Romans Pt 34: The Wages of Moralism (Ro 6:15-23)
Addressing Slaves in the Church
Verses 15-23, if read well, reveal a reveal a glimpse into the early house-church gatherings. Let’s start by looking at verse 19, where Paul gives a bit of a disclaimer about the language that he is using.
“I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations” (Ro. 6:19).
The example from everyday life that Paul is mentioning here is a reference to those gathered amongst them who were slaves. The early Christian gatherings were egalitarian communities that came together weekly to share a meal (including the Lords supper), and to hear the teachings of the apostles. Christians gathered from every walk of life, wealthy and free, poor and enslaved, immigrants, Jews, Gentiles, children, women, men, and citizens from every station of society. Imagine what it would have been like to see such a touching moment.
Slaves were not addressed in the ancient world. So for Paul to write a section that directly addresses their situation expresses empathy and understanding to their station in society. It would have been the first time that many of them have ever been addressed in a letter. Paul dignifies them and reminds them that God is with them too, and that he has a message for them.
He talks about their human limitations (v19), and acknowledges their intimate knowledge of what it is like to be sold/transferred from one household to another, from one master to another. He points out how their allegiances had to change from one to the next; like Jesus said, no man can serve two masters. Again, this puts them on the same level as everyone else.
Moralism VS the Christian Life
We must be careful about moralizing the life of faith. The Christian life is not a list of laws to follow or rules to obey, nor is it a civil religion meant to unify society into a set of principles to live by. Rather, it is repenting entirely from the mechanisms that drive this world: lusts for power, wealth, and the commodification of bodies. It is embracing the boundary breaking love of Christ that brings all people together under his loving and gracious rule so that we may learn to live in his kingdom, trading the currency of this world (power, honor, status, judgement, condemnation, and pride… etc) for the currency of his kingdom (grace, mercy, humility, openness, and enemy love).
As we move through chapters 5 - 8, we can see the pattern of Paul giving us multiple metaphors for what the Christian life is about, and the choice between: following the old Adam, or the new Adam; Living by the flesh or living by the Spirit; Our old master, or our new master. Each of these binaries are the choices that we have been given. We can live how they live in the empires of this world, follow the old Adam, live by the flesh, and obey our Old Master — this is the life of pragmatic self-preservation, of honor and status, of judgement and condemnation, separation and tribalism, gathering for yourself, fighting for yourself, living for yourself, and ordering Gods created universe around yourself, your people, your preferences, and your ways.
OR, we can follow the Second Adam, the resurrected Christ: Not taking whatever we desire, but understanding our office in creation, guiding it to flourish, partnering with God in care for all created beings, from humans to the very earth we’ve been given. We can follow the Spirit, allowing ourselves to be led by what God is doing in this world, not what our country or our people are doing. The draw of culture and empire is so strong that we often become immune to the call of Jesus on our lives, so we must repent, we must rethink, we must be born again; transferred from our old master to the new, from the old Adam to the new.
Paul says this constantly:
“Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” (v12);
“offer yourself to God; offer every part of yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness” (v13);
“Offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness” (v19).
Committing to the love and goodness of God is very different from Moralism. It is not just stopping the acts of sin, it is renewing the heart that chose that sin in the first place and cultivating a heart that acts, not from moralism, but from faith in Jesus that love and cross-shaped actions are how God brings restoration into the world.
The Wages of Moralism
In Romans 6:23, Paul tells us what comes of each choice: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Moralism produces High-control religion (HCR), which is a coercive form of Christianity that allows inclusion at the table of Jesus only when the laws are followed and the rules obeyed, does two things. HCR is dangerous because it prevents Christians from learning self-governance. Instead, it emphasizes obedience first, but it often ignores wisdom. It tells us what we should not do, but can rarely explain why.
Following rules does not cultivate the fruit of the Spirit (like gentleness, joy, and peace). Instead, it produces pride against the sinners around us, thereby producing more sin and division. According to Paul, living by the law allows sin to continue ruling over us (For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace (Ro 6:14)). Many kids who are raised in high-control Christian homes never learn to self-regulate, never learned about wisdom and Christlikeness as the path towards human flourishing. This is just one of the ways that following the old Adam brings death.
The Apostles taught that when we come to Christ we receive, not rules, but a guide. The Spirit of God (synonymous with wisdom in the O.T.) is present with us to guide us (as it guided Jesus) towards wisdom and Christlikeness. And as the lusts of the flesh fall away, the fruits of the Spirit are cultivated in their place. Instead of obedience, we learn Christlikeness, and we are born again from a New Adam (Ro 5:19-20), and a new way of being a human becomes possible through Christ Jesus (Ro 6:11).
Discussion Questions:
Reflection on Slavery and Empathy:
How does Paul's addressing of slaves in the early Christian community challenge the societal norms of that time, and what message does it convey about empathy and understanding within the Christian context?
The Christian Life Beyond Rules:
Distinction is made between the Christian life and moralism. How does the idea of repenting and embracing the love of Christ as the central guiding force challenge common perceptions of Christianity as a set of rules to follow?
Binary Choices in the Christian Life:
The sermon presents several binary choices in the Christian life, such as living by the flesh or living by the Spirit. How do these choices impact our daily lives, and what practical steps can individuals take to align themselves with the values of the new Adam and the Spirit?
High-Control Religion and Its Pitfalls:
High-control religion can lead to a lack of self-governance and a focus on obedience without wisdom. How might this approach hinder spiritual growth, and what alternative path does the gospel propose for cultivating the fruits of the Spirit?
Transformation and New Life in Christ:
Paul emphasizes the transformative power of the gospel which gives us the power to choose Christ over the old Adam. How can individuals actively engage in the process of being born again and allowing the Spirit to guide them toward Christlikeness, moving beyond mere rule-following to a deeper, heart-transforming faith?