Romans 6:14

"In Romans 6:1-11 the Apostle has shown what it means to be united to Christ; in Romans 6:12-13 he has shown the consequences and made his appeal to the believer; and now in Romans 6:14 he assures us of the Divine provision for the complete fulfillment of these exhortations." [Note: Griffith Thomas, St. Paul’s Epistle . . ., p. 171.]

The apostle concluded this section of his argument with a word of encouragement. Sin will no longer master the believer. The basic reason for this is that we are not under the Mosaic Law as the authority under which we live but under grace. Satan can no longer use the Law to hinder the believer’s progress (cf. Romans 3:23). God has redeemed us, not by the Law but by grace. We now live under that authority. Paul dealt with the tension this situation creates for the believer in chapter 7.

Usually "grace" refers to the principle by which God operates. Yet it also describes the sphere in which the believer lives, as here (cf. Romans 5:2), as "the Law" describes the old realm. "Under grace" is not, however, a condition in which we are free from any responsibility (cf. Matthew 11:28-30; Titus 2:11-12), as Paul proceeded to clarify in Romans 6:15-23. Neither was there no grace under the Mosaic Law.

"Romans 6 is the classic biblical text on the importance of relating the ’indicative’ of what God has done for us with the ’imperative’ of what we are to do. Paul stresses that we must actualize in daily experience the freedom from sin’s lordship (cf. Romans 6:14 a) that is ours ’in Christ Jesus.’" [Note: Moo, pp. 390-91.]