In Christ I Am Free from Sin’s Power
Sin’s mastery broken; a new Master claimed
Part 13 of 17 Series — What being “in Christ” personally means to
you
Romans 6:18 — “And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
Opening Reflection
Many believers know they have been forgiven yet still feel mastered by sin. The same temptation returns, the same habit reasserts itself, the same defeat repeats. Effort and resolution rise and fall, leaving a quiet suspicion that real freedom is theoretical. Scripture answers this with a different category: in Christ, sin’s power has been broken — and the believer is called to live in the freedom that is already theirs.
Taking a Devotional View
Romans 6 builds on what is already true positionally: the believer’s old self was crucified with Christ, and the body of sin no longer holds its old mastery (Romans 6:6). Verse 18 names the result: “having been set free from sin, [you] have become slaves of righteousness.” Paul’s language is deliberate. Freedom in Christ is not autonomy, as if the believer were now their own master; it is a transfer from one rule to another. The believer has been moved from sin’s household into God’s, and the title deed has been signed. Sin’s claim is no longer legal. It can still tempt, but it cannot demand.
This is the indicative that grounds the imperative. In verse 11 Paul says, “reckon yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” — the daily exercise of agreeing with what is already true. In verse 12 he says, “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” — refusing the old master’s voice as if its claim still stood. Real freedom is not the absence of temptation but the presence of an alternative: the believer can refuse sin in the strength of a Master who actually owns them. Habits and patterns still take time to retrain, but they no longer carry the weight of inevitability. The believer is not trying to escape sin’s house; they are learning to live in the new one (Romans 6:11-14; Galatians 5:1).
Key Thoughts & Takeaways
Key Thoughts
- In Christ, sin’s mastery has been broken; the believer has been transferred from sin’s household to God’s (Romans 6:18; Romans 6:6).
- Daily freedom is exercised by reckoning oneself dead to sin and alive to God — agreeing with what is already true (Romans 6:11).
- Temptation can still come, but it no longer carries legal authority; the believer refuses sin in the strength of the new Master (Romans 6:12-14; Galatians 5:1).
Ask Yourself
- Which sin or pattern am I treating as inevitable when its mastery has actually been broken in Christ?
- Where do I need to exercise the daily reckoning of Romans 6:11 today?
- In what specific moment will I refuse sin’s voice this week, on the strength of the Master who already owns me?
Lord Jesus, thank You that in You sin’s mastery has been broken and I have been set free to belong to You. Forgive the days I have lived as if its claim still stood. Teach me to reckon myself dead to sin and alive to God, and strengthen me to refuse what no longer rules me. Let the freedom You purchased shape the way I walk through this day. In Your name I pray, Amen.