Romans 6 19

Romans 6:19 kjv

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Romans 6:19 nkjv

I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

Romans 6:19 niv

I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.

Romans 6:19 esv

I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Romans 6:19 nlt

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

Romans 6 verses

Romans 6 19 Meaning

Romans 6:19 provides a crucial bridge between Paul's theological teaching and practical Christian living. Acknowledging the limitations of human understanding, Paul uses the analogy of slavery, a common social structure, to clarify the believer's transformed allegiance. He explicitly contrasts the former state of serving sin—which inevitably led to deeper corruption—with the new, commanded state of serving righteousness, which results in progressive holiness and separation unto God. It's a call for believers to consciously re-direct their entire being from the service of sin to the devoted service of God.

Romans 6 19 Context

Romans chapter 6 is dedicated to explaining that a believer, being united with Christ's death and resurrection, has died to sin's dominion and must not continue living in sin. It counters the misunderstanding that God's grace gives license to sin. Paul has just explained (vv. 15-18) that believers are no longer "under law but under grace," yet this freedom is not a freedom to sin but freedom from sin to serve righteousness. Verse 19 acts as an explicit and direct appeal for the Roman believers to apply this theological truth to their everyday actions. It's a pedagogical device, using a human analogy to illustrate a spiritual reality that might otherwise be abstract. Historically, in the Roman world, slavery was a pervasive reality, making the analogy immediately understandable and impactful for Paul's original audience. Paul’s words can be seen as a direct polemic against antinomianism—the idea that grace negates the need for moral obedience—by demonstrating that true grace establishes a new, higher form of obedience. It also indirectly confronts prevalent pagan practices and ethical relativism common in the Greco-Roman culture, which often celebrated "impurity" or "lawlessness" through cultic rituals or moral laxity.

Romans 6 19 Word analysis

• I am speaking in human terms (ἀνθρώπινον λέγω, anthrōpinon legō):
  • ἀνθρώπινον (anthrōpinon): Human, pertaining to humans.
  • λέγω (legō): I say, I speak.
  • Significance: Paul's self-acknowledgment of using an analogy that simplifies complex spiritual truth for easier human comprehension. It implies a condescension to the listeners' capacity, not a diminishing of the truth itself.
• because of your natural limitations (διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκός, dia tēn astheneian tēs sarkos):
  • διὰ (dia): Because of, on account of.
  • τὴν ἀσθένειαν (tēn astheneian): The weakness, frailty, infirmity.
  • τῆς σαρκός (tēs sarkos): Of the flesh. "Flesh" here signifies the fallen, unregenerate human nature, characterized by its inability to obey God perfectly, not merely the physical body. It implies moral and spiritual weakness.
  • Significance: This explains why Paul is using the human analogy. The "weakness of the flesh" denotes the limitations in fully grasping profound spiritual truths and acting on them, necessitating concrete, relatable illustrations. It points to a deep theological reality of human fallenness.
• For just as (ὥσπερ γὰρ, hōsper gar):
  • Significance: Introduces a strong comparison, setting up a parallel between the former state and the new call.
• you presented (παρεστήσατε, parestēsate):
  • An aorist (past simple) verb in Greek, indicating a decisive, completed action. This verb is key and relates to Rom 12:1 where believers are called to present their bodies as living sacrifices. It means to "place alongside" or "put at one's disposal."
  • Significance: Denotes a conscious act of surrender and commitment. It wasn't passive but an active choice to offer oneself.
• your members (τὰ μέλη ὑμῶν, ta melē hymōn):
  • μέλη (melē): Limbs, body parts.
  • Significance: Metaphorically, refers to the faculties and instruments of one's person: thoughts, tongue, eyes, hands, feet—the entirety of one's physical and psychological being that acts in the world.
• as slaves (δοῦλα, doula):
  • δοῦλος (doulos): Slave, bondservant. Not a hired worker, but someone wholly owned and subservient to a master.
  • Significance: Emphasizes absolute allegiance and submission. The slave has no independent will; their life belongs to the master.
• to impurity (τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ, tē akatharsia):
  • ἀκαθαρσίᾳ (akatharsia): Uncleanness, defilement, often associated with sexual immorality but broadly signifying any moral or spiritual filth contrary to God's holiness.
  • Significance: Represents a specific category of sin, especially those that corrupt the body and spirit.
• and to lawlessness (καὶ τῇ ἀνομίᾳ, kai tē anomia):
  • ἀνομίᾳ (anomia): Lawlessness, a state of living without regard for God's law or moral principles.
  • Significance: Broader than impurity, it refers to active disregard or rebellion against divine authority, leading to general moral decay.
• leading to more lawlessness (εἰς τὴν ἀνομίαν, eis tēn anomian):
  • Significance: Indicates a progression. Sin is not static; one act of impurity or lawlessness inevitably leads to a deeper, more entrenched pattern of the same, forming a destructive habit. It highlights the escalating nature of sin.
• so now (οὕτως νῦν, houtōs nyn):
  • Significance: Marks a strong, urgent shift. From the past, a command for the present.
• present (παραστήσατε, parastēsate):
  • An imperative (command) verb. The same root as "presented" earlier, but now a direct command to the believers.
  • Significance: An ongoing, conscious, volitional act. Not a one-time decision, but a continuous devotion.
• to righteousness (τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, tē dikaiosynē):
  • δικαιοσύνῃ (dikaiosynē): Righteousness, conformity to God's moral standard, ethical uprightness, justice.
  • Significance: The new master. This isn't just about avoiding sin, but actively pursuing that which is right and pleasing to God.
• leading to sanctification (εἰς ἁγιασμόν, eis hagiasmon):
  • ἁγιασμόν (hagiasmon): Sanctification, holiness, the process of being set apart for God's use, moral transformation, progressive growth in likeness to Christ.
  • Significance: This is the ultimate goal and beneficial outcome of serving righteousness. It's a continuous process, the Christian's journey of becoming holy.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations": Paul frames his explanation with a humble disclaimer, acknowledging the practical and spiritual weaknesses of his audience (the "flesh"), which necessitates an accessible analogy for profound spiritual truths.
• "For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness": This clause vividly depicts the believer's former, fallen state. It describes a willing, active surrender of one's faculties ("members") to the dominion of sin, whose nature is self-propagating and escalates ("leading to more lawlessness"), bringing ever-increasing moral degradation.
• "so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification": This is the transformative command, the pivot point for the Christian life. It demands an equally decisive, active, and continuous surrender of one's entire being to a new Master—righteousness. This service, unlike sin's, has a profoundly positive, life-affirming outcome: progressive sanctification, growth in holiness, and being set apart for God's purposes.

