Welcome to Sunday School at East Valley International Church! Each week, we gather to explore the essential truths that form the foundation of our Christian faith. Through our “Fundamentals of the Faith” study, we’re discovering together what it means to follow Jesus, understand God’s Word, and live out our beliefs in everyday life. Today, we’re examining a paradox that lies at the heart of the Gospel: true freedom comes through slavery to God. As we explore Romans 6:22—“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life”—we’ll discover how liberation from sin’s bondage leads us into joyful servitude to our Creator. This profound truth challenges our modern understanding of freedom and reveals the transformative power of the Gospel. These sessions offer us all an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and build a stronger understanding of the biblical principles that guide us. We’re glad you’re here as we learn and grow together!
The following notes are from discussions initiated by Pastor Joey or class members.
A Biblical Study of Romans 6:22: The Freedom of Slavery to God
The Text
Romans 6:22 (NIV):“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”
Romans 6:22 (ESV):“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification. Its end is eternal life.”
Romans 6:22 (NASB): “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
Romans 6:22 (KJV): “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.”
Context: The Argument of Romans 6
To properly understand Romans 6:22, we must situate it within Paul’s broader argument in this pivotal chapter. Romans 6 addresses a question that naturally arises from Paul’s teaching on grace: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (verse 1). If we’re saved by grace apart from works, and if God’s grace is magnified when it forgives sin, then why not continue in sin to give God more opportunities to display His grace?
Paul’s answer is emphatic: “By no means!” (verse 2). He then develops his argument through three major sections:
Verses 1-14: United with Christ in Death and Resurrection – Paul explains that believers have died to sin through union with Christ in His death and have been raised to new life through union with Him in His resurrection. Our old self was crucified with Christ, breaking sin’s dominion over us. We are now to “count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (verse 11).
Verses 15-23: Two Masters, Two Slaveries – Paul uses the metaphor of slavery to illustrate the exclusive nature of our allegiance. Just as a slave belongs entirely to one master, we are slaves either to sin (leading to death) or to righteousness/God (leading to life). There is no neutral ground, no third option.
Romans 6:22 appears in this second section as the climactic statement describing the believer’s new status and its consequences. It provides the positive counterpart to verses 20-21, which describe the believer’s former slavery to sin.
Verse Analysis: Four Key Components
1. “But Now” – The Great Transition
The phrase “but now” (Greek nyni de) marks a decisive break between past and present, between the old life and the new. This transitional phrase appears repeatedly in Romans to signal salvation’s transformative effects:
- “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known” (Romans 3:21)
- “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law” (Romans 7:6)
- “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death” (Colossians 1:22)
This “but now” isn’t describing a gradual evolution or incremental improvement—it marks a radical transformation, a definitive shift from one state to another. For the believer, there is a clear before and after, separated by the decisive moment of conversion when we were united with Christ.
The contrast Paul draws is between verses 20-21 (the former state) and verse 22 (the present state):
Then: “When you were slaves of sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!” (verses 20-21)
Now: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life” (verse 22)
This “but now” should generate profound gratitude in every believer. We are no longer what we once were. The past is truly past; a new reality has begun.
2. “Set Free from Sin” – Liberation from Bondage
The phrase “set free from sin” translates the Greek eleutherothentes apo tēs hamartias, meaning “having been freed from sin” or “having been liberated from sin.” The passive voice indicates that this freedom was accomplished for us, not by us. We didn’t liberate ourselves; we were liberated by God’s gracious action in Christ.
The Nature of Sin’s Slavery
Paul has already described sin’s slavery in vivid terms earlier in the chapter. Sin is portrayed not merely as individual wrong actions but as a tyrannical power that enslaves, dominates, and controls. Verses 16-17 state: “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.”
Before conversion, we were under sin’s dominion. We weren’t free moral agents choosing occasionally to sin; we were slaves who could not escape sin’s power. Our wills were bound, our nature corrupted, our trajectory set toward death. As Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34).
The Means of Liberation
How were we freed? Paul explained earlier in the chapter that freedom came through union with Christ in His death: “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (verses 6-7).
Christ’s death broke sin’s legal claim and power over us. When we were united with Him by faith, His death became our death—we died to sin’s dominion. Sin no longer has the right or power to rule over us because we died to it in Christ. As Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
What Freedom From Sin Means (and Doesn’t Mean)
This freedom doesn’t mean believers never sin or are instantly made sinlessly perfect. Paul himself, later in Romans 7, describes an ongoing struggle with sin. Rather, freedom from sin means:
- Sin no longer has dominion or ruling authority over us (Romans 6:14: “sin shall no longer be your master”)
- We are no longer slaves who must obey sin’s commands
- We have been given a new nature that desires righteousness
- We have the Holy Spirit’s power to resist temptation and grow in holiness
- Sin’s ultimate consequence (eternal death) no longer applies to us
We are free from sin’s penalty, power, and—ultimately—presence. The first is accomplished at justification, the second is being worked out in sanctification, and the third will be completed at glorification.
