📖 Passage

Romans 6:15–23 Read Romans 6:15–23 (NKJV)

🧠 Context & Background

Paul builds on his earlier teaching that grace does not give believers license to sin. Instead, grace frees us to obey God. He introduces the metaphor of slavery to illustrate the radical nature of discipleship: everyone serves a master — either sin or righteousness. In contrast to the death earned by sin, righteousness leads to sanctification and eternal life. This teaching would resonate with Roman Christians familiar with the pervasive social institution of slavery.

🌿 Key Themes

• Two Masters: Every person is either under sin or under God.
• Obedience and Fruit: Sin produces death; obedience produces sanctification.
• Freedom in Christ: True freedom is not autonomy but being bound to righteousness.
• The Wages of Sin: Death is what sin earns; eternal life is God’s gracious gift.

📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Romans 6:15 — Grace Not a License to Sin

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!”

• Paul repeats and rejects the false conclusion that grace permits sin.
• Grace frees from sin’s power, it does not excuse rebellion.
• Being “under grace” means living in new obedience, not license.

Romans 6:16 — Slaves of Sin or Obedience

“Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

• Everyone serves a master: either sin (death) or obedience (righteousness).
• True freedom is not independence but choosing the right master.
• Sin enslaves; obedience to God liberates.

Romans 6:17 — Transformation by the Heart

“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.”

• Salvation changes allegiance: from slavery to sin to heartfelt obedience.
• The gospel forms a “standard of teaching” that reshapes life.
• Obedience flows from a transformed heart, not mere external conformity.

Romans 6:18 — Freed to Serve Righteousness

“And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”

• Freedom from sin leads to new slavery—not autonomy, but belonging to God.
• Slavery to righteousness is true freedom because it restores us to God’s design.
• Every believer is called to serve righteousness as their new master.

Romans 6:19 — Present Your Members to Righteousness

“I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”

• Paul uses the slavery metaphor to make his point plain.
• Sin’s slavery grows worse—lawlessness breeds more lawlessness.
• Righteous slavery leads to sanctification—progressive holiness in life.

Romans 6:20 — Slaves of Sin, Free from Righteousness

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”

• Before salvation, obedience to righteousness was foreign and unwanted.
• Sin once held total dominion, leaving no desire or ability for holiness.
• Freedom from righteousness is not true freedom but bondage.

Romans 6:21 — Fruit of Sin: Death

“But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.”

• Sin’s “fruit” is shame and death.
• Past sins that once seemed desirable now bring regret under the light of grace.
• Sin always overpromises and underdelivers, ending in ruin.

Romans 6:22 — Fruit of Righteousness: Life

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”

• Freedom in Christ produces sanctification, the fruit of righteousness.
• The end of this new slavery is eternal life, the opposite of sin’s death.
• Slavery to God is life-giving, not degrading.

Romans 6:23 — Wages of Sin, Gift of God

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• Sin pays wages: death—earned, deserved, unavoidable apart from Christ.
• God gives a free gift: eternal life in Christ—unearned, undeserved, overflowing.
• This verse summarizes Paul’s contrast: sin as a cruel master, God as a gracious giver.

🔍 Trusted Insight

RC Sproul comments:

“There are only two kingdoms in this world — the kingdom of sin and the kingdom of God. To imagine that we are free to live as we please is a dangerous illusion. The so-called ‘freedom’ of sin is actually bondage, and true liberty is found only in slavery to Christ.”

Sproul highlights that slavery to Christ is not oppressive but liberating, for it leads to holiness and eternal life. This shows how grace transforms bondage into joyful service.

Summary: The believer must recognize that grace is not permission to sin but the power to serve God. Sin pays in death, but God gives eternal life in Christ.

🧩 Review Questions

💡 Click a question to open the chatbot and explore the answer. Tap the chat bubble again to close it.

1. What does Paul mean when he says everyone is a slave, either of sin or of righteousness?
2. How does obedience from the heart differ from outward compliance?
3. What are the fruits of sin compared to the fruits of righteousness?
4. How does Paul contrast wages and gifts in verse 23?

⚔️ Common Objections

• Objection 1: “If we’re under grace, then sin is harmless.”

  • Answer: Paul insists we are always serving a master. To yield to sin is to become its slave, leading to death (Romans 6:16). Grace sets us free from sin to serve God.

• Objection 2: “Grace cancels obedience.”

  • Answer: Believers, once slaves of sin, have been set free and have become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:17–18). Grace doesn’t abolish obedience — it transforms its motive and power.

• Objection 3: “Freedom means no master at all.”

  • Answer: True freedom is not independence but belonging to Christ. Neutral ground doesn’t exist; we are either slaves of sin leading to death or slaves of God leading to holiness (Romans 6:19–20).

• Objection 4: “Sin offers more pleasure and life.”

  • Answer: Sin’s wages are always death, no matter how attractive in the moment. By contrast, God’s free gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23).

• Summary: Grace does not excuse sin; it changes masters. Every person serves either sin or God. The outcome is stark: sin pays in death, but God gives eternal life as a gift.

🙋 Application Questions

1. In what ways do you see the deceptive “freedom” of sin in modern culture?
2. How can you intentionally present your life as a slave to righteousness this week?
3. Why is remembering the gift-nature of salvation essential for humility and joy?

🔤 Greek Keywords

• Doulos (δοῦλος) – “slave, bondservant”; conveys total ownership and allegiance.
• Karteros (καρτερός) – “strength, enduring”; used to describe perseverance in righteousness.
• Opsōnia (ὀψώνια) – “wages, rations”; refers to what is earned by military service, used here for sin’s payment.
• Charisma (χάρισμα) – “gift of grace”; emphasizes salvation as freely given, not earned.

📚 Cross References

• John 8:34–36 — “He who sins is a slave of sin… If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
• Galatians 5:1 — “Stand fast… and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
• Titus 2:11–12 — Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and live righteously.
• 1 Peter 2:16 — Living as free, yet as servants of God.
• Revelation 22:17 — Eternal life offered as a free gift through Christ.

📦 Next Study

Next Study → Romans 7:1–6