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the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Wycliffe Bible

Romans 6:20

For whanne ye weren seruauntis of synne, ye weren fre of riytfulnesse.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Depravity of Man;   Holiness;   Regeneration;   Righteous;   Righteousness;   Servant;   The Topic Concordance - Death;   Righteousness;   Servants;   Sin;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Doctrines of the Gospel, the;   Liberty, Christian;   Righteousness;   Titles and Names of the Wicked;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Freedom;   Holiness;   Sanctification;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Body;   Freedom;   Philippians, Theology of;   Slave, Slavery;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Antinomianism;   Flesh;   Human Free Will;   Life;   Romans, Book of;   Sanctification;   Slave/servant;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Redeemer, Redemption;   Romans, Epistle to the;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Bondage;   Debt, Debtor;   Free Will;   Hell;   Liberty (2);   Regeneration;   Righteousness;   Sin;   Sin (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Liberty;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for November 25;   My Utmost for His Highest - Devotion for October 9;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.
King James Version (1611)
For when yee were the seruants of sinne ye were free from righteousnesse.
King James Version
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
English Standard Version
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
New American Standard Bible
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relation to righteousness.
New Century Version
In the past you were slaves to sin, and goodness did not control you.
Amplified Bible
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness [you had no desire to conform to God's will].
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Legacy Standard Bible
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Berean Standard Bible
For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness.
Contemporary English Version
When you were slaves of sin, you didn't have to please God.
Complete Jewish Bible
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in relationship to righteousness;
Darby Translation
For when ye were bondmen of sin ye were free from righteousness.
Easy-to-Read Version
In the past you were slaves to sin, and you did not even think about doing right.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For when ye were the seruants of sinne, ye were freed from righteousnesse.
George Lamsa Translation
For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Good News Translation
When you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Lexham English Bible
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with respect to righteousness.
Literal Translation
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free as to righteousness.
American Standard Version
For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
Bible in Basic English
When you were servants of sin you were free from righteousness.
Hebrew Names Version
For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
International Standard Version
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free as far as righteousness was concerned.John 8:34;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
For when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Murdock Translation
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were emancipated from righteousness.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For when ye were the seruauntes of sinne, ye were free from ryghteousnesse.
English Revised Version
For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
World English Bible
For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Weymouth's New Testament
For when you were the bondservants of sin, you were under no sort of subjection to Righteousness.
Update Bible Version
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard of righteousness.
Webster's Bible Translation
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
New English Translation
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.
New King James Version
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
New Living Translation
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.
New Life Bible
When sin had power over your life, you were not right with God.
New Revised Standard
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, when ye were servants of sin, ye were free as to righteousness; -
Douay-Rheims Bible
For when you were the servants of sin, you were free men to justice.
Revised Standard Version
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For when ye were the servauntes of synne ye were not vnder rightewesnes.
Young's Literal Translation
for when ye were servants of the sin, ye were free from the righteousness,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For whan ye were the seruauntes of synne, ye were lowse from righteousnes.
Mace New Testament (1729)
for when ye were the vassals of sin, ye were not in the service of virtue.
THE MESSAGE
As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn't have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you're proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.
Simplified Cowboy Version
When you rode for sin, it didn't matter how things were done on God's outfit.

Contextual Overview

1 Therfor what schulen we seie? Schulen we dwelle in synne, that grace be plenteuouse? 2 God forbede. For hou schulen we that ben deed to synne, lyue yit ther ynne? 3 Whether, britheren, ye knowen not, that whiche euere we ben baptisid in Crist Jhesu, we ben baptisid in his deth? 4 For we ben togidere biried with hym bi baptym `in to deth; that as Crist aroos fro deth bi the glorie of the fadir, so walke we in a newnesse of lijf. 5 For if we plauntid togidere ben maad to the licnesse of his deth, also we schulen be of the licnesse of his risyng ayen; 6 witynge this thing, that oure olde man is crucified togidere, that the bodi of synne be distruyed, that we serue no more to synne. 7 For he that is deed, is iustefied fro synne. 8 And if we ben deed with Crist, we bileuen that also we schulen lyue togidere with hym; 9 witinge for Crist, rysynge ayen fro deth, now dieth not, deeth schal no more haue lordschip on hym. 10 For that he was deed to synne, he was deed onys; but that he lyueth, he liueth to God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the servants: Romans 6:16, Romans 6:17, John 8:34

from: Gr. to

Reciprocal: Psalms 107:10 - bound Romans 6:18 - servants Colossians 3:7 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God blesside hem, and seide, Encreesse ye, and be ye multiplied, and fille ye the erthe, and make ye it suget, and be ye lordis to fischis of the see, and to volatilis of heuene, and to alle lyuynge beestis that ben moued on erthe.
Genesis 2:19
Therfor whanne alle lyuynge beestis of erthe, and alle the volatils of heuene weren formed of erthe, the Lord God brouyte tho to Adam, that he schulde se what he schulde clepe tho; for al thing that Adam clepide of lyuynge soule, thilke is the name therof.
Genesis 6:8
Forsothe Noe foond grace bifore the Lord.
Genesis 6:11
Forsothe the erthe was corrupt bifore God, and was fillid with wickidnes.
Genesis 6:12
And whanne God seiy, that the erthe was corrupt, for ech fleisch ether man hadde corrupt his weie on erthe,
Genesis 6:16
Thou schalt make a wyndow in the schip, and thou schalt ende the hiynesse therof in a cubite; sotheli thou schalt sette the dore of the schip in the side binethe; thou shalt make soleris and placis of thre chaumbris in the schip.
Genesis 6:20
of briddis bi her kynde, and of werk beestis in her kynde, and of ech crepynge beeste of erthe, by her kynde; tweyne and tweyne of alle schulen entre with thee, that thei moun lyue.
John 5:40
And ye wolen not come to me, that ye haue lijf.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For when ye were the servants of sin,.... This is an argument used, or a reason given, why regenerate persons should be diligent in the service of righteousness; because when they were employed in the drudgery of sin, they

were free from righteousness; they had no righteousness, nor were they desirous of any; yea, averse to it, threw off the yoke of the law of righteousness, and lived in a very unrighteous manner: hence may be observed what is the free will of man in an unregenerate state; not free to, but "from" righteousness; free enough to evil, but from all that is good; and also what obligation lies upon believers, who are delivered from the bondage of corruption, and the servitude of sin, to a life and service of righteousness; inasmuch as they were before free from it, and unconcerned about it, but are now made by the grace of God free to it, they ought therefore cheerfully to pursue it, and neglect no opportunity of performing it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Romans 6:20. 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 endeavoured 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 colours 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.


 
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