SLAVES TO SIN VS. SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS (ROMANS 6.15-23)

Paul’s theological reasoning did not appeal his enemies to repent. In contrast they tirelessly tested Paul. In Romans 6.15-23, they again asked, ‘Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?’ They tried to bargain by lowering the request from ‘can we continue to live in our old sinful nature?’ to ‘Can we occasionally do sin?’ The reason behind the request is changed from ‘the magnitude of God’s grace’ to ‘since we are not under the law but under grace’ (cf. 6.1, 15). ‘Continue to sin’ seems to be more serious and fatal than ‘to sin occasionally.’ As human being we sin on daily basis anyway. Would Paul approve this request? The enemies cleverly pinpointed Paul’s own thesis on freedom the law. Paul’s strongest argument upon freedom in Christ became now a boomerang to himself. For these hypocrites, freedom from the law was understood as an ignorance of the law-lifestyle. How did the apostle Paul respond to this debate?

Paul again used day to day imagery to respond to the challenge of his enemies. He first brought up the imagery of slavery (vv.16-20). First century slavery was different from our view of 16^th-19^th Century slavery. Slavery was common in Paul’s time; it was not a negative terminology. Yet, the common rules applied: (1) slaves belonged to and worked for a master; (2) they had to obey to their master because they were already purchased; (3) a master however was responsible for the life of his or her slaves.

The adversaries thought that God’s grace freed them from the bondage of law, and they understood this freedom as a complete freedom to do anything they wanted to do, including to sin. While Paul’s enemies always argued for ‘freedom from the law’ (quoting Paul’s own statement in 6.14), Paul’s rhetoric strategy was here to consistently argue for ‘freedom from sin.’ Paul would not allow for further public misinterpretation, by stressing that his main concern in Romans 5-6 was the powerful grace of God over against the deadly problem of sin - not the law.

What new in Paul’s argument is the fact that believers were freed from one type of slavery to be in different kind of slavery. Paul argued that believers were freed from slavery to sin to be slaves to the truth and righteousness of God. Are we now free? The answer is YES and NO. We are free from the power of sin, and thus we are not free to sin. Are we now still slaves? The answer is again YES and NO. We are no longer slaves to sin, BUT WE ARE NOW SLAVES to righteousness. Indeed we are no better than slaves to the righteousness of God. We are now not free but to obey God and his all eternal truth.

Paul was here trying to deepening his thought. Believers are in fact not only transformed from old sinful nature into a new life in Christ, believers are also transported from old slavery to sin into a new kind of slavery to righteousness. These transformation and transportation processes are facilitated and made possible by external powerful agent (6.17). Believers are encouraged to be thankful to God without whom sin will continue to exercise its power.

The second imagery used by Paul is an agricultural terms ‘reaping’ and ‘fruit.’ Fruit illustrates result or impact of several actions or processes. Slavery to righteousness leads towards holiness (a process of sanctification) and eventually results in eternal life. On the other hand, slavery to sin leads towards shameful life and finally results in death and judgment. Therefore here, Paul’s discussion was way beyond the reality of our present life. Paul envisioned future eternal consequences of our present slavery. For the believers, the now freedom from sin is another slavery to righteousness. The tension between sin and righteousness exists. The future freedom of eternal life however knows no threat of sin anymore. This future eternal reality is what in Paul a complete freedom in Christ.

Thus in this passage, Paul solemnly and convincingly concluded the long battle of debate concerning the nature of God’s grace and the problem of sin. Paul’s enemies kept trying to mix the two, but Paul clearly argued that God’s grace and sin are incompatible. Each nature has its own benefit, consequences and final destination. This solid theological establishment does not give room for believers to possess and practice any permissive view towards sin. Sin is not even a distant friend to believers. We are the children of the Kingdom of God, while sin belongs to a different territory.

Paul’s logic in Romans 5 and 6 can therefore be summarized as: One, the grace of God through Jesus Christ transforms us who were sinful, weak and enemies to God to be justified and reconciled with God. Present sufferings should not shake our faith, because the most precious of God’s has been given to save our eternal destiny. The Holy Spirit is given both to seal the promise of the eternal life, and to guide believers in their earthly journey of life (5.1-11).  

Two,  we are sinners because of the of multiplying effect of Adam’s sin. We are saved because of the multiplying effect of the precious blood of Christ. The law has nothing to do with sins but to unclothe them. Even a 'little’ sin brings about deadly consequences to the whole world, but God’s grace through Christ powerfully brings about salvation to those who believe in him (Romans 5.12-21). 

Three, although God’s grace is always available, it does not mean that we can continue to live in our old sinful nature - neither are we allowed to occasionally sin. Through Christ, our old nature is transformed into new, and we should live according to this new  life in Christ. The old nature subdues us to offer parts of our body to be instruments of wickedness; the new nature commands us to offer parts of our body to be instruments of righteousness. The new life has completely different business and direction from the old one (Rom 6.1-14). 

Four, the grace of God through Christ has transported us from old slavery to sin into new slavery to righteousness. The grace of God through Christ frees us from old slavery to sin to the awaiting future complete eternal freedom in Christ. We are now no more than slaves to righteousness. Our present life is a process of sanctification, and our surely future destination is eternal life (Romans 6.15-23).