Romans 6:16–22

¹⁶Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey^y—whether you are slaves to sin,^z which leads to death,^a or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷But thanks be to God^b that, though you used to be slaves to sin,^c you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching^d that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin^e and have become slaves to righteousness.^f

¹⁹I am using an example from everyday life^g because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness^h leading to holiness. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin,ⁱ you were free from the control of righteousness.^{j 21}What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!^{k 22}But now that you have been set free from sin^l and have become slaves of God,^m the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.ⁿ