“I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.” (CSB – Read the chapter)
Welcome back! I know there was a post yesterday, but I wrote that one almost two weeks ago. Today we’re back to our normal, day-of-posting writing. It was a good week away, but I’m glad to be back with you digging into the Scriptures together. Trying to get our minds around what it looks like to live the new life in Christ isn’t easy. What Paul offers here is a bit of an explanation. It’s about not doing one thing, and committing ourselves actively to do another. Let’s explore what he has to say as we continue our Romans journey today.
The Gospel is hard. It’s good news. And it is remarkably simple. But it is hard. It is hard because it rests on a set of propositions that seem to be wildly counterintuitive at first glance. They go against how we naturally feel about ourselves. At least, they do until we start to dig in deeper and give some real, honest thought to our situations and the world around us. Then it all starts to make a whole lot of sense.
Before our break, we had been working through Paul’s explanation of the nature of the new life we have in Jesus. He gives a nice summary statement of it in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”), but here he goes into a fair bit more detail. In Christ, we spiritually join in His sacrificial death and put to death our old selves. We also spiritually participate in His life-giving resurrection and are made entirely new. This is necessary, Paul says, because our old selves were slaves to sin.
There is a challenge to Paul’s language here for modern readers. This challenge lies in the fact that when we hear the word “slave,” our minds immediately go to the kind of chattel slavery that was practiced in the West, and especially in the American South before the Civil War. When Paul’s Roman audience heard the word, they didn’t imagine anything like that at all. Their understanding and experience of slavery (even if only by observation) was very different from our stereotypical images of what it looked like in the Antebellum South. And for most of us, our experience with sin doesn’t feel like that, so Paul’s analogy doesn’t make a lot of sense to us.
At least it doesn’t until we actively try to drop some sinful habit or change some sinful pattern. Then Paul’s reflections in the second half of chapter 7 – which we will get to in a few weeks – ring remarkably, even painfully true. We’ll talk about that more then. For now, here in Romans 6:19, Paul pauses his explanations for a moment to give his audience a quick glance behind the curtain before jumping into what it means that we have this new life in Christ as followers of Jesus. “I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh.” What’s that supposed to mean?
It means just what I said back at the beginning. The Gospel is hard. He’s been talking about hard ideas. They are ideas that don’t resonate with how we normally think about ourselves. These are spiritual concepts, and someone who is living by their flesh – that is, by their separated-from-Christ-enslaved-to-sin self and the kind of reasoning and thinking of which that self is capable – isn’t going to be able to properly grasp them without a lot of help from someone who does understand them. As Paul hinted back in chapter 1, apart from Christ, our brains are broken such that grasping Gospel concepts isn’t something we’re going to be able to do without God’s help. So, Paul is doing his best to come down the ladder of abstraction a bit so that his audience that was still learning the basic ideas of the Gospel could understand them. Having clarified that, he gets into what it means that we have this new life in Christ.
“For just as you offered the parts of your selves as slaves to impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness…” Sin is a choice we make. Because our reasoning and thinking processes are tainted by the sin nature that is born into us, though (Psalm 51:5: “Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.”), it is a choice we all make as soon as we are able to start making conscious choices. The rebellion against God-given authority happens the very first time a toddler looks at her parents, stomps her foot, and says, “No.” Sin is natural to us apart from Christ.
But once we make that choice, we are stuck with it. Sin’s original taint quickly becomes a full corruption of our reason and desires and we give ourselves to it more and more fully in all sorts of different ways. And while, yes, certainly there are some ways that deviate from cultural norms so as to feel sinful, many more don’t. We may toe cultural lines on the outside, but pride, envy, covetousness, greed, jealousy, selfishness, even unrighteous anger can all seethe on the inside without the people around us being any the wiser.
That’s the old way. That’s what is behind us when we are in Christ. That’s what we died to. In Christ, once we have received grace and are walking in our new life, we have to similarly give ourselves to righteousness. That’s what Paul was talking about in the last passage before this one. “Having been set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.” So now, rather than giving ourselves as slaves of impurity leading to greater and greater lawlessness, “so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification.”
When we consistently do what is right, what is honoring of God, what is consistent with His character, we are going to look more and more like Him. We are going to make our immediate spheres of influence more reflective of life in His kingdom. The word to describe this transformation is just what Paul says here: sanctification. We are becoming more and more sanctified.
Now, that word stirs up all kinds of religious images in our minds that are largely off-putting, but that’s not what Paul has in mind. Jesus was not religious. He was not off-putting in the least. He was down-to-earth and casual and familiar to everyone around Him. He was accused of being a drunkard and a glutton by His opponents because He partied so much with the “sinners” of His day. The process of sanctification does not at all mean we become like the little, old lady you are imagining who doesn’t do anything but sit around all day, read her Bible, and pray.
