You were set free from sin may be translated: “you were released
from the power of sin” or “God set you free from the power of sin.” Became the slaves of righteousness may
be translated as “became slaves to do what is right.” However, such an
expression can be badly misunderstood, and it may be appropriate to introduce God at this point in parallelism with
verse 22 (namely, slaves of God) and
therefore read: “became the slaves of God in order to do what is right.” (Barclay
Moon Newman and Eugene Albert Nida, A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the
Romans [UBS Handbook Series; New York: United Bible Societies, 1973], 122)
Romans 6:22
Set free is in Greek a participle which the TEV
renders as a finite verb (see also JB), with the result that only coordinate
constructions appear in this verse. Paul was very fond of using subordinate
clauses, but in English it is sometimes more natural to transform them into
coordinate structures. If the agent of the passive verbs in this verse (have been set free … are) must be
expressed, then God is the agent: “but now God has set you free from sin and
made you his slaves.”
You have been set free from
sin can only be
interpreted psychologically in some languages—for example, “you have been set
free from the strong desires to sin” or “God has set you free, so you are not
controlled by the strong desires to sin” or “… do not do what your desires to
sin tell you to do.”
In Greek were set free from sin
and are the slaves of God are both
aorist participles, referring to events that have already taken place. In fact,
these events are best looked upon as having taken place simultaneously, even
though the TEV suggests successive actions.
And the result is similar to the expression rendered
result in the previous verse. (Barclay Moon Newman and Eugene Albert
Nida, A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans [UBS Handbook Series;
New York: United Bible Societies, 1973], 125)
