Romans 6:12

6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires,

Romans 6:22

6:22 But now, freed ¹  from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit ²  leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.

Romans 7:25

7:25 Thanks be ³  to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, ⁴  I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but ⁵  with my flesh I serve ⁶  the law of sin.

Romans 8:4

8:4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:2

8:2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit ⁷  in Christ Jesus has set you ⁸  free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 5:17

5:17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, ⁹  death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 26:13

26:13 O Lord, our God,

masters other than you have ruled us,

but we praise your name alone.

John 8:34-36

8:34 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁰  everyone who practices ¹¹  sin is a slave ¹²  of sin. 8:35 The slave does not remain in the family ¹³  forever, but the son remains forever. ¹⁴  8:36 So if the son ¹⁵  sets you free, you will be really free.

¹ tn The two aorist participles translated “freed” and “enslaved” are causal in force; their full force is something like “But now, since you have become freed from sin and since you have become enslaved to God….”

² tn Grk “fruit.”

³ tc ‡ Most mss (א* A 1739 1881 Ï sy) read “I give thanks to God” rather than “Now thanks be to God” (א¹ [B] Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), the reading of NA²⁷. The reading with the verb (εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ, eucaristw tw qew) possibly arose from a transcriptional error in which several letters were doubled (TCGNT 455). The conjunction δέ (de, “now”) is included in some mss as well (א¹ Ψ 33 81 104 365 1506 pc), but it should probably not be considered original. The ms support for the omission of δέ is both excellent and widespread (א* A B D 1739 1881 Ï lat sy), and its addition can be explained as an insertion to smooth out the transition between v. 24 and 25.

⁴ tn There is a double connective here that cannot be easily preserved in English: “consequently therefore,” emphasizing the conclusion of what he has been arguing.

⁵ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

⁶ tn The words “I serve” have been repeated here for clarity.

⁷ tn Grk “for the law of the Spirit of life.”

⁸ tc Most mss read the first person singular pronoun με (me) here (A D 1739^c 1881 Ï lat sa). The second person singular pronoun σε (se) is superior because of external support (א B {F which reads σαι} G 1506* 1739*) and internal support (it is the harder reading since ch. 7 was narrated in the first person). At the same time, it could have arisen via dittography from the final syllable of the verb preceding it (ἠλευθέρωσεν, hleuqerwsen; “has set free”). But for this to happen in such early and diverse witnesses is unlikely, especially as it depends on various scribes repeatedly overlooking either the nu or the nu-bar at the end of the verb.

⁹ sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).

¹⁰ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

¹¹ tn Or “who commits.” This could simply be translated, “everyone who sins,” but the Greek is more emphatic, using the participle ποιῶν (poiwn) in a construction with πᾶς (pas), a typical Johannine construction. Here repeated, continuous action is in view. The one whose lifestyle is characterized by repeated, continuous sin is a slave to sin. That one is not free; sin has enslaved him. To break free from this bondage requires outside (divine) intervention. Although the statement is true at the general level (the person who continually practices a lifestyle of sin is enslaved to sin) the particular sin of the Jewish authorities, repeatedly emphasized in the Fourth Gospel, is the sin of unbelief. The present tense in this instance looks at the continuing refusal on the part of the Jewish leaders to acknowledge who Jesus is, in spite of mounting evidence.

¹² tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.

¹³ tn Or “household.” The Greek work οἰκία (oikia) can denote the family as consisting of relatives by both descent and marriage, as well as slaves and servants, living in the same house (more the concept of an “extended family”).

¹⁴ sn Jesus’ point is that while a slave may be part of a family or household, the slave is not guaranteed a permanent place there, while a son, as a descendant or blood relative, will always be guaranteed a place in the family (remains forever).

¹⁵ tn Or “Son.” The question is whether “son” is to be understood as a direct reference to Jesus himself, or as an indirect reference (a continuation of the generic illustration begun in the previous verse).