Charles Spurgeon Commentary Romans 6:16

"Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves [as] servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" — Romans 6:16 (ASV)

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

This is a wonderful, heart-searching text: let us put ourselves under its power. Whatever you obey, that is your master. If you obey the suggestions of sin, you are the slave of sin. And it is only as you are obedient to God that you are truly the servants of God. So, after all, our outward walk and conduct are the best test of our true condition. Without holiness no one shall see the Lord, nor can he have any reason to believe that he belongs to God.

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?

If, then, a man lives a life of sin, he proves that he is the servant of sin, for he has obeyed its commands, and let that man know assuredly that he has nothing to do with Christ while he is living in sin. But if a man lives in obedience to Christ and seeks righteousness and true holiness, that man is evidently the servant of righteousness, and so the servant of God.