Paul writes in Romans 6:17, “You were slaves of sin.” But what exactly does that mean? After all, we see plenty of people who don’t know Christ making moral choices, loving their families, and even sacrificing for others.
So if unsaved people can walk in what looks like goodness, how can Paul call them slaves to sin?
Enslavement to Sin Is About Rule, Not Activity
When Paul speaks of slavery, he’s not saying unbelievers commit the maximum evil at every turn. The Greek word for “slave” (doulos) means being under the authority of a master. Before salvation, that master is sin.
This means:
- Sin defines the realm they live in (Romans 5:12).
- Sin shapes the identity of being “in Adam.”
- Even when doing good, they cannot escape sin’s dominion apart from Christ.
So slavery here is not about every single act looking wicked, but about who rules the heart at its deepest level.
Why Unbelievers Can Still Do “Good”
Because all people are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and benefit from His common grace (Matthew 5:45), even unbelievers are capable of outwardly moral and admirable deeds. Parents care for children, strangers show compassion, citizens serve sacrificially.
Yet Paul adds in Romans 14:23: “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” That means good deeds apart from faith are still marked by self at the center. The motives, however subtle, often involve:
- Identity: “I’m a good person.”
- Security: “This gives me peace of mind.”
- Reputation: “Others will respect me.”
- Reciprocity: “If I do this, maybe I’ll be treated well too.”
So yes, people can choose “good” over “bad,” but they cannot produce the kind of righteousness that flows from God’s Spirit. Even when you read the moral writings of the Stoics, you’ll see that the motive behind virtue often aligned with one of these self-centered roots.
The Turning Point: Dying to Sin’s Mastery
Paul explains that at salvation, “our old self was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be rendered powerless”(Romans 6:6). This doesn’t mean we never sin again. It means sin no longer owns us.
- Before: sin was the master, and we couldn’t leave its domain.
- After: we are placed in Christ, transferred into His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Now, sin is no longer our master (Romans 6:14).
This change transformed the very source from which our actions proceed.
A Grace Perspective
Unbelievers can do “nice things,” but they cannot bear spiritual fruit. Fruit comes only from the vine, Christ Himself (John 15:5). Without Him, even the best-looking deeds are rooted in self deep inside.
But once we’re in Christ, the Spirit produces a new kind of life in us — one that’s not about proving ourselves but about expressing His love. Our works become an overflow of who we already are in Him, not an attempt to establish an identity.
That’s why the flesh, the old mindset, is all about the self, and it is possible to let flesh reign in us, though we have been freed from sin.
Unbelievers may do good out of conscience, social norms, self-interest, emotional reward, or belief systems. But even the purest motives remain tainted by self at some level, because they aren’t rooted in faith and union with Christ (Romans 14:23). Only the Spirit produces fruit that is truly eternal and selfless.
Conclusion
Being enslaved to sin doesn’t mean every action of an unbeliever looks evil. It means sin rules the realm they live in, coloring even their best deeds with self at the center. They can choose kindness over cruelty, but they cannot escape the dominion of sin or bear fruit that lasts eternally.
The good news is that in Christ, the slavery is broken. We are no longer defined by sin’s mastery but by Christ’s life within us. Before salvation, every deed had an element of “about me.” After salvation, our deeds flow from “about Him.”
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