A New Slavery

As Paul continues to explore the implications of our change of citizenship, he addresses a possible misunderstanding: since we are now free, can we do as we like?

To tackle this, Paul alters the focus of his metaphor. We used to be slaves in the country called “sin” but now we inhabit this country called “put right with God.” Whereas we used to obey the rules and regulations of the first, now we are subject to the second. Paul sees our freedom from sin as leading to our becoming “slaves to righteousness” (18) or, in an even stranger image, we are obedient to obedience, rather than to sin (16). This is an entirely different kind of slavery, since we willingly submit to this new regime out of a change of heart (17) brought about by the love of God being poured into our hearts (5:5). Our experience of God’s love for us draws out our love response to God.

This change of regime means that our bodies (including, presumably, our thoughts, desires and imagination) become tools for very different kinds of tasks. Whereas we had once been preoccupied with protecting ourselves, justifying ourselves to others and making ourselves feel secure, we are now concerned with showing love to others and honoring God in our lives. These two different regimes also lead to different ends: the shame of sin (an echo here of Adam and Eve in the garden) leading to death, versus the delight of obedience leading to eternal life. Note that this life is a gift. It consists not of an ethereal existence detached from the world, but one grounded in the life of the age to come, which we start to experience now.

What are the freedoms you have experienced in God? Praise him for them. What are the delights of obedience you have experienced? Praise him for them.