SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:17
Gracias a Dios, que aunque fuisteis siervos del pecado, habis obedecido de corazn a la forma de doctrina a la cual sois entregados;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 6:17
Verse 17. But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin] This verse should be read thus: But thanks be to God that, although ye were the servants of sin, nevertheless ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered unto you; or, that mould of teaching into which ye were cast. The apostle does not thank God that they were sinners; but that, although they were such, they had now received and obeyed the Gospel. The Hebrew phrase, Isa. xii. 1, is exactly the same as that of the apostle here: In that day thou shalt say, I will praise thee, for thou wast angry with me: that is, although thou wast angry with me, thou hast turned away thy wrath, &c. That form of doctrine] tupon didachv; here Christianity is represented under the notion of a mould, or die, into which they were cast, and from which they took the impression of its excellence. The figure upon this die is the image of God, righteousness and true holiness, which was stamped on their souls in believing the Gospel and receiving the Holy Ghost. The words eiv on paredoqhte tupon refer to the melting of metal; which, when it is liquified, is cast into the mould, that it may receive the impression that is sunk or cut in the mould; and therefore the words may be literally translated, into which mould of doctrine ye have been cast.
They were melted down under the preaching of the word, and then were capable of receiving the stamp of its purity.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 17. But God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin , etc..] Not that the apostle must be thought to give thanks to God for that these persons had been the servants of sin, than which nothing is more disagreeable to God, or caused more shame to themselves; but that inasmuch as they had been in the drudgery and service of sin, they were now freed from it. Just as if a person, that has been a slave for some time in Algiers, should bless God, or be thankful to the instrument of his deliverance, that whereas he had been in such slavery, he is now redeemed from it: wherefore it is added, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you . By the form of doctrine, is meant the Gospel, which is the doctrine of the Scriptures, of Christ and his apostles, and is sound and according to godliness; and is a form, or contains a summary and compendium of truths, and is a pattern or exemplar, according to which ministers are to preach, and people to hear and receive. So the word spwj which is the same with tupov here, is used by the Jewish writers for a form, copy, pattern, or exemplar of any sort of writings This form of doctrine is hlbq , a Cabala, but not like that of the Jews' oral law, or form of traditions f119 , handed down, as they say, from one man, and set of men, to another; but this is delivered from the Father to Christ, from Christ to his apostles, and by them to the saints; and into which they were delivered, as it may be rendered, as into a mould; and so received the impression of it, and were evangelized by it: so such are who have a spirit of Gospel liberty, in opposition to a spirit of bondage; who live by faith on Christ, and not by the works of the law; who derive their comfort from him, and not from anything done by them; whose repentance and obedience are influenced by the grace of God, and who are zealous of good works, without any dependence on them. This form of doctrine was obeyed by them; by which is meant, not a mere obedience to the ordinances of the Gospel; nor a bare hearing of the doctrines of it, and giving an assent unto them; but an embracing of them by faith for themselves, so as to lay hold on Christ in them, submit to his righteousness therein revealed, and be willing to be saved by him, and him alone, in his own way; and this is the obedience of faith: the reason why faith is expressed by obedience is, because faith receives truth upon the veracity of God, and not upon the dictates of carnal reason; and is always more or less attended with external obedience to the will of God; and that is rightly performed only by faith.
And this obedience did not lie in words, or proceed on mercenary views, and in an hypocritical way; but was from the heart; and was real and sincere: and good reason there is why a hearty, cheerful, and voluntary obedience should be yielded to t he Gospel; since it is from God; Christ is the substance of it; it is truth, and the word of our salvation. The Alexandrian copy reads, from a pure heart; and the Arabic version, from the sincerity of your heart; and the Ethiopic version, with your whole heart.
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
χαρις 5485 N-NSF δε 1161 CONJ τω 3588 T-DSM θεω 2316 N-DSM οτι 3754 CONJ ητε 2258 5713 V-IXI-2P δουλοι 1401 N-NPM της 3588 T-GSF αμαρτιας 266 N-GSF υπηκουσατε 5219 5656 V-AAI-2P δε 1161 CONJ εκ 1537 PREP καρδιας 2588 N-GSF εις 1519 PREP ον 3739 R-ASM παρεδοθητε 3860 5681 V-API-2P τυπον 5179 N-ASM διδαχης 1322 N-GSF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
17. That ye were. The peculiar form of expression is explained in two ways; either making the thanksgiving bear only on the second proposition, ye obeyed, etc., and regarding the first as inserted by way of contrast or background to the salutary moral change: or, emphasizing were; ye were the servants of sin, but are so no more. Rev. adopts the former, and inserts whereas.From the heart. See on i. 21.
Form of doctrine (tupon didachv). Rev., form of teaching. For tupon, see on 1 Pet. v. 3. The Pauline type of teaching as contrasted with the Judaistic forms of Christianity. Compare my gospel, ii. 16; xvi. 25. Others explain as the ideal or pattern presented by the gospel. Form of teaching, however, seems to point to a special and precisely defined type of christian instruction.
Was delivered unto you (eiv dn paredoqhte). But this rendering is impossible. Render, as Rev., whereunto ye were delivered. For the verb, see on iv. 25. They had been handed over to the educative power of this form of teaching.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
6:17 {Whereas ye were} (ete). Imperfect but no "whereas" in the Greek. Paul is not grateful that they were once slaves of Sin, but only that, though they once were, they turned from that state. {To that form of doctrine whereunto ye were delivered} (eis hon paredoqete tupon didaces). Incorporation of the antecedent (tupon didachs) into the relative clause: "to which form of doctrine ye were delivered." See on 5:14 for tupon. It is hardly proper to take "form" here to refer to Paul's gospel (#2:16), possibly an allusion to the symbolism of baptism which was the outward sign of the separation.
