“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 more
Romans 6:15-18. What then are we to infer? Shall we sin Go on in our transgressions; because we are not under the law Under the law of Moses, or any mere legal dispensation which forbids sin, but gives no strength against it; but under grace A dispensation perfectly the reverse, offering pardon to the most guilty, holiness to the most depraved, and strength to the most weak and helpless! God forbid That we should draw any inference so odious and destructive. Know ye not Is it... read more
6:1-8:39 THE WAY OF HOLINESS (SANCTIFICATION)Having spoken about justification by faith (how believers can be put right with God), Paul goes on to speak about sanctification by faith (how believers can live lives of practical holiness). In some of the other New Testament writings, ‘sanctify’ means ‘declare holy’, in much the same way as ‘justify’ means ‘declare righteous’. (‘Sanctify’ and ‘holy’ are different parts of the same word in the original languages.) Sanctification, like justification,... read more
servants . App-190 . to obey = for ( App-104 .) obedience. his . . . obey = ye are servants to him whom ye obey. whether . Greek. etoi. An emphatic word. Only here. read more
But . . . thanked = But thanks (Greek. charis . App-184 .) to God. Compare 1 Corinthians 15:57 . were . But that service is past. form . Greek. tupos. See Romans 5:14 . doctrine = teaching. Greek. didach. Only here and Romans 16:17 in Rom. which . . . you = unto ( App-104 .) which ye were delivered. read more
Being . . . free = Having, then, been set free. Greek. eleutheroo. Only here, Romans 6:22 ; Romans 8:2 , Romans 8:21 . Joh 8:32 , John 8:36 . Galatians 1:5 , Galatians 1:1 . became the servants = were made bond-servants or enslaved. read more
Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?It would be impossible to frame in English a more dogmatic declaration that faith is not the only thing required for salvation. Paul's extensive writings hitherto in this letter, regarding salvation by faith, may in no sense, therefore, be construed as diminishing or omitting the requirement of obedience in all who hope to be... read more
But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye become obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.The KJV rendition "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin" is improved in the English Revised Version (1885); because Paul did not mean, "Thank God you were servants of sin," but "Thanks to God that ALTHOUGH you were slaves of sin, etc.,"[30] as translated by Lard. What... read more
Romans 6:16. Obedience— That which he calls here simply obedience, in other places he calls obedience of faith, and obedience of Christ; meaning a reception of the Gospel of Christ. The Apostle explains the obligations of Gentile Christians in their present state, in opposition to the Gentile or heathen state, by the case of slaves, at that time well understood all over the world. A servant or slave was his master's property, a part of his goods, which he might keep for life, sell to another... read more
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Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Romans 6:17
But God be thanked - The argument in this verse is drawn from a direct appeal to the feelings of the Roman Christians themselves. From their experience, Paul was able to draw a demonstration to his purpose, and this was with him a ground of gratitude to God.That ye were ... - The sense of this passage is plain. The ground Of the thanksgiving was not that they had been the slaves of sin; but it is, that notwithstanding this, or although they had been thus, yet that they were now obedient. To... read more