Romans 6:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Before the coming of Christ, our body was easily accessible to sin. After death, a great multitude of passions entered it, and therefore it became exceedingly incapable of walking the path of virtue.

There was not yet the helping Spirit, nor baptism able to mortify. Like an unbridled horse, the body ran and often sinned, because the law prescribed what must be done and what must not be done, but gave the combatants nothing beyond verbal exhortation.

When Christ appeared, the struggle became easier. Therefore, since we have received a share in greater help, more difficult contests have also been appointed for us.

For this reason Christ said: "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt 5:20).

The Apostle speaks of this more clearly later, but here he briefly hints at it. He shows that if we do not submit too much to sin, it will not overcome us.

For not only the law commands, but also grace. Grace has forgiven what came before and strengthens for what is to come. The law promised crowns after labors. Grace first crowned us, and then called us to contests.

In my opinion, however, he does not mean here the whole life of the believer. Rather, he makes a comparison between baptism and the law, about which he says elsewhere that "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor 3:6).

The law exposes transgression, but grace frees us from it. As the law, by exposing, reveals sin, so grace, by forgiving, does not allow one to remain under sin.

Thus you are freed from the authority of sin in two respects. First, you are not under law. Second, you make use of grace.

For he does not submit to the desire of sin, though lusts still entice and incite him to give consent. This continues until his flesh is regenerated and death is swallowed up in victory (1 Cor 15:54).

When we do not yield to evil thoughts, we remain under grace, and sin does not reign in our mortal body. On the other hand, the one over whom sin has dominion, even if he wishes to resist sin, is still under law and not yet under grace.

Grace causes sin not to have dominion over you. Therefore do not trust in yourself, lest sin enslave you even more.

There each one will receive according to what he has done while living in the body, whether good or evil. That is, each will receive recompense for all deeds committed through the body.

"He who is born anew in Christ" is already without sin. "The old has passed away"; we have washed away the former life. "Behold, the new has come": chastity instead of fornication, self-control instead of dissoluteness, righteousness instead of lawlessness.

"For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What communion has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? What part has a believer with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols?"

"Having such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

"For nature does not wage the struggle alone, but has the assisting grace of the Spirit. You are not under law, but under grace. Before grace, the law only taught what one must do, but gave no help to those who received the law. Grace, together with legislation, also gives assistance. Therefore the legislation of grace is more perfect than the law, because by its help it removes the difficulty" (blessed Theodoret).

"Before the coming of Christ, our body was subject to sin. After the fall, a numerous swarm of passions covered it, and it became exceedingly incapable of walking the path of virtue. There was not yet the helping Spirit, nor baptism able to mortify sin. Like an unbridled horse, it ran and often turned aside from the proper path. For the law prescribed what to do and what not to do, but apart from verbal promises it gave the combatants not the slightest help. After the coming of Christ, the struggle became easier. Giving commandments belongs not only to the law, but also to grace, which forgives the past and strengthens for the future" (St. Chrysostom).

Yet such an advantage belongs to the state under grace not in some mechanical way, but through strengthening the morally free decisions of the will.

Sin dulls the feeling for good by taking away its sweetness. The one who sins knows one sweetness, that which comes from sin. He does not know the sweetness that comes from good.

Therefore, when the sinful impulse is aroused, the sweetness of sin is also aroused, inclining the will. In this case the will has nothing on which to rest, so as to prefer good to sin.

It cannot leave the first and incline to the second, because there is no feeling of the sweetness of good. Grace gives this feeling in the first act of turning from sin to virtue.

In this first act, grace gives the heart to taste the sweetness of good with the whole feeling. This tasting then serves as the basis for decisions of the will.

Thus the will rejects sin and undertakes good whenever the struggle between sin and good is kindled within. Such a disposition belongs to the baptized by the very essence of being endowed with grace.

Before baptism, sin lives in the heart, while grace acts from outside, calling one to good. After baptism, grace begins to dwell in the heart, while sin acts from outside by tempting.

See Diadochus in the Philokalia, chapter 80 and following. As a city belongs to the one who sits in the fortress, so after baptism governing authority over us belongs to grace with the love of good, not to sin.

Sin no longer has dominion. It only strives to take possession again.