Romans 6:21 (DRB)

Passage

What fruit therefore had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death.

Nearby Context

Romans 6:19 I speak an human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity: so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification.

Romans 6:20 For when you were the servants of sin, you were free men to justice.

Romans 6:21 What fruit therefore had you then in those things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death.

Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fruit", "therefore", "things", "ashamed", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fruit" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "For when you were the servants of..." into verse 22's "But now being made free from sin...", so "fruit" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fruit" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.