Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Slaves To Righteousness?

Slaves To Righteousness?

Last updated on: June 16, 2024 at 2:37 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

Slaves To Righteousness? 2024-06-16T02:37:49-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Lawrence OP: Becoming Slaves To Righteousness / flickr

If we pay attention, Paul warns us against reading what he wrote in an overly-literal fashion. He knew he was using human conventions, conventions which have all kinds of limitations. Because the truth does not have any such limitations, conventions used to portray the truth must not be confused with the fullness of the truth itself. At best, conventions serve as pointers to the truth which lies beyond them. Some of the best conventions are metaphoric, that is, they point to the truth through analogy. Those who do not understand metaphor and poetic diction end up trying to engage the convention as if it were not a mere pointer but the thing in and of itself. This can, and often does, lead to people finding contradictions in the presentation of the truth because the different analogues used to represent the truth do not entirely agree with each other if they are engaged on the simple, the literal level. Thus, when talking about human freedom, Paul warned his audience that he was presenting the topic through “human terms,” hoping by giving such a warning, they do not take all he said literally:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification (Rom. 6:17- 19 RSV).

We are set free from sin, and yet, if we take the convention literally, we find ourselves bound to a new kind of slavery, that is, to righteousness. What kind of freedom is that? Paul wants us first to understand the way sin dominates and controls us, eliminating our freedom or ability to do what is good and just, turning us, indeed, into slaves to sin with all kinds of bad habits which are difficult to overcome. Then he tells us we overcome that slavery with the freedom we find in Christ, a freedom which allows us to do that which is good, that which will bring us peace. When we engage that freedom, when we do that which is good, we become attracted to the good in and of itself, and God, the source and foundation of that good, so that we freely embrace and find ourselves becoming attached (or bound) to it. Paul’s conventional word choice is meant to help us understand that we will find ourselves bound to the good, and not that we will find itself imposing itself upon us and restricting our freedom. It is sin which limits our freedom, and turns us into its slaves, while grace frees us from that slavery

This is why, having used the metaphor, “slave” to represent our newfound connection to what is good, Paul reiterates we are free, we are able to do the things we want to do (by nature). Sin corrupts us from within, slowly destroying our potential and with that, our freedom; if left unchecked, it leads to our annihilation, that is death: where there is no life, no existence there is no freedom of any kind. Now, as Christ has overcome death by death itself, death no longer is the end, and so sin has had its sting removed, Slowly, we find ourselves being made free, being given grace, and through that grace, given more and more life, and with it, the potential we need to truly be free.

We can, from time to time, in our temporal existence, find ourselves slipping back, falling for our old ways and habits, and experience, for time, sin trying to regain power over us in our lives. But due to what Christ has achieved, it does not have to have the final say – every time we slip up, Paul says, we should remember our dignity and what has been given to us by Christ. When we do so, we will find that no matter how much sin wants to lead us to perdition, Christ has set us free:

But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:21-23 RSV).

Truly, it is not the way Paul talks about slavery, even slavery to sin, but rather, the way Paul talks about freedom, the freedom granted to us by grace, which is the point of his words. He wanted to show there are two ways we can be bound, one to sin, where sin controls and dominates us and we lose our freedom from it, and the other to that which is good, and how, through such a connection with the good, we find ourselves receiving true freedom. We have experienced the power of sin and corruption in our lives. We can understand how it can be designated as a kind of slavery, one where a terrible lord, death, waits to gain total control over us, seeking to obliterate us from existence. Christ has taken down that lord. Death has been shown not to have ultimate control and power over us or anyone else. While we still have to face temporal death, but now it is just that, temporal, not eternal. Christ has broken the bonds of sin and death has become reconfigured so that even in death, we can find ourselves coming to Christ and receive freedom and grace. Death has a limit, the limit which Christ has set for it. Now, we can join in with Christ and find out what is to be found beyond death: eternal life with eternal joy and eternal beatitude, as we find ourselves participating in the divine life for eternity.

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

General Christian

Previous Post

June 14, 2024

Abraham’s Revelation

Next Post

June 17, 2024 Informal Reflections And Speculations III: The Future

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Given the amount of lethal malevolence that has prevailed in human history for the past ..."

alwayspuzzled

We Must Value Our Health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz