Romans 6:12-20

6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, 6:13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments ¹  to be used for unrighteousness, ²  but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments ³  to be used for righteousness. 6:14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness

6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves ⁴  as obedient slaves, ⁵  you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness? ⁶  6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed ⁷  from the heart that pattern ⁸  of teaching you were entrusted to, 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. 6:19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) ⁹  For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.

[6:13]  ¹ tn Or “weapons, tools.”

[6:13]  ² tn Or “wickedness, injustice.”

[6:13]  ³ tn Or “weapons, tools.”

[6:16]  ¹ tn Grk “to whom you present yourselves.”

[6:16]  ² tn Grk “as slaves for obedience.” See the note on the word “slave” in 1:1.

[6:16]  ³ tn Grk “either of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness.”

[6:17]  ¹ tn Grk “you were slaves of sin but you obeyed.”

[6:17]  ² tn Or “type, form.”

[6:19]  ¹ tn Or “because of your natural limitations” (NRSV).