Romans 6:18
Being then freed from sin, we have been made servants of justice.
Open Romans 6:18 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Liberati autem a peccato, servi facti estis justitiæ.
- Greek New Testament (SBLGNT)
- ἐλευθερωθέντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐδουλώθητε τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ·
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine A Treatise on Rebuke and Grace, There is a Greater Freedom Now in the Saints Than There Was Before in Adam
Certainly a greater liberty is necessary in the face of so many and so great temptations, which had no existence in Paradise, a liberty fortified and confirmed by the gift of perseverance, so that this world, with all its loves, its fears, its errors, may be overcome: the martyrdoms of the saints have taught this. In fine, he [Adam], not only with nobody to make him afraid, but, moreover, in spite of the authority of God’s fear, using free will, did not stand in such a state of happiness, in such a facility of [not] sinning. But these [the saints], I say, not under the fear of the world, but in spite of the rage of the world lest they should stand, stood firm in the faith; while he could see the good things present which he was going to forsake, they could not see the good things future which they were going to receive. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXVIII
23. But what is, “Thou hast led captivity captive”? Is it because He hath conquered death, which was holding captive those over whom it reigned? Or hath he called men themselves captivity, who were being held captive under the devil? Which thing’s mystery even the title of that Psalm doth contain, to wit, “when the house was being builded after the captivity:” that is, the Church after the coming in of the Gentiles. Calling therefore those very men who were being held captive a captivity, as when “the service” is spoken of there are understood those that serve also, that same captivity he saith by Christ hath been led captive. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Homily I on Rom. i. 1, 2
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ.” Why did God change his name, and call him Paul who was Saul? It was, that he might not even in this respect come short of the Apostles, but that that preëminence which the chief of the Disciples had, he might also acquire ( Mark iii. 16 ); and have whereon to ground a closer union with them. And he calls himself, the servant of Christ, yet not merely this; for there be many sorts of servitude. One owing to the Creation, according to which it says, “for all are Thy servants” ( Ps. cxix. 91 ); and according to which it says, “Nebuchadnezzar, My servant” ( Jer. xxv. 9 ), for the work is the servant of Him which made it. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Homily XI on Rom. vi. 5
Ver. 18 . “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” There are two gifts of God which he here points out. The “freeing from sin,” and also the “making them servants to righteousness,” which is better than any freedom. For God hath done the same as if a person were to take an orphan, who had been carried away by savages into their own country, and were not only to free him from captivity, but were to set a kind father over him, and bring him to very great dignity. And this has been done in our case. For it was not our old evils alone that He freed us from, since He even led us to the life of angels, and paved the way for us to the best conversation, handing us over to the safe keeping of righteousness, and killing our former evils, and deadening the old man, and leading us to an immortal life.