Romans 6:16 (KJV)

Passage

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Nearby Context

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Romans 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yield", "yourselves", "servants", "obey", "whether", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yield" and "yourselves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "What then shall we sin because we..." into verse 17's "But God be thanked that ye were...", so "yield" and "yourselves" 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 "yield" and "yourselves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.