Romans 6:20 (GNV)

Passage

For when ye were the seruants of sinne, ye were freed from righteousnesse.

Nearby Context

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sinne, yee are made the seruants of righteousnesse.

Romans 6:19 I speake after the maner of man, because of the infirmitie of your flesh: for as yee haue giuen your members seruants to vncleannes and to iniquitie, to commit iniquitie, so now giue your mebers seruants vnto righteousnesse in holinesse.

Romans 6:20 For when ye were the seruants of sinne, ye were freed from righteousnesse.

Romans 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are nowe ashamed? For the ende of those things is death.

Romans 6:22 But now being freed from sinne, and made seruants vnto God, ye haue your fruit in holines, and the end, euerlasting life.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seruants", "sinne", "freed", and "righteousnesse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seruants" and "sinne", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "I speake after the maner of man..." into verse 21's "What fruit had ye then in those...", so "seruants" and "sinne" 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 "seruants" and "sinne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.