3. “Become Slaves of God” – A New Master
Paul immediately pairs liberation from sin with enslavement to God: “have become slaves of God” (Greek doulothentes tō theō). This is the paradox at the heart of Christian freedom: we are freed from sin precisely by becoming slaves to God. True freedom is not autonomy but right allegiance.
The Paradox of Christian Freedom
Our culture equates freedom with independence—the absence of constraints, the ability to do whatever we want. But Scripture presents a radically different understanding. Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36), yet Paul consistently describes believers as “slaves of Christ” (Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 4:12) and “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18).
How can we be both free and enslaved? The answer lies in recognizing that humans are never autonomous—we always serve something or someone. As verse 16 stated, we’re slaves either to sin or to obedience. The question isn’t whether we’ll be slaves, but which master we’ll serve.
Slavery to God is actually the highest form of freedom because:
- God is perfectly good, so His commands are for our ultimate benefit
- God is love, so His rule is gracious rather than tyrannical
- God knows us completely, so His will for us leads to true flourishing
- God has our eternal good as His purpose
Augustine captured this truth: “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” We were created for a relationship with and service to God; only in that proper relationship do we find true freedom and fulfillment.
The Language of Slavery
Modern readers sometimes struggle with Paul’s slave metaphor because slavery in American history was so horrific. But we must understand the metaphor in its first-century context and recognize what Paul is emphasizing.
In the Roman world, slaves belonged entirely to their masters. Their time, their work, their very lives were not their own. They had no autonomy, no independent agenda. Everything they did was in service to their master’s purposes.
Paul uses this vivid metaphor to communicate several crucial truths:
- Exclusive allegiance: We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). We belong entirely either to sin or to God.
- Total commitment: Christianity isn’t a part-time hobby or one aspect of life; it claims our whole being.
- Willing submission: Unlike the slavery of Paul’s day, our slavery to God is voluntary—we “offer ourselves” (verse 13) and “obey from the heart” (verse 17).
- Identity transformation: A slave’s identity comes from their master. We are now defined by whose we are (God’s) rather than merely by who we are.
4. “The Benefit… Leads to Holiness, and the Result is Eternal Life”
The final portion of the verse describes the consequences of this new slavery to God. Paul identifies both an immediate benefit and an ultimate result.
The Immediate Benefit: Holiness/Sanctification
The word translated “holiness” (NIV) or “sanctification” (ESV) is the Greek hagiasmos, which means the process of being made holy, set apart for God’s purposes. Some translations say “the benefit you reap” (NIV) or “the fruit you get” (ESV), translating the Greek karpos, which means fruit or produce—the natural outcome or result of a process.
This indicates that holiness isn’t something we strain to achieve through sheer willpower; it’s the natural fruit of our new slavery to God. When we live under God’s lordship, empowered by His Spirit, holiness naturally develops. We progressively become more like Christ, more conformed to God’s character, more separated from sin, and dedicated to righteousness.
Paul emphasizes that this benefit “leads to” holiness—it’s a process, a journey, a progressive transformation. Sanctification isn’t instantaneous but occurs over time as we submit to God’s work in our lives. As Philippians 1:6 assures us, “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
This stands in stark contrast to the “benefit” of slavery to sin mentioned in verse 21: “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” The answer is none—or more accurately, the result was death. Sin promises pleasure, freedom, and fulfillment but delivers shame and death. Slavery to God promises apparent constraint but delivers genuine holiness and life.
The Ultimate Result: Eternal Life
The phrase “the result is eternal life” (Greek to de telos zōēn aiōnion) identifies the final outcome of this process. The word telos means end, goal, completion, or ultimate purpose. Eternal life is where this path leads, the destination toward which sanctification moves, the ultimate result of slavery to God.
It’s crucial to understand what “eternal life” means in biblical terms. It’s not merely endless existence (even the damned exist eternally) but rather the life of the age to come, resurrection life, life in God’s presence, life characterized by knowing God. Jesus defined it in John 17:3: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Eternal life begins now in one sense (John 5:24: “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life”) but will be fully realized in the resurrection. We currently experience eternal life in its inaugurated form—we know God, we have the Holy Spirit, we live under God’s rule. But the full experience awaits—when we see Him face to face, when mortality is swallowed up by life, when we dwell in the new heavens and new earth.
Paul’s point is that the trajectory of slavery to God leads inevitably to this glorious destination. The path of holiness terminates in eternal life. This contrasts sharply with verse 21, which stated that sin’s path terminates in death: “Those things result in death!”
Theological Implications
The Gospel of Transformation
Romans 6:22 encapsulates the gospel’s transformative power. The Christian life isn’t about trying harder to be good or managing our sin more effectively—it’s about a radical change of masters, a death to one way of life and resurrection to another.
