SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:16
¿O no sabis que a quien os presentis a vosotros mismos como siervos para obedecerle, sois siervos de aquel a quien obedecis, sea del pecado para muerte, o sea de la obediencia para justicia?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 6:16
Verse 16. To whom ye yield yourselves] Can you suppose that you should continue to be the servants of Christ if ye give way to sin? Is he not the master who exacts the service, and to whom the service is performed? Sin is the service of Satan; righteousness the service of Christ. If ye sin ye are the servants of Satan, and not the servants of God.
The word doulov, which we translate servant, properly signifies slave; and a slave among the Greeks and Romans was considered as his master's property, and he might dispose of him as he pleased. Under a bad master, the lot of the slave was most oppressive and dreadful; his ease and comfort were never consulted; he was treated worse than a beast; and, in many cases, his life hung on the mere caprice of the master. This state is the state of every poor, miserable sinner; he is the slave of Satan, and his own evil lusts and appetites are his most cruel task-masters. The same word is applied to the servants of Christ, the more forcibly to show that they are their Master's property; and that, as he is infinitely good and benevolent, therefore his service must be perfect freedom. Indeed, he exacts no obedience from them which he does not turn to their eternal advantage; for this master has no self-interest to secure. See on chap. i. 1.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves , etc..] The apostle goes on with his answer to the above objection, by making use of an argument from the nature of servants and their obedience, a thing well known to everyone, and which none could be ignorant of; which he delivers by way of distribution, that such who yield themselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or obedience unto righteousness : such who obey sin, are the servants of sin; they are at the beck and command of sin; they give up themselves to the service of it with delight and diligence, and are perfect drudges to it: this is a very unhappy situation; their service is very unreasonable; and they are rendered incapable of serving God, for no man can serve two masters; they are hereby brought into the drudgery of the devil; into a state of bondage, out of which nothing but grace can extricate them; into a very mean and contemptible condition, and even a deplorable one; for if grace prevent not, they will have the wages of sin paid them, which is death, for their obedience is of sin unto death; which will lie in an eternal separation from Father, Son, and Spirit, in a sense of divine wrath, and in the company of devils and damned spirits: now this is added, to show the malignant nature and just demerit of sin, and to deter and dissuade persons from the service of it: on the other hand, such as obey the Lord, are the servants of obedience unto righteousness: but why is not this obedience, which is the obedience of faith to the Gospel, of Christ, and of the new man to God or Christ, said to be unto life, as the antithesis seems to require? because though death is the fruit of sin, yet life is not the fruit of obedience, but the fruit of obedience is righteousness; by which is meant, nor a justifying one before God, but righteousness before men; or a course of living soberly and righteously, which is the effect of being under grace; and hence it appears, that true believers can make no such ill use of their privilege, as is suggested in the objection.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 16-20 - Every man is the servant of the master to whose commands he yield himself; whether it be the sinful dispositions of his heart, in action which lead to death, or the new and spiritual obedience implanted by regeneration. The apostle rejoiced now they obeyed from the heart the gospel, into which they were delivered as into a mould. As the sam metal becomes a new vessel, when melted and recast in another mould, s the believer has become a new creature. And there is great differenc in the liberty of mind and spirit, so opposite to the state of slavery which the true Christian has in the service of his rightful Lord, who he is enabled to consider as his Father, and himself as his son an heir, by the adoption of grace. The dominion of sin consists in being willingly slaves thereto, not in being harassed by it as a hated power struggling for victory. Those who now are the servants of God, onc were the slaves of sin.
Greek Textus Receptus
ουκ 3756 PRT-N οιδατε 1492 5758 V-RAI-2P οτι 3754 CONJ ω 3739 R-DSN παριστανετε 3936 5719 V-PAI-2P εαυτους 1438 F-3APM δουλους 1401 N-APM εις 1519 PREP υπακοην 5218 N-ASF δουλοι 1401 N-NPM εστε 2075 5748 V-PXI-2P ω 3739 R-DSN υπακουετε 5219 5719 V-PAI-2P ητοι 2273 CONJ αμαρτιας 266 N-GSF εις 1519 PREP θανατον 2288 N-ASM η 2228 PRT υπακοης 5218 N-GSF εις 1519 PREP δικαιοσυνην 1343 N-ASF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. Servants (doulouv). Every man must choose between two ethical principles. Whichever one he chooses is master, and he is its bond-servant. Compare Matt. vi. 24; vii. 18.Sin unto death - obedience unto righteousness. The antithesis is not direct - sin unto death, obedience unto life; but obedience is the true antithesis of sin, since sin is disobedience, and righteousness is life.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
6:16 {His servants ye are whom ye obey} (douloi este hwi hupakouete). Bondservants, slaves of the one whom ye obey, whatever one's profession may be, traitors, spies sometimes they are called. As Paul used the figure to illustrate death to Sin and resurrection to new life in Christ and not in Sin, so now he uses slavery against the idea of occasional lapses into Sin. Loyalty to Christ will not permit occasional crossing over to the other side to Satan's line.
