Romans 6:20-21
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The verse highlights a profound, almost ironic freedom: when enslaved to sin, believers were “free in regard to righteousness." This doesn't mean righteousness was bad, but that their lives were completely disengaged from it; they had no obligation, no relationship, and no active pursuit of God's justice, making them truly independent of His righteous claims.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is reminding believers that their past life under sin's dominion was characterized by a freedom from righteousness. This isn't a good kind of freedom, but rather an enslavement where they were entirely disengaged from God's demands and claims. Now that they've been transferred to the service of righteousness, they should embrace this new reality, just as they were once completely bound to sin.
When you were ruled by sin, you were actually 'free' from something truly good. What does that chilling irony mean for you today?
Paul uses a sharp, ironic twist here. He tells believers that when they were enslaved to sin, they were 'free in regard to righteousness.' This isn't a good kind of freedom! It means that sin's dominion completely detached them from any connection to God's righteousness. They had no part in it, no obligation to it, and no desire for it. It was as if God's standard of right and wrong simply didn't exist for them. This was a 'freedom' that led only to destruction, a complete independence from the very thing that leads to life.
You can't serve two masters. Paul lays out the stark reality of who you belonged to before and who you belong to now. What does this choice truly cost and reward?
Paul’s argument hinges on the principle that everyone is a servant to the master they obey. Before, your master was sin. You willingly obeyed its desires, and its ultimate destination was death. Your 'freedom' from righteousness was just a symptom of being under sin's total control. Now, through Christ, you've been transferred! Your master is righteousness, and the obedience you give is from the heart. This isn't a burden, but a liberated service that leads to holiness and eternal life. It’s a profound exchange – trading the destructive wages of sin for the life-giving gift of God.
Understand the original words
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karpos · Greek Noun
In a biblical context, this refers to the outcome, result, or moral harvest produced by a person’s way of life and spiritual state. It reflects the evidence of one's inner character and relationship with God or sin.
thanatos · Greek Noun
A state of spiritual separation from God, originating in the fall of man. It encompasses physical demise, spiritual alienation, and ultimate eternal separation from God's presence as a result of transgression.
This foundational promise of a coming Redeemer sets the stage for the ongoing battle between sin and righteousness, foreshadowing Christ's victory.
Jeremiah 13:23This passage powerfully illustrates the deep-seated nature of sin, echoing Paul's point that enslaved people don't easily change their masters or habits.
Luke 16:13Jesus' declaration that no one can serve two masters directly supports Paul's argument that a person is either devoted to sin or to God.
Colossians 1:21This verse describes the spiritual transformation that occurs when one turns from sin, highlighting the stark contrast between former enslavement and new allegiance to God.
1 Peter 4:3Peter describes the former life of unbelievers as a time when they followed 'the desires of the Gentiles,' mirroring Paul's description of being 'free from righteousness' in service to sin.
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…
cambridgeRomans 6:20: "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness."
20 . For when , &c.] This verse enforces the exhortation just given, by reminding the Christian that once he was emphatically not the “bond-servant of righteousness.” free from righteousness ] Lit. free unto righteousness ; i.e. with respect to it, both as to its mercy and as to its consequent claim. There is here a deep and solemn irony, (if we may venture the word), which has some parallel in 1 Peter 4:3 ; q…
The verse highlights a profound, almost ironic freedom: when enslaved to sin, believers were “free in regard to righteousness." This doesn't mean righteousness was bad, but that their lives were completely disengaged from it; they had no obligation, no relationship, and no active pursuit of God's justice, making them truly independent of His righteous claims.
Paul is reminding believers that their past life under sin's dominion was characterized by a freedom from righteousness. This isn't a good kind of freedom, but rather an enslavement where they were entirely disengaged from God's demands and claims. Now that they've been transferred to the service of righteousness, they should embrace this new reality, just as they were once completely bound to sin.
Paul is reminding believers that their past life under sin's dominion was characterized by a freedom from righteousness. This isn't a good kind of freedom, but rather an enslavement where they were entirely disengaged from God's demands and claims. Now that they've been transferred to the service of righteousness, they should embrace this new reality, just as they were once completely bound to sin.
"For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." — The verse highlights a profound, almost ironic freedom: when enslaved to sin, believers were “free in regard to righteousness." This doesn't mean righteousness was bad, but that their lives were comp…
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Last reviewed October 2026
