Romans 6:20 - For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
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What does "Romans 6:20" mean?
Romans 6:20, "For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness," is a key statement in Paul's argument about the implications of being united with Christ. To understand it, we need to consider the context of the chapter.
Context: Romans 6 as a Whole: Paul is addressing the question of whether Christians should continue to sin since grace abounds. His resounding answer is no. He argues that baptism symbolizes our death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness.
Key Concepts:
Servant/Slave (δοῦλος, doulos): This is a strong term denoting ownership and complete obedience. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. There's no neutrality.
Sin: Not just individual acts, but a powerful force that controls us and leads to death.
Righteousness: A state of being in right standing with God, characterized by obedience and holiness.
Breaking Down the Verse:
"For when you were servants of sin..." This refers to the time before conversion, when the readers were not believers in Christ. Their lives were governed by sinful desires and actions.
"...you were free in regard to righteousness." This is the crucial point. Before coming to Christ, they felt no constraint to be righteous. Righteousness had no claim on their lives. They could do as they pleased without any sense of obligation to God's standards. They were not bound by, nor interested in, righteous behavior. They felt no pangs of conscience about not living righteously. Righteousness held no power over them. They were liberated from any perceived need to obey God's commands.
Meaning and Implications:
No Neutral Ground: The verse highlights that there's no neutral ground. If you're not serving righteousness, you're serving sin, and vice versa.
False Freedom: The "freedom" from righteousness is presented ironically. It's not true freedom at all because it leads to destruction and death.
The Nature of Sin: The verse reveals that sin is a form of bondage. It dictates our actions, and we are compelled to obey its demands.
Transformation in Christ: Paul uses this as a springboard to emphasize the radical transformation that occurs when we become Christians. We are now free from sin's dominion and bound to righteousness.
Paraphrase: "Think back to when you were slaves of sin. At that time, you didn't feel obligated to live righteously. You were free to ignore righteousness altogether. But that's no way to live."
Contrast:
Old Life: Free from righteousness, slave to sin, leading to death.
New Life: Free from sin, slave to righteousness, leading to eternal life.
In essence, Paul is saying that before Christ, we were not struggling with how to be righteous; we simply didn't care. We were free to disregard righteousness. Now, we have been set free from that false freedom and willingly choose to serve God and live righteously. He uses this contrast to drive home the point that continuing in sin after receiving God's grace is illogical and inconsistent with the new reality that believers now inhabit. We have been liberated from sin to serve a far greater master -- righteousness!
Romans 6:20 - For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
What does "Romans 6:20" mean?
Romans 6:20, "For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness," is a key statement in Paul's argument about the implications of being united with Christ. To understand it, we need to consider the context of the chapter.
Context: Romans 6 as a Whole: Paul is addressing the question of whether Christians should continue to sin since grace abounds. His resounding answer is no. He argues that baptism symbolizes our death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness.
Key Concepts:
Servant/Slave (δοῦλος, doulos): This is a strong term denoting ownership and complete obedience. We are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. There's no neutrality.
Sin: Not just individual acts, but a powerful force that controls us and leads to death.
Righteousness: A state of being in right standing with God, characterized by obedience and holiness.
Breaking Down the Verse:
"For when you were servants of sin..." This refers to the time before conversion, when the readers were not believers in Christ. Their lives were governed by sinful desires and actions.
"...you were free in regard to righteousness." This is the crucial point. Before coming to Christ, they felt no constraint to be righteous. Righteousness had no claim on their lives. They could do as they pleased without any sense of obligation to God's standards. They were not bound by, nor interested in, righteous behavior. They felt no pangs of conscience about not living righteously. Righteousness held no power over them. They were liberated from any perceived need to obey God's commands.
Meaning and Implications:
No Neutral Ground: The verse highlights that there's no neutral ground. If you're not serving righteousness, you're serving sin, and vice versa.
False Freedom: The "freedom" from righteousness is presented ironically. It's not true freedom at all because it leads to destruction and death.
The Nature of Sin: The verse reveals that sin is a form of bondage. It dictates our actions, and we are compelled to obey its demands.
Transformation in Christ: Paul uses this as a springboard to emphasize the radical transformation that occurs when we become Christians. We are now free from sin's dominion and bound to righteousness.
Paraphrase: "Think back to when you were slaves of sin. At that time, you didn't feel obligated to live righteously. You were free to ignore righteousness altogether. But that's no way to live."
Contrast:
Old Life: Free from righteousness, slave to sin, leading to death.
New Life: Free from sin, slave to righteousness, leading to eternal life.
In essence, Paul is saying that before Christ, we were not struggling with how to be righteous; we simply didn't care. We were free to disregard righteousness. Now, we have been set free from that false freedom and willingly choose to serve God and live righteously. He uses this contrast to drive home the point that continuing in sin after receiving God's grace is illogical and inconsistent with the new reality that believers now inhabit. We have been liberated from sin to serve a far greater master -- righteousness!