Freedom from Sin and Victory over Sin:

Biblical Order, Language, Faith, and Spiritual Consequences

Jinu Ninan

Preface

Many struggles in Christian life arise not from denying biblical truth, but from misreading its order. This is especially true when freedom from sin and victory over sin are confused. Though often used interchangeably, they are not the same, and Scripture assigns them a clear order and foundation.

The New Testament presents freedom from sin as a completed reality secured through Christ’s death and resurrection, while victory over sin flows as the outworking of that freedom in a life abiding in Christ. Yet, when victory is taught as a goal to be achieved rather than the fruit of freedom already received, sincere believers are often left with pressure and guilt.

This article seeks to clarify the biblical order: freedom is received first by faith, and victory follows through abiding faith. Grasping this truth anchors holiness in grace and frees believers to live in confidence, joy, and the transforming power of Christ’s finished work.

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Understanding the Scriptural Order: Freedom First, Victory Follows

The New Testament presents freedom from sin and victory over sin as related realities, but it is essential to understand their biblical order, language, and basis. Scripture does not present victory as the means to freedom; rather, it consistently presents freedom from sin as an accomplished reality, from which any experiential victory flows.

Equally important, Scripture makes clear that both freedom and victory are grounded in faith—not self-effort. Freedom is received through an act of faith in Christ’s finished work, and victory is lived out through an ongoing attitude of faith, expressed as abiding dependence on Christ.

Failure to maintain this order and foundation results not only in theological confusion but also in serious spiritual and psychological consequences for believers.

Freedom from Sin as an Accomplished Reality Received by Faith

Romans 6 establishes the foundational truth that the believer’s relationship to sin was decisively altered at the Cross:

*“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”*¹

Here, Paul does not describe an ongoing process to be achieved but a completed act grounded in union with Christ’s death. The verb tense is decisive and historical: “was crucified.” On this basis, Scripture makes categorical declarations:

*“He who has died has been freed from sin.”*²
*“But now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God…”*³

Freedom from sin, therefore, is not a future promise contingent upon moral success, discipline, or sustained effort. It is a present status, received through participation in Christ’s death by faith.

Jesus Himself framed salvation using the same category of freedom:

*“Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin… therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”*⁴

In John 8, freedom is not portrayed as something progressively achieved through struggle, but as something granted by the Son and received through believing (John 8:30–32). The emphasis is ontological and relational, not behavioral. One moves from slavery to freedom by divine action apprehended by faith, not by human effort.

At the Cross, Christ did more than bear the penalty of sins committed. He dealt with the source of sin itself—the sinful nature, the “old man.” When the old man was crucified with Christ, believers were not merely forgiven; they were liberated. Scripture consistently describes this liberation as something already received:

“He who has died has been freed from sin” (Rom 6:7)
“Now having been set free from sin” (Rom 6:22)

This freedom is received the same way salvation itself is received—by faith:

*“By grace you have been saved through faith… not of works.”*⁵

Thus, freedom from sin is through an act of faith: believing God’s declaration concerning what has already been accomplished in Christ. It is known, reckoned, and embraced—not produced.

This emphasis is especially pronounced in Romans 6 and John 8, where freedom from sin is presented as a central gospel reality.

Victory over Sin as a Derivative Reality Lived by Abiding Faith

By contrast, the phrase “victory over sin” is rarely used in Scripture and never functions as the primary category for describing the believer’s relationship to sin.

Victory over sin is therefore not the process by which freedom is obtained. Rather, it is the fruit and expression of freedom already given. Where freedom from sin is clearly known, believed, and where the believer abides in Christ; victory follows—not as self-generated moral success, but as the outworking of Christ’s life within the believer through the Holy Spirit:

*“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”*⁹

Importantly, Scripture presents victory as the result of abiding faith, not intensified effort. Jesus Himself defines victorious living in relational terms:

*“Abide in Me, and I in you… apart from Me you can do nothing.”*⁷

Victory, therefore, is not achieved by merely striving against sin, but by remaining in Christ, trusting His life to express itself through the believer. This aligns with Paul’s description of Christian living:

*“The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”*⁸

The New Testament speaks of victory primarily in reference to:

• Christ’s victory over death, the world, and demonic powers¹⁰
• Faith overcoming the world¹¹
• God giving victory through Jesus Christ¹²

Notably, Scripture states:

*“This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”*¹¹

Therefore, Biblically, freedom from sin is received through an act of faith in the finished work of Christ on the Cross (Rom 6:6–7). Victory over sin is lived out through an ongoing attitude of faith—abiding in Christ and looking unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (John 15:4–5; Heb 12:2).

 

Victory over sin is not a spiritual status achieved through repeated effort or moral striving; it flows from abiding trust in Christ’s life and sufficiency (Gal 2:20), rather than from self-generated holiness.

