Romans 6:15-23
J.B. Phillips New Testament
The new service completely ousts the old
15-21 Now, what shall we do? Shall we go on sinning because we have no Law to condemn us any more, but are living under grace? Never! Just think what it would mean. You belong to the power which you choose to obey, whether you choose sin, whose reward is death, or God, obedience to whom means the reward of righteousness. Thank God that you, who were at one time the servants of sin, honestly responded to the impact of Christ’s teaching when you came under its influence. Then, released from the service of sin, you entered the service of righteousness. (I use an everyday illustration because human nature grasps truth more readily that way.) In the past you voluntarily gave your bodies to the service of vice and wickedness—for the purpose of becoming wicked. So, now, give yourselves to the service of righteousness—for the purpose of becoming really good. For when you were employed by sin you owed no duty to righteousness. Yet what sort of harvest did you reap from those things that today you blush to remember? In the long run those things mean one thing only—death.
22 But now that you are employed by God, you owe no duty to sin, and you reap the fruit of being made righteous, while at the end of the road there is life for evermore.
23 Sin pays its servants: the wage is death. But God gives to those who serve him: his free gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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Romans 6:15-23
New American Standard Bible
15 What then? (A)Are we to sin because we are not under [a]the Law but under grace? [b](B)Far from it! 16 Do you not (C)know that the one to whom you present yourselves as (D)slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of (E)sin [c]resulting in death, or of obedience [d]resulting in righteousness? 17 But (F)thanks be to God that [e]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that [f](G)form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and after being (H)freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness. 19 (I)I am speaking [g]in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just (J)as you presented [h]the parts of your body as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, [i]resulting in further lawlessness, so now present [j]your body’s parts as slaves to righteousness, [k]resulting in sanctification.
20 For (K)when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness. 21 Therefore what [l](L)benefit were you then [m]deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is (M)death. 22 But now having been (N)freed from sin and (O)enslaved to God, you [n]derive your [o](P)benefit, [p]resulting in sanctification, and (Q)the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of (R)sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is (S)eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 6:15 Or law
- Romans 6:15 Lit May it never happen!
- Romans 6:16 Lit to death
- Romans 6:16 Lit to righteousness
- Romans 6:17 Lit you were slaves...but you became
- Romans 6:17 Or pattern
- Romans 6:19 I.e., reluctantly using slavery as an analogy
- Romans 6:19 Lit your parts as
- Romans 6:19 Lit to lawlessness
- Romans 6:19 Lit your parts as
- Romans 6:19 Lit to sanctification
- Romans 6:21 Lit fruit
- Romans 6:21 Lit having
- Romans 6:22 Lit have
- Romans 6:22 Lit fruit
- Romans 6:22 Lit to sanctification
The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by Permission.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
