Romans 6:18-19
and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights a crucial exchange: freedom from sin isn't an escape into nothingness, but a direct transfer into the willing service of righteousness. It's a shift from being enslaved to a destructive force to becoming a devoted follower of a life-giving one.
Paul is contrasting the dominion of sin with the freedom found in Christ. Having just explained that believers are no longer enslaved to sin because they are under God's grace and not the law, he now emphasizes that this freedom isn't a license to sin. Instead, it means they've transitioned from being unwilling slaves to sin to willingly becoming devoted servants of righteousness.
We often think freedom means doing whatever we want. But in God's economy, true freedom leads to a new, powerful kind of service.
Paul uses a powerful metaphor here: slavery. When we are 'made free from sin,' it doesn't mean we are suddenly free agents with no master. Instead, we've been liberated from one master – sin – only to willingly enter the service of another: righteousness.
Think of it like this: imagine being trapped in a terrible, abusive relationship (sin). Suddenly, someone powerful and loving steps in, breaks the chains, and sets you free. But this rescuer doesn't just leave you to wander aimlessly. They invite you into their household, into a life of purpose and belonging, becoming a servant in their good work.
This new 'servitude' to righteousness isn't a burden; it's the very expression of the freedom Christ has given us. It’s about aligning ourselves with God’s perfect will, which is always for our good and His glory.
Paul personifies 'righteousness' as a master. What does it mean for an abstract concept to be our 'Lord'?
It’s striking that Paul doesn’t just say 'you became righteous.' Instead, he says you became 'slaves of righteousness.' This isn’t just a grammatical flourish; it emphasizes that 'righteousness' here is treated as a person, a Lord who commands and directs.
This 'righteousness' isn't merely about not doing bad things. It represents God's own perfect character and His standard of justice, now made available to us through Christ. When we become slaves to righteousness, we align ourselves with God’s very nature and His kingdom's principles.
This new master, Righteousness, doesn't demand the impossible or the demeaning. Unlike sin, which enslaves and destroys, righteousness guides us into life, purpose, and holiness. It’s a service that is, as Augustine famously put it, 'perfect freedom.'
Understand the original words
eleutherothentes · Greek Verb/Participle
The state of having been released from the power, penalty, and dominion of a previous master (sin/death). In Christ, this freedom is not license to do as one pleases, but liberation to serve God.
mele · Greek Noun
Bodily organs or faculties; the physical body and its parts. In Romans, it refers to the instruments through which human life is expressed, whether toward sin or toward God.
akatharsia · Greek Noun
Moral uncleanness, defilement, or filthiness. It denotes a departure from God's moral purity, particularly regarding sexual immorality or general corruption of character.
anomian · Greek Noun
This passage echoes the same core idea, emphasizing that Christ's freedom is meant to set us free to live righteously, not to return to slavery.
Colossians 1:13-14It highlights God's act of rescuing us from the dominion of darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, which is where our new 'servitude' to righteousness truly belongs.
John 8:31-36Jesus directly addresses the concept of freedom, explaining that true freedom comes from Him and results in being His disciple, thereby aligning with the idea of becoming servants of righteousness.
1 Peter 2:16This verse warns against using freedom as a cloak for evil, reinforcing the understanding that our liberty in Christ is a call to live as servants of God.
henryRomans 6:16-20: "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
6:16-20 Every man is the servant of the master to whose commands he yields himself; whether it be the sinful dispositions of his heart, in actions which lead to death, or the new and spiritual obedience implanted by regeneration. The apostle rejoiced now they obeyed from the heart the gospel, into which they were de…
barnesRomans 6:18: "Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness."
"Being then made free from sin." That is, as a master. You are not under its dominion; you are no longer its slaves. They were made free, as a servant is who is set at liberty, and who is, therefore, no longer under obligation to obey. Ye became the servants ... - You became voluntarily under the dominion of righteousness; you yielded yourselves to it; and are therefore bound to be holy; compare the note at J…
This verse highlights a crucial exchange: freedom from sin isn't an escape into nothingness, but a direct transfer into the willing service of righteousness. It's a shift from being enslaved to a destructive force to becoming a devoted follower of a life-giving one.
Paul is contrasting the dominion of sin with the freedom found in Christ. Having just explained that believers are no longer enslaved to sin because they are under God's grace and not the law, he now emphasizes that this freedom isn't a license to sin. Instead, it means they've transitioned from being unwilling slaves to sin to willingly becoming devoted servants of righteousness.
Paul is contrasting the dominion of sin with the freedom found in Christ. Having just explained that believers are no longer enslaved to sin because they are under God's grace and not the law, he now emphasizes that this freedom isn't a license to sin. Instead, it means they've transitioned from being unwilling slaves to sin to willingly becoming devoted servants of righteousness.
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The state of being without law or against the law. It represents a life lived in contempt of God’s revealed moral standards, resulting in an escalating cycle of rebellion.
hagiasmon · Greek Noun
The process of being made holy or set apart for God's use. It involves the progressive work of the Holy Spirit in conforming the believer to the image of Christ in daily life.
"and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to mor…" — This verse highlights a crucial exchange: freedom from sin isn't an escape into nothingness, but a direct transfer into the willing service of righteousness. It's a shift from being enslaved to a des…
