From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?(A) Absolutely not!(B) 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[a] as obedient slaves,(C) you are slaves of that one you obey(D)—either of sin leading to death(E) or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,(F) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching to which you were handed[b] over,(G) 18 and having been set free from sin,(H) you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy(I) because of the weakness of your flesh.[c] For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.

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Footnotes

  1. 6:16 Lit that to whom you offer yourselves
  2. 6:17 Or entrusted
  3. 6:19 Or your human nature

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

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