Expositor's Bible Commentary 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)

Paul has just affirmed, “You are not under law.” Now he shows that this does not mean that believers are free from the demands of living according to righteousness. It would be strange if those who are under grace should evidence a manner of life inferior to the standard held by those who are under law. As a matter of fact, believers must face the fact that their salvation actually means a change of bondage. As they once served sin, they are now committed to lives of practical righteousness.

At first glance, the opening question seems to repeat v.1. The difference, however, lies in the tense of the verb. In v.1 the question was “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” Now the question is “Shall we sin [in any given case, or sin at all] because we are not under law but under grace?” Law is supposed to be a restraining influence. But if we move out from under that umbrella, will we not be exposing ourselves to the danger of committing sin even more than in our previous situation?

In answer, Paul appeals first of all to a fact familiar to all—whatever one submits to becomes his or her master (cf. Jn 8:34). To commit sin, then, puts one into bondage to sin, and the sequel is death (cf. 5:12; 8:13). The other option is a life of obedience resulting in righteousness (cf. 5:19). Paul is happy to acknowledge that his readers have renounced the service of sin and are now wholeheartedly obeying Christian teaching (v.17). Let us take special note of the way he puts the matter: “you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed.” By virtue of becoming Christians, believers had obligated themselves to obey what we might call the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). Even though Paul had not founded the Roman church, he was confident that the Christians there had been taught the standard teaching of the apostles . Just as the Gospel itself had certain ingredients (such as Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, as in vv.1–5; 1 Corinthians 15:3–4), so the teaching about the lifestyle of believers, derived from what Jesus and the apostles taught, was standard throughout the church. This is the point being made in the use of the word “form” (GK 5596).