Romans 5:20-21 NASB [20] The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, [21] so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. …
Romans 6:14 NASB , For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Just as sin reigns in death, grace reigns through righteousness. Sin reigns through spiritual death and ultimately eternal separation from God in the physical death for the lost. The antidote to sin is not trying to behave better, but the antidote to sin is grace, which reigns in righteousness. Grace has a face, and that face is Jesus Christ. In verse 14 of chapter 6, Paul says that sin is no longer master over us because we are no longer under the law (man’s best effort to be godly), but we are under grace, which manifests the righteousness of the life of Christ in us. The power of sin is the law because the harder you try, out of zealous, sincere effort, to live a life of righteousness, the harder you will fall; but grace brings the best effort of Christ to live his righteous life through us, resulting in our experiencing the wonders of eternal life, which is the life that Jesus lives in the heavenly places lived out in and through us. Our part is to, by faith, simply celebrate His grace working in our lives. Holiness and righteousness are a person, and that person is Jesus, and he offers to live his righteous life in us moment by moment as a free gift of grace. A righteous life is the result of grace reigning and that life. Moment-by-moment trusting, not moment-by-moment striving, allows grace to reign through righteousness.