Actually, it might. I know a few of those, and they are unfailingly a joy to be around. They are kind and considerate and encouraging and compassionate. You never leave without feeling like they’ve done more for you than you did for them even though they can’t do much of anything. They are clear-eyed about the state of the world and yet so full of love for the people around them that they seem to make the world a better place simply by being in it.
So, let me put that another way. Offering yourself as a slave to righteousness (someone who does what is going to make you right with God and with people every single time whether that is your first choice or not because your commitment is to honor your Creator and Father, which gradually results in a transformation of your will such that doing what is righteous becomes the thing you desire most) and by that gift being sanctified won’t make you a churchier person in all the worst ways you imagine that word to characterize someone.
It’ll make you more patient. Kinder. Gentler with the people around you. Less judgmental and more gracious in your assumptions. You’ll be clearer about what you believe and why, but at the same time you’ll be more tolerant of people who don’t believe like you do even as you simultaneously know them to be entirely wrong in their beliefs. You will find yourself loving people more, not less. You’ll become more generous and not just with your money (although certainly not less than that; religious people are generally far more generous than their non-religious peers).
You’ll be more hopeful and experience more peace. It will be a peace that won’t make a lot of sense to the people around you given that your circumstances will not somehow magically improve or become any easier from the outside looking in. They may hate on you for it, but at the same time they’ll want to stay close to you in hopes of experiencing whatever it is you have that they don’t (the answer is Jesus, but it might take them a while to accept that to the point that they are willing to actually do something about it).
When you are offended, you’ll find forgiveness coming far more easily to you than it used to, even of the gravest of offenses. You won’t hold grudges like you used to either. Rather than criticizing people unfairly, or believing the worst about them, you’ll find yourself hoping for the best, and even working actively toward that end.
In short, you’ll be the kind of person everyone wants to be around. Some will make it obvious, others, in their envy of your having something they don’t, will hate you and hate on you both because you have it and also because in their inability to understand what it is they won’t be able to figure out how to get it for themselves or at least stop your enjoyment of it. Then they’ll offer up all kinds of reasons why you are the problem instead of them. But that’s the kind of reception Jesus received, so when that happens, you’ll know you are on pretty good footing.
This is the result of our walking the path of new life in Christ. We can’t do it on our own. We’ll need lots of help from the One who called us to it in the first place, who gave up His own life so that we can walk it, but that’s a help that will always be readily available when we are willing to receive it. If we walk back in the direction of our old selves, though, we’ll not experience this. We’ll be going the wrong way. And why would you want to do that? So, do just what Paul says here. Offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. You’ll be glad that you did.
The Nexus 
When one is prepared to look honestly at the actions of Yahweh in the OT and compare these actions with those of the gospel character Jesus of Nazareth it gives a lot of credence to Marcion and his interpretation.
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I thought Marcion invented the radio?
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Wait, that was Marconi. My bad.
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Marcion, Marconi, macaroni. They’re all about the same, right? One invented new (and bad) doctrine. One invented new technology. One is a pasta. I’ll let you pick which one you like best.
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Well the radio was an important feature of my youth but I do love me some pasta. Hard choice. I guess Marcion would be last.
As a Christian, hard to choose the guy who hated the principles of the Bible so much he created his own version.
But then again, I’m just an indoctrinated hayseed led astray by the false hope of salvation.
Thanks for that, btw.
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“… then again, I’m just an indoctrinated hayseed led astray by the false hope of salvation.”
Not really something one should brag about.
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“…then again, I’m just an indoctrinated hayseed led astray by the false hope of salvation”
Not really something to brag about.
To that I reply…..yee haw.
From what I’m reading Marcion considered himself a follower of Apostle Paul.
If you’re agreeing with Marcion’s interpretations of the Bible, you must also consider yourself a follower of Apostle Paul or Marcion’s interpretations really carry no water for you. If he’s correct about 2 Gods, surely he’s correct about the Apostle Paul as well.
Congratulations on that.
You might want to start with the book of Romans
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From what I wrote about Marcion how on earth did you arrive at the notion I am a “… follower of Apostle Paul” ?
You know I am an atheist, yes? Did you bump your head or have what is called a brain fart?
You might want to start with why there is no historical record of the epistles until they appeared via Marcion?
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If you dig a little deeper into Marcion’s beliefs, he felt the only true apostle of God was the Apostle Paul, and considered himself a follower of Paul.
I just figured it you agreed with Marcion about one thing about God, you agreed with him about all things.
If you don’t agree when Marcion wrote that Paul was a true apostle of God, why would you believe anything he wrote? Are you suggesting his interpretations of God are spot on, that his eleven books are correct but he’s wrong to suggest Paul as an apostle of God?
