6:22a–c
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness: A person is set free from sin and becomes a slave of God when he believes in Jesus. So the word now refers to the present time in the life of the believer. Some languages will need to connect the word now with the words you reap. For example:
But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification (NET Bible)
-or-
But you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God and now the fruit you reap leads to holiness
6:22a
But: Many languages will see contrast between the fruit of deeds of someone before he believes in Jesus (6:21) and the fruit of his deeds now that he believes (6:22c–d). But it may be more natural in some languages to omit this word here for the correct meaning.
that you have been set free from sin: This clause indicates that God had earlier removed believers from being under the control of the power of sin, like a slave is removed from his owner. See how your translated the phrase set free from sin in 6:18.
6:22b
have become slaves to God: As with the other uses of slaves and “slavery” in these verses, the word slaves here is a figure of speech referring to submission and obedience to God. In some languages it is more natural to indicate that it is a figure of speech. For example:
have become as/like slaves of God
-or-
have been made as those submitted to God like slaves
6:22c
the fruit you reap: Like harvesting fruit, this phrase refers to the benefit the believers received from good deeds from their faith in Jesus.
leads to holiness: The Greek phrase is literally “into sanctification.” It indicates that a life obeying God causes the person to become more and more holy. See how you translated the same Greek phrase (Berean Standard Bible: “leading to holiness”) in 6:19.
6:22d
the outcome: Here the word outcome refers to the outcome or result of the fruit of the deeds that the believers do. The meaning of the word outcome is the same as in 6:21c. See how you translated it there.
eternal life: This phrase refers to life that never ends. It implies life that will never become bad. See how you translated it in 2:7 or 5:21.
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