 

What is often called “victory over sin” is therefore the outworking of freedom already received, not the means of obtaining freedom or acceptance with God.

Theological Reversal: From Faith to Self-Effort

When this biblical order is reversed—when believers are taught that they must achieve victory in order to become free—the Christian life subtly shifts:

• from faith to striving
• from resting in Christ’s finished work to attempting to complete it through discipline
• from Spirit-dependence to self-effort

Paul’s instruction in Romans 6 is not “strive to become free,” but:

*“Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”*¹³

Reckoning is an act of faith, not a work of effort. Likewise, the New Testament never commands believers to become free from sin; it calls them to know, believe, reckon, and stand in the freedom they already possess (Rom 6:11; Gal 5:1).

Freedom is received by faith.
Victory is lived out by abiding faith.
Neither is produced by self-effort.

Psychological pressure as an aftereffect of overemphasis on victory to be achieved, detachment from freedom already received

In many holiness-oriented spiritual movements, a persistent emphasis on victory over sin—when detached from the New Testament teaching on freedom from sin already received by faith in Christ (Romans 6:6)—frequently produces unintended psychological consequences.

Rather than grounding believers in the finished work of Christ and calling them to faith-filled rest and abiding, victory is framed as a spiritual state that must be continually achieved, maintained, and demonstrated.

Over time, this theological framing generates significant internal pressure. Believers increasingly engage in chronic self-monitoring, scrutinizing thoughts, emotions, and doubts for signs of spiritual failure. Faith is subtly replaced by performance, and authentic struggle gives way to image management and self-condemnation.

This environment commonly produces persistent guilt and shame over ordinary human weakness, fear of exposure when struggles are admitted, and emotional suppression in which psychological distress is spiritualized rather than pastorally addressed. As the gap widens between promised victory and lived experience, anxiety and exhaustion are often misinterpreted as evidence of spiritual growth.

When freedom is under-taught and victory is over-emphasized—especially when both are detached from faith—believers strive for what Scripture says has already been received. Spiritual life becomes performance-oriented rather than faith-filled and Spirit-led.

This stands in clear tension with the New Testament witness. Romans 6–8 presents freedom from sin as an accomplished reality, accessed and lived out by faith, and sustained by the Spirit rather than human effort. ¹⁴ Spiritual growth is described as a process (Phil 3:12–14), rooted in grace rather than fear (Gal 5:1).

 

Freedom and Victory: A Comparison

Aspect	Freedom from Sin	Victory over Sin
Nature	Positional Change: Our status and standing before God.	Practical Experience: The reality we experience in daily life.
Timing	Accomplished through Christ’s finished work on the cross.	A continuous process that unfolds in daily life.
Foundation	The Death of Christ: Our "old self" was crucified with Him.	The Life of Christ: The resurrected Christ dwelling within us.
The Believer’s Role	One-time Faith: To know the truth, believe it, and reckon it as true.	Ongoing Faith: Abiding in Christ and walking in obedience to the Spirit.

Freedom is the foundation upon which we stand; it is where the Christian life begins. Victory is the path we walk by standing firm on that foundation. Simply put, Christ set us free (Freedom) so that we may live triumphantly (Victory).

Key Scriptures

The following Bible passages help deepen our understanding of these truths:

1. Freedom: A Reality Already Completed in Christ

These verses confirm the believer’s current status and standing in Christ:

• Romans 6:6-7: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
• Romans 6:22: "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
• John 8:36: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
• Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

2. Victory: Spiritual Fruit Through Abiding in Christ

These verses clarify how the freedom we have received is manifested practically in our lives:

• 1 John 5:4: "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
• 1 Corinthians 15:57: "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
• Romans 8:37: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
• John 15:5: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Concluding Summary

Scripture consistently teaches freedom from sin as a finished work of Christ, frequently and explicitly (Romans 6; John 8), received through an act of faith.

Victory over sin, where the concept appears, is always derivative—the lived expression of freedom through an abiding attitude of faith, never its cause.

Where this biblical order and faith foundation are preserved, believers grow in grace, assurance, transformation, and genuinely experience victory over sin.

Where they are reversed, spiritual life becomes burdensome, psychologically oppressive, and detached from the liberating power of the gospel.

Footnotes & Scripture References

1. Romans 6:6
2. Romans 6:7
3. Romans 6:22
4. John 8:34–36
5. Ephesians 2:8–9
6. Romans 6:18; Galatians 5:1; Colossians 1:13–14; Hebrews 2:14–15
7. John 15:4–5
8. Galatians 2:20
9. Romans 8:2
10. Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14
11. 1 John 5:4–5
12. 1 Corinthians 15:57
13. Romans 6:11
14. Romans 6:6–14; Romans 8:1–4