John Calvin Commentary Romans 6:14

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace." — Romans 6:14 (ASV)

For sin shall not rule over you, etc. It is not necessary to continue long in repeating and refuting interpretations, which have little or no appearance of truth. There is one which has more probability in its favor than the rest, and it is this—that by law we are to understand the letter of the law, which cannot renew the soul, and by grace, the grace of the Spirit, by which we are freed from depraved desires. But this I do not fully approve of; for if we take this meaning, what is the purpose of the question which immediately follows, “Shall we sin because we are not under the law?” Certainly, the Apostle would never have asked this question if he had not understood that we are freed from the strictness of the law, so that God no longer deals with us according to the strict demands of justice. Then there is no doubt that he meant here to indicate some freedom from the very law of God. But setting aside controversy, I will briefly explain my view.

It seems to me that a special consolation is offered here, by which the faithful are to be strengthened, so that they do not faint in their pursuit of holiness from an awareness of their own weakness. He had exhorted them to devote all their abilities to the service of righteousness; but as they carry about them the remnants of the flesh, they cannot help but walk somewhat lamely.

Therefore, to prevent them from being broken down by an awareness of their weakness and desponding, he timely comes to their aid by offering a consolation derived from this fact: their works are not now tested by the strict rule of the law, but God, forgiving their impurity, kindly and mercifully accepts them.

The yoke of the law cannot help but tear and bruise those who carry it. It therefore follows that the faithful must flee to Christ and implore him to be the defender of their freedom. And as such he presents himself; for he endured the bondage of the law, to which he himself owed nothing, for this purpose—that he might, as the Apostle says, redeem those who were under the law.

Therefore, not to be under the law means not only that we are not under the letter which prescribes what makes us guilty, since we are not able to perform it, but also that we are no longer subject to the law as requiring perfect righteousness and pronouncing death on all who deviate from it in any way. Likewise, by the word grace, we are to understand both parts of redemption—the forgiveness of sins, by which God imputes righteousness to us, and the sanctification of the Spirit, by whom he forms us anew for good works. The adversative particle, [ἀλλὰ, but,] I understand as giving a reason, which is often the case; as if it were said—“We who are under grace are not, for that reason, under the law.”

The meaning is now clear. The Apostle intended to comfort us, so that we are not wearied in our minds while striving to do what is right, because we still find many imperfections in ourselves. For however much we may be harassed by the stings of sin, it still cannot overcome us, because we are enabled to conquer it by the Spirit of God. And then, being under grace, we are freed from the rigorous requirements of the law.

We must further understand that the Apostle takes it for granted that all who are without the grace of God, being bound under the yoke of the law, are under condemnation. And so, on the other hand, we may conclude that as long as they are under the law, they are subject to the dominion of sin.