slave but free

chosen but free. busy but free. slave but free.

as rousseau observed almost two and a half centuries ago, 'man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains'. this much is true.

the question is not whether man is in chains. the question is whether man is in chains in spite of the gospel or in chains because of the gospel, a prisoner of sin or a prisoner of the Lord, a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness.

"Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." - Romans 7:16-18 (NIV)

slaves do not have a choice. slaves to sin are bad and cannot do good, while slaves to righteousness are good and cannot do bad.

however, this does not mean that we do not have a choice as to whether we are slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. we do have a choice as to whether we are slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness.

it is just that once we choose to be slaves to sin, we can no longer choose to be slaves to righteousness. (it is logically impossible for slaves to sin to choose to be slaves to righteousness, because slaves to sin are bad and cannot do good.) if we later turn around and choose to be slaves to righteousness, then it shows that we never really chose to be slaves to sin in the first place.

likewise, once we choose to be slaves to righteousness, we can no longer choose to be slaves to sin. (it is logically impossible for slaves to righteousness to choose to be slaves to sin, because slaves to righteousness are good and cannot do bad.) if we later turn around and choose to be slaves to sin, then it shows that we never really chose to be slaves to righteousness in the first place.

death through Adam, life through Christ

"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." - Romans 5:15-19 (NIV)

"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." - 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV)

just as in adam we are all slaves to sin, so in Christ we are all slaves to righteousness. of course, we do not have a choice as to whether we are in adam. but we do have a choice as to whether we are in Christ.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

the more i read n.t. wright and think about it, the more i realise that the gospel is not about the cross and the resurrection per se. the gospel is about the cross and the resurrection fulfilling the Old Testament/Covenant/creation in establishing the New Testament/Covenant/creation.