17. In the past you were slaves to sin—sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed what you were taught.
18. You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to what is right.
19. I use this example from everyday life because you need help in understanding spiritual truths. In the past you offered the parts of your body to be slaves to your immoral and sinful thoughts. The result was that you lived only for sin. In the same way, you must now offer yourselves to be slaves to what is right. Then you will live only for God.
20. In the past you were slaves to sin, and you did not even think about doing right.
21. You did evil things, and now you are ashamed of what you did. Did those things help you? No, they only brought death.
22. But now you are free from sin. You have become slaves of God, and the result is that you live only for God. This will bring you eternal life.
23. When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death. But God gives his people a free gift—eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.