³³ They answered him, ^(A)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(B)everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin.

⁶ No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; ^(A)no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷ Little children, ^(B)let no one deceive you. ^(C)Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ^8 (D)Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was ^(E)to destroy the works of the devil.

¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves ^(A)to anyone as obedient slaves,^[a] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But ^(B)thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the ^(C)standard of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and, ^(D)having been set free from sin, ^(E)have become slaves of righteousness.

¹⁷ Now the Lord^[a] is the Spirit, and where ^(A)the Spirit of the Lord is, there is ^(B)freedom.

¹⁹ They promise them ^(A)freedom, ^(B)but they themselves are slaves^[a] of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.