“And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” – Romans 6:18 (NKJV)

Given how highly we value our personal freedom today, the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 6:18 may sound strange. Who wants to be a slave to anything? Yet Paul presents us with an interesting idea: true freedom comes through a certain kind of slavery.

This verse appears at an important moment in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Having explained we’re made right with God (justified) through faith alone, Paul now answers an important question: Does God’s grace mean we can keep sinning? His answer—an emphatic No—shows salvation changes us completely. The idea that believers trade slavery to sin for slavery to righteousness helps us understand what true freedom really means for Christians…

 

SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS: FIRST, THE CONTEXT

To understand Paul’s metaphor, we need to know its context. Slavery was very common in Rome in the first century. In using this comparison, Paul, therefore, speaks in terms his readers would immediately understand. Slavery meant complete ownership, total submission, even a fundamental change of identity.

Remember we’re under a new covenant now: The metaphor of slavery connects well with covenant theology.—the teaching that the Bible presents humanity as either being “in Adam” (under the covenant of works) or “in Christ” (under the covenant of grace). There is no middle ground—every person serves either sin or righteousness.

Remember sanctification must follow justification: Romans 6 comes at a key point in Paul’s argument. Having established we’re declared righteous by God through faith alone (justification) in chapters 3-5, Paul now explains how justified believers grow in holiness (sanctification). The slavery metaphor connects these ideas, in showing being made right with God necessarily leads to a new life directed toward righteousness.

Remember salvation is God’s doing—from start to finish: A central belief in Reformed theology is God’s complete control over salvation. Our transfer from being slaves to sin to becoming slaves to righteousness isn’t something we initiate ourselves but is accomplished by God’s powerful calling and life-giving work. As the Westminster Confession states, God “effectually calls” His chosen ones, “taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good.”

 

UNDERSTANDING FREEDOM FROM SIN

The Reformed doctrine of total depravity provides the dark background against which freedom from sin shines brightly. Before conversion, we aren’t just influenced by sin but enslaved to it. As John Calvin explains in his writings, our natural human will “is not only captive and prisoner to sin, but also loves its captivity.” Our bondage is so deep that we willingly choose sin, mistaking its chains for freedom.

Christ addresses not only the guilt of sin, but also the power of sin: Christ’s work on the cross addresses not only sin’s punishment but also its power. Justification means God legally declares us righteous before Him, while sanctification is the process where sin’s power in our lives is gradually broken. We’re freed from sin’s control, not just its condemnation.

Our freedom comes through our union with Christ: As Calvin stated, “We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us.” Through faith, we’re united to Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-5), meaning His victory over sin becomes our victory.

Definitive sanctification: The Reformed teaching of definitive sanctification captures this reality. At conversion, there’s a decisive break with sin’s control, even as the struggle against sin within us continues. As Puritan John Owen wrote, “Sin may be conceived to have a double being—first, as it is in its own nature; secondly, as it is in the law.” In Christ, sin’s legal claim over us is forever broken.

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE

The Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration (being born again) creates within us new desires and abilities that make obedience possible. Far from being forced compliance, our service to righteousness becomes an expression of our new nature.

This divine empowerment maintains God’s control while establishing genuine human responsibility. As the Westminster Confession states, God works “yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures.” The Spirit enables us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” precisely because “it is God who works in us to will and to act” (Philippians 2:12-13).

Reformed theology emphasises the relationship between what Christ has done (the indicative) and what we’re called to do (the imperative). Our identity as slaves of righteousness (what we are) is the foundation for Paul’s commands to live righteously (what we should do). We don’t obey to become righteous; we obey because in Christ, we are righteous.

 

CONCLUSION: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS?

The paradox of Romans 6:18 challenges our notions on  freedom. In our culture’s constant pursuit of independence, Paul’s language of slavery to righteousness sounds like going backward rather than forward. Yet Reformed theology helps us see the deep truth behind the metaphor: true freedom comes not through self-determination but through joyful submission to our Creator’s design.

The journey from slavery to sin to slavery to righteousness is at the heart of salvation. It reminds us Christianity isn’t just about forgiveness but transformation—it isn’t just a change in status but a change in nature. Through union with Christ, we experience not only being declared righteous (justification) but also the joyful freedom of becoming who we were created to be.

As we embrace this slavery willingly, we discover what Augustine long ago observed: “For this is the sweet and true liberty, to serve righteousness with joy.” In dying to ourselves, we find life. In surrendering our independence, we gain true freedom. In becoming slaves to righteousness, we experience the wonderful liberty of the children of God.

 

SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS: RELATED POSTS:

Isn’t “slavery to righteousness” just another way of saying we’re saved by good works? Not at all. Our good works are the result of salvation, not its cause. We’re saved by grace through faith alone, but that saving faith never remains alone—it always produces the fruit of obedience. Our slavery to righteousness is the effect of our justification, not its cause.

• Does “slavery to righteousness” mean we have no free will? While sin has corrupted our will, making us unable to choose God on our own, being set free from sin restores our ability to choose righteousness. This isn’t determinism but liberation—our new nature in Christ desires what God desires. We now freely choose righteousness because our hearts have been changed.
• How is the Reformed understanding of “slavery to righteousness” different from other Christian traditions? The Reformed tradition emphasises that this slavery is entirely God’s work, not a cooperative effort between God and us. Unlike some traditions that emphasise human free will in sanctification, Reformed theology sees even our growth in righteousness as God’s gracious work in us. God gets all the glory for both our justification and sanctification.

If I’m a “slave to righteousness,” why do I still struggle with sin? Reformed theology recognises the “already but not yet” nature of our salvation. While sin’s dominion is broken definitively (already), we still battle indwelling sin until glorification (not yet). As Calvin described it, we’re “simul justus et peccator”—simultaneously justified and sinful. The struggle itself is evidence we’re no longer comfortable under sin’s reign.

• How should “slavery to righteousness” affect my daily spiritual disciplines? It transforms them from duty into delight. Spiritual disciplines aren’t ways to earn God’s favour but means of experiencing the grace we already have. Prayer, Bible study, worship, and other disciplines become channels through which God strengthens our new identity as slaves of righteousness. We practice these disciplines not to become righteous but because we’re already righteous in Christ.
• What does it practically mean to “put sin to death” in the Christian life? Mortification of sin means actively opposing sin’s influence through the Spirit’s power. This involves identifying specific sins, confessing them, turning from them, and replacing them with righteous patterns. John Owen famously wrote, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you”—highlighting that this is an active, ongoing process that depends on the Spirit’s power, not our willpower.

How does being a “slave to righteousness” affect how I interact with the broader culture? It means living as “resident aliens” whose primary allegiance is to Christ’s kingdom. While we’re fully engaged in culture, we approach it with discernment—affirming what aligns with God’s righteousness and rejecting what doesn’t. Rather than withdrawing from culture or being absorbed by it, we seek to transform it through faithful presence and witness to Christ’s lordship.

 

SLAVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS: OUR RELATED POSTS

• Sanctification Explained: What Does It Mean to Work Out Our Salvation?
• Salvation: By Faith Or Works? Or Both?
• Mortifying the Deeds of the Flesh: What It Means & Why It Matters
• Why Can’t I Stop Sinning? The Christian’s Ongoing Struggle with Sin
• Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ: What Does the Bible Mean?
• Questions About The Cross: The Bible’s Answers