Romans 6:19-23
Chapter 6
19
You see that I speak in a very human way, considering that you are not fully mature. There was a time when you allowed your members to be slaves to impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; now, convert them into servants of righteousness, leading them toward holiness.
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When you were slaves to sin, you did not feel obligated to righteousness;
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but what were the results of those actions, of which you are now ashamed? Such things lead to death.
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Now, however, you have been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit and growing in holiness, and the result will be everlasting life.
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So, on one side is sin: its reward is death; on the other side is God: He grants us eternal life by grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Commentaries
Freed from Sin, Servants of God.
Because they live in mortal bodies, Christians remain vulnerable to sin, which must dominate and subdue them. Unlike Greek thought, which viewed the body and material world as evil, Paul affirms the unity of the person and that the body can and should be used by God as a force for good (13). The Christian life involves an ongoing tension between sin and God. There is no middle ground, no room for neutrality, or as the proverb says, “you cannot serve two masters.” “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Mt 12:30). Paul illustrates this tension with the most potent image he has—one that he knows will resonate with his readers: the image of slavery. Many Christians in Rome were likely actual slaves. Two types of slavery are presented to Christians as choices in life: slavery to sin or slavery to Christ. Sin leads its servants to death. In contrast, “obedience” to Christ—where he no longer refers to slavery—results in salvation and, through it, life.