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The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves[a] as obedient slaves,[b] you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?[c] 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed[d] from the heart that pattern[e] of teaching you were entrusted to, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.)[f] For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 6:16 tn Grk “to whom you present yourselves.”
  2. Romans 6:16 tn Grk “as slaves for obedience.” See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.
  3. Romans 6:16 tn Grk “either of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.”
  4. Romans 6:17 tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”
  5. Romans 6:17 tn Or “type, form.”
  6. Romans 6:19 tn Or “because of your natural limitations” (NRSV). sn Verse 19 forms something of a parenthetical comment in Paul’s argument.

15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be! 16 Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered. 18 Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification.

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