For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.
For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.
For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
When you were servants of sin you were free from righteousness.
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
Ye were free from righteousness - These two servitudes are incompatible; if we cannot serve God and Mammon, surely we cannot serve Christ and Satan. We must be either sinners or saints; God's servants or the devil's slaves. It cannot be as a good mistaken man has endeavored to sing: -
"To good and evil equal bent,
I'm both a devil and a saint."
I know not whether it be possible to paint the utter prevalence of sin in stronger colors than the apostle does here, by saying they were Free from righteousness. It seems tantamount to that expression in Genesis, Genesis 6:5, where, speaking of the total degeneracy of the human race, the writer says, Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. They were all corrupt; they were altogether abominable: there was none that did good; no, not one.
Ye were free from righteousness - That is, in your former state, you were not at all under the influence of righteousness. You were entirely devoted to sin; a strong expression of total depravity. It settles the question; and proves that they had no native goodness. The argument which is implied here rather than expressed is, that now they ought to be equally free from sin, since they had become released from their former bondage, and had become the servants of another master.
6:20 When ye were the servants of sin, ye were free fromrighteousness - In all reason, therefore, ye ought now to be free from unrighteousness; to be as uniform and zealous in serving God as ye were in serving the devil.