What does Romans 6:20 imply about the nature of freedom and slavery in sin? Canonical Text “For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness.” (Romans 6:20) Immediate Context (Romans 6:15-23) Paul has just answered the rhetorical question, “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” (v. 15). Verses 16-23 form one continuous argument contrasting two master-servant relationships: sin leading to death and obedience leading to righteousness. Verse 20 explains why unbelievers persist in sin: they perceive themselves as “free,” yet their so-called liberty is actually servitude to sin. Historical Background Roman slavery was not primarily racial but economic and judicial. A slave’s will was subsumed under the master’s. Paul borrows this social reality to describe the spiritual state. In Roman law a slave could not own property, enter contracts, or initiate divorce—illustrating the sinner’s incapacity to perform true righteousness (cf. John 15:5). Theological Analysis 1. Total Inability: Verse 20 presupposes the heart’s bondage (Jeremiah 17:9; Ephesians 2:1-3). Sinners can perform civil good yet are incapable of God-pleasing righteousness because the governing principle (master) of their lives is sin. 2. False Freedom: Autonomy from righteousness feels like liberty, but it is actually moral captivity (John 8:34, 2 Peter 2:19). 3. Ethical Neutrality Denied: Scripture allows no middle ground. One is either enslaved to sin or to God (v. 22). Seemingly “neutral” acts flow from one of these two dominions. Bondage and the Will Augustine, Luther, and later Reformed theology call this the “bondage of the will.” Behavioral science corroborates: compulsive behaviors (addiction, pornography, bitterness) rewire neural pathways, diminishing self-regulation. What modern neurology observes, Paul describes spiritually: sin commandeers the faculties. Philosophical Reflection on Freedom Freedom in biblical terms is not the ability to act contrary to one’s nature; it is the liberated capacity to act according to God’s design. The unbeliever lacks this capacity; therefore his “freedom” is illusory. Compatibilist philosophers note that choices flow from desires, and desires are enslaved by sin until the Spirit liberates them (Philippians 2:13). Systematic Correlations • John 8:36—“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” • Galatians 5:1—“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” • Titus 3:3—“We too were foolish, disobedient… enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” • Genesis 4:7—Sin personified as a crouching beast seeking mastery. These passages echo the same master-servant motif and confirm Romans 6:20. Practical Implications 1. Evangelism: Show seekers that moral autonomy is a mirage; genuine freedom requires a change of master. 2. Sanctification: Believers must refuse to present their members to sin (Romans 6:13); choosing sin is returning temporarily to a former slavery. 3. Pastoral Counseling: Addiction ministries can frame the gospel as the only ultimate emancipation program. Common Objections Answered • “I’m a good person.” Biblical righteousness demands perfection (Matthew 5:48). Civil virtue cannot annul slavery to sin. • “Religion itself enslaves.” Christianity alone offers liberation from sin’s tyranny, not mere behavioral reform. • “Freedom means self-rule.” Self-rule under sin is like a prisoner guarding his own cell; the bars remain. Conclusion Romans 6:20 teaches that what unbelievers call freedom is actually slavery to sin, rendering them incapable of true righteousness. Authentic freedom is found only in a new allegiance—to God through the death and resurrection of Christ—liberating the will and directing it toward the very righteousness for which humanity was created. |
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