Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? (A)Are we to sin (B)because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves (C)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 (D)thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the (E)standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, (F)having been set free from sin, (G)have become slaves of righteousness. 19 (H)I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For (I)just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members (J)as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 6:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; twice in this verse; also verses 17, 19 (twice), 20

Freedom from sin

15 So what? Should we sin because we aren’t under Law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, that you are slaves of the one whom you obey? That’s true whether you serve as slaves of sin, which leads to death, or as slaves of the kind of obedience that leads to righteousness. 17 But thank God that although you used to be slaves of sin, you gave wholehearted obedience to the teaching that was handed down to you, which provides a pattern. 18 Now that you have been set free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. 19 (I’m speaking with ordinary metaphors because of your limitations.) Once, you offered the parts of your body to be used as slaves to impurity and to lawless behavior that leads to still more lawless behavior. Now, you should present the parts of your body as slaves to righteousness, which makes your lives holy.

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