Romans 6:12 (KJV)

Passage

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Nearby Context

Romans 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "reign", "mortal", "body", "should", "obey", "lusts", and "thereof". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "reign", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be..." into verse 13's "Neither yield ye your members as instruments...", so "therefore" and "reign" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "reign" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.