Romans 6 19 Bonus section

The repeated verb "present" (παρεστήσατε, parestēsate in the past tense, and παραστήσατε, parastēsate in the imperative) highlights a fundamental principle in Paul's ethics: that believers actively make choices about what they yield themselves to. It's not a passive reception but a decisive act of volition. This active "presenting" implies accountability and intentionality. The shift from "slavery of sin" to "slavery to righteousness" is a voluntary act in response to God's liberating grace. Furthermore, the analogy of "slavery" to a master would have resonated strongly in a society where such relationships, though hierarchical, also implied certain duties and even protections. For Paul, the ultimate master (God/righteousness) offers not oppression but liberation and eternal life. This verse also implicitly addresses the problem of spiritual apathy or the idea that one can be a "secret" disciple. Paul demands an overt, demonstrated allegiance through the redirection of one's entire life toward holiness.

Romans 6 19 Commentary

Romans 6:19 is a pragmatic yet profound articulation of Christian discipleship, rooted deeply in Paul's theology of union with Christ. After establishing the believer's freedom from sin's power through Christ, Paul addresses the "how." He lowers the theological bar for human comprehension by employing a straightforward analogy of slavery, directly correlating the previous life dominated by sin with the new life devoted to God. The phrase "weakness of the flesh" doesn't excuse sin but underscores the need for clear, actionable instruction for humans who grapple with spiritual realities. The progression of sin ("leading to more lawlessness") illustrates its destructive, addictive nature: yielding to a small sin often entrenches one further in sinful patterns. The counter-command is to present one's "members"—all faculties, thoughts, and actions—to "righteousness." This is not just abstaining from evil, but actively pursuing goodness, holiness, and conformity to God's will. The culmination of this obedience is "sanctification," a progressive, life-long journey of becoming increasingly holy and set apart for God's purposes. This verse urges a conscious, decisive, and sustained redirection of allegiance from the corrupting service of self and sin to the liberating service of God and righteousness.

• Practical Examples:
  • Before: Using one's hands for stealing or greedy gain (impurity, lawlessness). Now: Using hands for service, generosity, and honest labor (righteousness leading to sanctification).
  • Before: Filling one's mind with lustful or impure thoughts (impurity, lawlessness). Now: Focusing one's thoughts on what is true, honorable, and pure (Phil 4:8) (righteousness leading to sanctification).
  • Before: Speaking gossip, lies, or harsh words (lawlessness). Now: Speaking words of encouragement, truth, and grace (righteousness leading to sanctification).