Definition: I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
Explanation: Okay, let's break down this verse from Romans 6:19. Itâs a really important and slightly poetic passage about letting go of our old ways and moving towards good things. Hereâs a simplified explanation: The Core Idea: Itâs telling us to shift our focus from what we've done wrong (our âuncleannessâ or âiniquityâ) to something better â becoming more righteous. Letâs unpack it word by word: âI speak after the manner of menâŠâ - This is a bit tricky, but it means Paul isnât speaking in a formal, textbook way. He's using language that feels relatable and practical for people living in the ancient world. Heâs talking about our experience of being flawed. ââŠbecause of the infirmity of your fleshâŠâ - "Infirmity" means weakness or imperfection. âYour fleshâ refers to our physical body â what we do with it, and how we behave. It's pointing out that weâre not perfect, and sometimes, our bodies can be messy or bad choices. ââŠfor as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquityâŠâ - This is the key part! âYieldingâ means letting something go. âMembersâ refers to our parts â our thoughts, actions, and desires. Paul is saying that weâve given ourselves over to things that are wrong and bad â like being tempted by sin or acting unrightfully. He's comparing it to servants who work for someone else, but instead of serving them well, theyâre doing something messy and bad themselves. âUncleannessâ and âiniquityâ are basically words for âsinâ and âbad behavior.â âeven so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.â - This is the promise Paul makes. It means: "Now, as you've let go of your old ways, now turn your attention back to good things â to doing whatâs right and pleasing God.â âRighteousnessâ is about being morally perfect. It's about living in accordance with Godâs will. So, itâs about becoming more like God through our actions and thoughts. In a nutshell: Paul isnât saying we should be perfect. Heâs saying that if weâve been flawed in the past, we can choose to shift our focus to good behavior and become more like Christ â who is perfect and righteous. It's about letting go of our bad habits and striving for a better life. Think of it this way: Just like a servant doesnât work on someone elseâs job, we shouldn't be working on ourselves in ways that are harmful or wrong. We need to put our focus back on God and doing what is right. --- Do you want me to: Explain any of these parts in more detail? Give a relatable example (like a common temptation)?