Sin's power is rooted in its promise of satisfaction. You're compelled to a one night stand because it promises quick joy without the hard work of a committed relationship. You're drawn to gossip about your ex-spouse because it promises the instant gratification of revenge. You're tempted to be greedy and not give to the poor because it affords you the comfort of buying more for yourself.
We sin not out of duty but out of hope for happiness. (We wouldn't sin if we didn't think we stood to gain something by sinning.) In other words, sin's power is in its promise of happiness.
Sin, which leads to death (Romans 6:16), will continue to enslave us as long as we believe that sin provides greater joy than righteousness, which leads to life.
In contrast to sin, God promises us much greater joy and satisfaction in him than in sin. When we receive Christ and are born again, our eyes are opened and our desires transformed. In Christ, we are dead to sin; in other words, sin is no longer our master (Romans 6:1-10). In short, the power of sin's promises is broken by the power of God—namely, God's promise of satisfaction, life, and joy in him. All that God promises to be for us in Jesus stands against what sin promises to be for us without him.
Rom 6:16 - Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness.
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