This has profound implications for how we understand salvation. If salvation were merely forgiveness of sins while we remained enslaved to sin, we would be pardoned criminals still in prison. But salvation is liberation—being set free from sin and brought into the glorious freedom of serving God. Justification (being declared righteous) and sanctification (being made righteous) are inseparable aspects of the salvation Christ accomplished.
The Incompatibility of Sin and Grace
This verse undermines the question Paul posed at the chapter’s beginning: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” If we’ve been freed from sin and enslaved to God, continuing in sin makes no sense—it’s returning to a slavery from which we’ve been liberated. It’s like an emancipated slave voluntarily returning to the plantation.
Paul’s argument is not primarily, “Don’t sin because it’s wrong” (though it is) or “Don’t sin because there are consequences” (though there are), but rather, “Don’t sin because you’re no longer sin’s slave—you’ve been freed!” The indicative (what is true of us) becomes the foundation for the imperative (how we should live).
This addresses a fundamental misunderstanding about grace. Some fear that emphasizing grace will lead to license—if we’re saved by grace apart from works, won’t people just sin freely? But Paul answers that genuine grace transforms; it doesn’t leave us unchanged. Those truly freed from sin don’t desire to return to it; they desire holiness.
The Already/Not Yet of Christian Experience
Romans 6:22 reflects the “already/not yet” tension of Christian existence. We have already been freed from sin (past tense: “have been set free”), yet sanctification is ongoing (present reality: “the benefit you reap leads to holiness”), and glorification is still future (ultimate result: “eternal life” in its fullness).
We live between liberation and consummation, between resurrection and return, between conversion and completion. We are genuinely free from sin’s dominion, yet we still struggle with sin’s presence. We are genuinely holy (set apart for God), yet we’re still being made holy (progressively transformed).
This tension explains much of the Christian experience. We’re not yet what we will be, but we’re no longer what we were. The direction has changed, the trajectory is set, the outcome is certain—yet the journey continues.
Practical Applications
Identity Before Activity
Romans 6:22 teaches that our identity must inform our activity, not vice versa. We don’t become slaves of God by acting righteously; we act righteously because we have become slaves of God. We don’t earn our freedom from sin through holy living; we live holy lives because we’ve been freed from sin.
This is a liberating truth. We don’t have to perform to establish our identity; our identity in Christ is already established, and we live from that secure foundation. Our obedience flows from love and gratitude rather than from fear or the need to prove ourselves.
Holiness as Gift and Calling
Paul presents holiness as both a gift and a calling. It’s the “benefit” or “fruit” we receive—it comes from our new relationship with God, produced by the Spirit’s work in us. Yet Paul also commands us to “offer ourselves to God” (verse 13) and to “not let sin reign” (verse 12).
This means we pursue holiness not by trying harder in our own strength but by yielding to God’s work in us, by presenting ourselves to Him, by cooperating with the Spirit’s sanctifying activity. We’re neither passive (waiting for God to make us holy without any effort on our part) nor self-sufficient (trying to become holy through willpower). We’re actively dependent—working out what God is working in.
The Goal of the Christian Life
Romans 6:22 clarifies the Christian life’s goal: eternal life through progressive holiness. This should shape our priorities, decisions, and use of time and resources. If the ultimate “result” is eternal life, and the path is holiness, then we should orient our lives accordingly.
This means asking questions like: Is this activity leading me toward holiness or away from it? Does this relationship, habit, entertainment, or pursuit contribute to my sanctification or hinder it? Am I investing in what has eternal value or only in what’s temporary?
The goal isn’t legalistic perfection that destroys joy, but intentional discipleship that leads to Christlikeness and ultimately to eternal life in God’s presence.
Gratitude and Worship
Finally, Romans 6:22 should evoke profound gratitude. Consider what God has done: He freed us from slavery to sin (which we couldn’t escape ourselves), made us His own slaves (giving us identity, purpose, and security), is producing holiness in us (transforming us into Christ’s image), and has destined us for eternal life (guaranteeing our ultimate future).
This is all grace—unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor. Our proper response is worship, thanksgiving, and joyful submission to the Master who has done all this for us.
Conclusion
Romans 6:22 is a verse packed with gospel truth. It tells the story of radical transformation: from slavery to sin to slavery to God, from death’s path to eternal life’s path, from shame to holiness. It holds together what must not be separated: divine action and human response, freedom and slavery, present holiness and future glory.
For the believer, this verse provides both assurance and motivation. We are assured that we have truly been freed from sin—the break is real, the liberation complete. We are motivated to pursue holiness, knowing it’s the natural fruit of our new relationship with God and the path that leads to eternal life.
For the unbeliever, this verse presents the gospel’s offer and demand. The offer: freedom from sin and its deadly consequences. The demand: submission to God as Lord and Master. There is no third option, no middle ground. We are slaves either to sin or to God; the path leads either to death or to eternal life.
May we, who have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, joyfully embrace our new Master, pursue the holiness He produces in us, and set our hope firmly on the eternal life that awaits us—all to the praise of His glorious grace.