Or do you pick and choose his beliefs as long as they align with your own?
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Remember, in the world of fiction anything goes.
As there is no hard evidence of Saul/Paul and no historical records of the epistles until they surfaced via Marcion then one can draw some very interesting conclusions if one chooses.
You could read Nina Livesey.
Of course, thanks to the Church and it’s redactors, the epistles we have as they are now are not as they originally were. And one should also be mindful of the forgeries the Church added. But you know all this, I’m sure?
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perfect! Analysis: Examining the Long-Term Consequences of [Recent Global Event] 2025 select
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In actual fact, Marcion was the first to produce a canon and it is this that is regarded as the touchpaper that lit a fire under the arse of the church to produce it’s version, then later declare Marcion a heretic and Marcionism a heresy.
Also interesting is the fact there is no historical record of the epistles until they surfaced via Marcion.
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So you don’t believe that Paul was an apostle of God?
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I am an atheist. Surely this answers your question?
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If I told you it’s going to rain tomorrow you would probably believe me. If you then asked how much and I said 200 inches you would consider me an idiot and put your umbrella back in the closet.
If you believe with Marcion’s epistles then you have to believe him at face value. He spent his life as a follower of the Apostle Paul. If you consider Paul fiction then how can you go along with anything Marcion wrote or believed?
If you found out he believed Batman was going to save Gotham City you probably wouldn’t believe in his epistles. Batman is a fiction character.
As Spock would say, you’re being illogical, Captain Kirk.
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Why am I obliged to believe anything Marcion wrote?
Who asserts he was a lifelong follower of Paul?
I get the impression you are inventing scenarios to suit your own internal narrative or are you consulting with AI?
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When one is prepared to look honestly at the actions of Yahweh in the OT and compare these actions with those of the gospel character Jesus of Nazareth it gives a lot of credence to Marcion and his interpretation.
When you posted that I assumed you agreed with Marcion’s interpretations. I stand corrected. So we agree that Marcion is a heretic. And there I figured we would never agree on anything theologically.
Congratulations
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You seem determined to put words in my mouth, Thomas and behave disingeniously. Not very becoming for a Christian, although not that unexpected.
Based on the genocidal nature of Yahweh and the supposed loving actions/nature of the character Jesus of Nazareth in the NT, Marcion’s belief that Yahweh was solely the god for the Jews and Jesus was sent by another, higher god makes more sense than Jesus simply being a reincarnation of Yahweh (made flesh).
Again, in the realm of narrative fiction, pretty much anything goes.
I am pretty sure you understand this but if you are going to be pedantic then you will also recognize why I felt compelled to reply to your infantile approach in this manner.
Let’s hope if you choose to reply again you do so in a more adult fashion.
Regards.
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“Marcion’s belief that Yahweh was solely the god for the Jews”…
Correction: he considered Yahweh was a demiurge, a vengeful creator god who gave the Law to the Jews.
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Not trying to put words in your mouth, it just seems to me that since you’re an atheist Marcion’s views (or anyone else’s for that matter) on God would be irrelevent since you don’t believe in either the evil God he references from the OT or the better version he extols from the NT.
While we’re speaking on this subject, when you reference all the evil things that God has done in the Bible – again, you don’t beleive in God. How can a God you say doesn’t exist do anything evil or good?
If there is no God interpretations are meaningless.
That’s like having an opinion on whether the Tooth Fairy will indeed leave a dollar under your pillow when he picks up your tooth. If there is no Tooth Fairy you’re probably not putting your tooth under your pillow and there’s no reason to look the next morning.
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It isn’t what I believe that matters, other than trying to get to the historical root which has fascinated me for a number of years, but what believers do with this stuff.
Religion has been used to justify any number of heinous actions throughout recorded history and it persists.
Therefore, establishing factual historical data rather than the supernatural, faith based worldview as the basis religious people operate from would go a long way to removing all the vile, divisive crap religion fosters.
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It isn’t what I believe that matters,
Wow.
For the 2nd time this week we agree.
Keep this up and I just might friend you in FB
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Why when you respond is your reply inevitably asinine?
Perhaps you don’t realize that by behaving in such a churlish manner just makes you come across as a bloody fool, thus vindicating the things I post.
Is this some sort of emotional defense you tend to display because you have no legitimate reason to disagree with the evidence?
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I’ve never been called churlish or a bloody fool. Wasn’t familiar with those terms so I put your comments in Chat GPT to decipher and here’s what it’s showing me:
Wwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasaa
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Really? Never?
Well, life is all about new experiences so I am happy to have provided one for you.
You should get a T-shirt made.
You could have the terms printed on the back and the front.
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