the law

Many believers sincerely desire to live victorious lives. They long to overcome sin, break free from negative habits, and live lives that are pleasing to the Lord. Yet, like the apostle Paul described in Romans 7, they often find themselves caught in a frustrating cycle. The good they want to do, they do not practice, and what they hate, they end up doing.

So how do we walk in true freedom?

Romans 6:14 gives us a clear and powerful answer:

Pay close attention to what the verse is saying… Sin does not lose its dominion over you because you are trying harder or becoming more disciplined. It loses its dominion over you because you are no longer under law, but under grace.

This means that freedom from sin is not achieved through our self-effort, but flows from us receiving God’s grace and understanding where we stand before Him.

Today, those who have accepted what Christ has done for them at the cross and received Him as their Savior are under the new covenant of grace and brought near to God as His children. So what does it mean to come “under the new covenant of grace”?

Under the old covenant of law, God demanded righteousness from sinfully bankrupt man. The focus was on man—his effort, his performance, and his ability. Man had to do right to be blessed.

But grace is all about our heavenly Father’s undeserved favor and kindness toward us. Christ has done all the work, and the Father is now righteous and free to bless us, impart to us, and work in and through us, independent of our performance. Under grace, God provides righteousness as a gift. Our part is to freely receive all that the Father has for us.

Now, this does not mean that we are against the law. The law of God is holy and perfect. But the truth is, none of us can keep the law and be justified by it (Gal. 3:11). In the first place, God never intended for man to be justified by the law. He gave the law to reveal our inability to meet His standards, to expose our imperfections, and to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we would see our need for our Lord Jesus, our perfect Savior.

It is only when we come to the end of ourselves and receive God’s grace that we find the power to live the overcoming life.

The law exposes and stirs up sin, not restrains it

Yet, this is where many believers get stuck.

You see, to keep believers under the dominion of sin, the enemy’s strategy is not always to tempt us directly into sin, but also to turn our attention inward and keep us focused on ourselves. He’ll whisper subtle thoughts like: “What are you going to do about this? You need to fix this. You need to try harder.”

And before long, our entire perspective becomes centered on self—“I,” “me,” “myself.”

I believe this is something many of us can relate to. Our world today is filled with an “inflammation of I,” with lives consumed by self. And this self-occupation leads to many of our worries, fears, and anxieties. The more we look inward, the more we find ourselves stuck in the very struggles we want to get out of.

The Bible gives us the reason for this struggle in 1 Corinthians 15:56: “The strength of sin is the law.”

The law is holy, but it does not give you power over sin. Instead, it reveals your inability to not sin and stirs up the flesh.

This is exactly what we see in Romans 7, where Paul described how he genuinely wants to do good, yet finds himself unable to carry it out. The more he tries, the more he struggles. The more he focuses on what he must not do, the more that very thing seems to arise within him.

We see this also after the children of Israel had left Egypt. Before the law was given at Mount Sinai, God dealt with His people in grace. They were still sinners. They had not kept any commandments. Yet, God was always with them—providing for them, protecting them, leading them every step of the way.

He led them with the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. He provided manna from heaven, brought water from the rock, and preserved them in the wilderness. Even though they were far from perfect, His presence remained with them. He never told them to stay away or keep their distance. His goodness toward them was never dependent on their performance. He blessed them even in the midst of their weaknesses.

What a picture of pure grace! And this same grace is available to us today. The God who provided for Israel is the same God who provides for us—bringing healing, protection, provision, and supply in our lives, not because we deserve it, but because of His goodness.

The trap of self-effort

And here is where we see a fundamental problem.

Even though God wants to freely provide for us, there’s something in human nature that struggles with receiving His grace—we want to earn His blessings and deserve His goodness.

And that’s what happened at Mount Sinai.

Even before the Ten Commandments were given, the people declared, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do,” choosing to relate to God based on their own obedience (Exod. 19:8). And while Moses was still on the mountain receiving the commandments, they built a golden calf and began to worship it.

They had the gold all along, yet there was no desire to create an idol before. But once the law was given, sin stirred, and what was within them—the need to feel worthy of God’s goodness—manifested outwardly.

That’s why Romans 7 says,

That’s where many believers are today, unintentionally trapped in cycles of defeat because they think that the way out of sin, negative habits, and bondages lies in what they must do. They turn to online strategies, expert advice, and other such ways to improve or transform themselves. While these may have their place, true and lasting freedom does not come from doing more.

Even if you are not struggling with any sin, it is possible to start the day under grace, but find yourself slipping back into a law mindset as the day progresses, feeling that everything depends on you or is your responsibility.

For both these situations, true and lasting freedom comes from seeing that the answer is not found in oneself at all, but in another, in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Delivered from the law through Christ

In Romans 7:24, Paul reached the height of his struggle and cried out,

Notice the shift. From verses 7 to 23, he was focused on himself. But here, he was no longer asking what he should do; he was asking who would deliver him.

And the answer? “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

This is why what happened at the cross is so important. Scripture tells us that we have been delivered from the law through the body of Christ (Rom. 7:4).

Here, Paul described the old covenant as a marriage, and for that covenant relationship to end, there had to be a death. But such is the grace of our heavenly Father that He has provided even that death for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the cross, Jesus did not just die for you; He died as you. When He died, you died with Him. When He was buried, you were buried. And when He rose again, you rose with Him into new life (Rom. 6:2–4).

This means that today, you are no longer under the law nor its demands. You have been released and are now joined to another—Christ Himself. And because of this divine exchange, we no longer walk according to the flesh; we now walk according to the Spirit.

Looking to Jesus brings true transformation

“But I still fail…”

This is the honest struggle many believers have. Even after hearing about grace, we look at our lives and wonder how this can be true when we still fall short.

But look at what the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:1:

Friend, this is the foundation of your freedom.

Because as long as you stay occupied with yourself—your failures, shortcomings, and inability—or your self-efforts, you will remain stuck in cycles of defeat. But the journey to overcome sin begins when you receive this gift of no condemnation.

And why is there no condemnation? Because you are in Christ Jesus.

Today, God no longer sees you in yourself. He no longer relates to you based on your old self, but based on Christ. The Father sees you in Christ, who is found at His right hand. All that Christ is, you are.

This means your standing before your heavenly Father is not based on your performance, but on your position in Christ. You are fully accepted, completely loved, and perfectly righteous in His sight. And this is why it is in our vested interest to know our Jesus more and more, to behold Him, because the more we see Him, the more we understand who we are.

But what then do we do with our failures and daily frustrations?

Beloved, even when you mess up, it is important to understand that your failure does not define or affect your identity before God.

Romans 7:17–18 explained,

Make no mistake. This is not a cop out or a license to sin. Sin is destructive, and it has consequences. We are vehemently against sin. But the way out is to lay hold of and walk in our true identity in Christ today.

Often, when we fail, we become discouraged and disappointed with ourselves. But to be disappointed with ourselves is to have trusted in ourselves. It means we think there’s something in ourselves—some strength, some goodness, some ability—to get it right. But Scripture tells us plainly, in the flesh dwells no good thing. We were never meant to depend on ourselves.

A life of victory and true holiness comes as we behold Jesus. Because every time we turn our eyes back to Christ, we step out of self-effort and back into grace.

As you behold Him, the grip of sin loosens—not because you are trying harder, but because you’re transformed more and more into His likeness.

So beloved, stop looking at yourself and start looking to Jesus. The moment your focus shifts from self to Christ, you step into the reality of who you truly are, and you’ll find yourself freed from the dominion of sin.

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