Romans 6:18

Romans 6:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
• New International Version (NIV)You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Context of Romans 6:18

16Remember this: When you agree to serve someone as a slave, you have to obey that person as your master. You may choose to serve sin as your master. If you do that, you will die. Or you may choose to obey God. If you do that, you will live in a way that is right. 17At one time, you were slaves to sin. But then you received God's true message, and you were happy to obey it. I thank God because of that! As a result, God has made you free from the power of sin. You are now like slaves who serve everything that is right and good. 19It is difficult for you to understand these things, because you are still weak. So I am using a human picture of slaves to help you to understand better. At one time, you agreed to serve bad things as your master. You let your body do wrong and disgusting things. You continued to do more and more bad things. So now, you must use your body to serve what is right and good. Then you will do more and more good things which show that you belong to God. 20When you were slaves to sin, you did not even have to think about what was right and good.

Romans 6:18 word by word

Ἐλευθερωθέντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐδουλώθητε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Beingἐλευθερόωeleutheroō · to set freeG1659
• thenδέde · thenG1161
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• sinὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• ye became the servantsδουλόωdouloō · to enslaveG1402
• of righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343

Cross-references for Romans 6:18

• Romans 6:14Sin will no longer have authority over you. You do not have a new life because you obey the Law which God gave to Moses. You have a new life because God is very kind to you.
• Psalms 116:16Lord, I really am your servant. I am like a slave in your house. You have saved me from death.
• Psalms 119:32I want to obey your commands all the time. Help me to understand them more and more.
• Luke 1:74God said, “I will keep you safe from your enemies. Then you can serve me and not be afraid.
• John 8:32Then you will know what is true. And that will make you free.’
• 1 Corinthians 7:21You may have been a slave when God called you. That does not matter. But if you have the chance to become a free person, accept it.
• Galatians 5:1Christ has made us free so that we can be really free! So be strong and do not turn back. Do not let yourselves become slaves to the Jewish rules again.
• 1 Peter 2:16You are free people. But you are servants of God. So do not think, ‘Because I am free, I can do any bad thing that I want to do.’
• Romans 6:19It is difficult for you to understand these things, because you are still weak. So I am using a human picture of slaves to help you to understand better. At one time, you agreed to serve bad things as your master. You let your body do wrong and disgusting things. You continued to do more and more bad things. So now, you must use your body to serve what is right and good. Then you will do more and more good things which show that you belong to God.
• Isaiah 26:13Lord, our God, other lords have ruled over us. But you are the only one that we worship.
• Isaiah 54:17But nobody can make a weapon that will beat you, when your enemies attack you. If people accuse you of bad things, you will show that they are wrong. That is what the Lord will do as a gift for his servants. Yes, I will show that they are right.’ That is what the Lord says.

Commentaries on Romans 6:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Being then made free from sin - is a term that refers to the manumission of a slave. They were redeemed from the slavery of sin, and became the servants of righteousness. Here is another prosopopoeia: both sin and righteousness are personified: sin can enjoin no good and profitable work; righteousness can require none that is unjust or injurious.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18“Being then made free from sin.” That is, as a master. You are not under its dominion; you are no longer its slaves. They were made free, as a servant is who is set at liberty, and who is, therefore, no longer under obligation to obey. Ye became the servants … - You became voluntarily under the dominion of righteousness; you yielded yourselves to it; and are therefore bound to be holy; compare the note at John 8:32.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-20Verses 16-20 Every man is the servant of the master to whose commands he yields himself; whether it be the sinful dispositions of his heart, in actions which lead to death, or the new and spiritual obedience implanted by regeneration. The apostle rejoiced now they obeyed from the heart the gospel, into which they were delivered as into a mould. As the same metal becomes a new vessel, when melted and recast in another mould, so the believer has become a…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. Being then--"And being"; it is the continuation and conclusion of the preceding sentence; not a new one. made free from Sin, ye became the servants of--"servants to" Righteousness--The case is one of emancipation from entire servitude to one Master to entire servitude to another, whose property we are (see on Ro 1:1). There is no middle state of personal independence; for which we were never made, and to which we have no claim. When we would not that…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 6:18

• Holiness
• Regeneration
• Righteous
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Destroy
• Fruit
• Newness
• Obey
• Reign
• Wages
• Works, Good
• Baptismal Regeneration
• Bible, the
• Canon of the New Testament

Commentaries on Romans 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings