Some interpret Romans 6:18-20 to indicate that we were once slaves to sin (especially since Paul says “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.”).
Calvinism doesn’t contradict itself in this regard. Neither does Classic Arminianism (which has God ordaining “evil”). You’d be better served to simply state that you do not believe Calvinism or Arminianism to adequately address the problem of evil and tackle it from a strict free-will standpoint (if that is what you believe).
I understand being a "servant" differently than most. When the scriptures say we were servants to sin, most understand that to mean that man is compelled to sin, that man MUST sin, a man is controlled by his sin nature that causes him to sin. I believe this is a total misunderstanding of what the scriptures are saying.
I understand being a servant more as being "owned" by sin, as being a possession of sin. It doesn't matter how good you are when you are owned by sin, sin only pays one wage, and that is death.
So, I do not believe scripture is teaching that a man MUST sin whatsoever, but it is teaching that no matter what you do, you are owned and possessed by sin, and sin is going to pay you the wage of death. There is no escape, except through Jesus Christ.
When we accept Jesus we are baptized into his body. When he died to sin, we died along with him. Sin no longer has a hold on us, it no longer owns us or possesses us, we are free from sin. Likewise, when Jesus rose from the dead, we rose with him. We are no longer under the law, but under grace.
That this is the meaning is also shown when Paul uses the analogy of marriage to show how we are owned or possessed by the law.
Rom 7:1 Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,)
how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress:
but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
4 Wherefore, my brethren,
ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Here Paul says the law owned or possessed us as a husband owns or possesses his wife. Is a wife compelled to always obey her hustand? Hardly. :laugh:
But a woman is owned and possessed by her husband as long as he lives. But if he dies she is free from him and allowed to marry another. And Paul says now we are married to Christ. Are we compelled to obey Jesus? Again, hardly. We should obey, but we are in no way compelled.
So, I do not understand being a servant to sin as meaning we MUST sin, I understand it as being under sin's dominion. It is like being owned or a possession, we cannot get away from this ownership, except through death, which is to die with Christ.
So you see, with this concept, scripture takes on a completely different meaning than what most folks hold.
Rom 6:20 For
when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?
for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life.
23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Verse 20- There is no righteousness available to you when you belong to sin, his only wage is death.
Verse 22- We have been made free from sin, we have died with Christ and are raised with him. The gift of God through Jesus is everlasting life.
Folks make a mistake when they believe the scriptures are saying we are compelled to sin, that is easily refuted;
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin,
but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin,
ye became the servants of righteousness.
Paul shows OPTION here, he says that to whom we YIELD (ability of option/choice) ourselves servants to obey, his servants we are to whom we obey WHETHER (again showing we have option) we serve sin to death, OR (again, option) obedience (to the gospel) to righteousness. And Paul shows that persons who formally belonged to sin have obeyed the gospel and have BECOME servants of righteousness.
Paul does not teach we are compelled to sin by our sin nature whatsoever, he teaches the exact opposite, that we have option and choice.
