Romans 6:20 (YLT)

Passage

for when ye were servants of the sin, ye were free from the righteousness,

Nearby Context

Romans 6:18 and having been freed from the sin, ye became servants to the righteousness.

Romans 6:19 In the manner of men I speak, because of the weakness of your flesh, for even as ye did present your members servants to the uncleanness and to the lawlessness--to the lawlessness, so now present your members servants to the righteousness--t sanctification,

Romans 6:20 for when ye were servants of the sin, ye were free from the righteousness,

Romans 6:21 what fruit, therefore, were ye having then, in the things of which ye are now ashamed? for the end of those <FI>is<Fi> death.

Romans 6:22 And now, having been freed from the sin, and having become servants to God, ye have your fruit--to sanctification, and the end life age-during;

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "In the manner of men I speak..." into verse 21's "what fruit therefore were ye having then...", so "servants" and "free" 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 "servants" and "free" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.