Romans 6:20
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Romans 6:20 (KJV)
Context
The book of Romans, written by the Apostle Paul, is a letter addressed to the Christian community in Rome. In this passage, Paul is explaining how believers are set free from the power of sin through faith in Jesus Christ. In Romans 6, he has been showing that believers have been united with Christ through baptism, symbolizing their identification with His death and resurrection. Through this union, believers are freed from sin’s dominion and granted the power to live a new life in Christ.
Meaning
Paul is addressing the believers’ past life before coming to faith in Christ. Prior to their salvation, they were enslaved to sin, living in disobedience to God’s commands. Sin held power over their lives, dictating their thoughts, desires, and actions. This phrase reminds us of the bondage and spiritual darkness from which we have been delivered by God’s grace.
The phrase “ye were free from righteousness” can seem paradoxical. Paul is emphasizing that while the believers were in the grip of sin, they were not pursuing righteousness. Sin and righteousness are contrasting forces. When we are under sin’s dominion, we cannot live in righteousness. This does not mean they were free from the demands of God’s law, but that they were not under the influence of righteousness, not desirous of it, and averse to it. Sin inhibits our ability to live in accordance with God’s standards of righteousness and holiness.
The verse highlights the radical transformation that takes place in the life of a believer. Though they were once slaves to sin, their newfound freedom in Christ breaks the power of sin and enables them to pursue righteousness. Through faith in Jesus, believers receive the Holy Spirit who empowers them to live in obedience to God’s will, producing the fruit of righteousness in their lives. Since they were once wholly devoted to sin, they ought now to be equally devoted to righteousness, having become servants of God.
Biblical connections
This verse is part of Paul’s larger argument about the believer’s complete change of allegiance. In verse 18, Paul states that believers, having been made free from sin, became servants of righteousness. The following verse (Romans 6:21) reinforces this by asking what fruit they had then in things they are now ashamed of, noting that the end of those things is death. The contrast is completed in verse 22, which states that now, being made free from sin and become servants to God, they have their fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life.
Application
Romans 6:20 serves as a reminder to believers of their former state and the grace that has set them free. It encourages us to live in the reality of our new identity in Christ, no longer being enslaved to sin but choosing to pursue righteousness. As Christians, we are called to live out our freedom in Christ, allowing His transforming power to manifest in our daily lives.
Romans 6:20 reminds us of our past bondage to sin and our current freedom in Christ.
It encourages us to embrace our new identity as followers of Jesus and to live in pursuit of righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection
The verse calls us to consider the totality of our change in Christ. Before salvation, we were entirely devoted to sin and unaffected by righteousness. Now, having been made free from sin and become servants of God, we have our fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. This total change in allegiance is only possible through the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
