Romans 6:20

Romans 6:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
• New Living Translation (NLT)When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.

Context of Romans 6:20

18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Romans 6:20 word by word

ὅτε γὰρ δοῦλοι ἦτε τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐλεύθεροι ἦτε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whenὅτεhote ho te hē te tō te · whenG3753
• ye wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the servantsδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
• of sinὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• of sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• freeἐλεύθεροςeleutheros · free/freedomG1658
• from righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343

Cross-references for Romans 6:20

• Romans 6:16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?
• John 8:34Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Commentaries on Romans 6:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Ye were free from righteousness - These two servitudes are incompatible; if we cannot serve God and Mammon, surely we cannot serve Christ and Satan. We must be either sinners or saints; God's servants or the devil's slaves. It cannot be as a good mistaken man has endeavored to sing: - "To good and evil equal bent, I'm both a devil and a saint." I know not whether it be possible to paint the utter prevalence of sin in stronger colors than the apostle does…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Ye were free from righteousness - That is, in your former state, you were not at all under the influence of righteousness. You were entirely devoted to sin; a strong expression of total depravity. It settles the question; and proves that they had no native goodness. The argument which is implied here rather than expressed is, that now they ought to be equally free from sin, since they had become released from their former bondage, and had become the…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
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20free from the obligation to righteousness (literally free from righteousness): Paul means either that unbelievers feel no obligation to obey God or that they are unable to do so. But the freedom that they boast of actually makes them slaves to sin.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. For when ye were the servants--"were servants" of Sin, ye were free from--rather, "in respect of" Righteousness--Difficulties have been made about this clause where none exist. The import of it seems clearly to be this:--"Since no servant can serve two masters, much less where their interests come into deadly collision, and each demands the whole man, so, while ye were in the service of Sin ye were in no proper sense the servants of Righteousness, and…Read the comment

Topics related to Romans 6:20

• Depravity of Man
• Holiness
• Regeneration
• Righteous
• Righteousness
• 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