Imaginative Worlds

Opening Example: The Double Life of a DC Employee

Imagine a scenario that seems almost too bizarre to be true. There was once a deputy DC Director of Buildings who managed to work two full-time jobs simultaneously. She would spend Mondays and Fridays at the DC Office, and then, like clockwork, switch to her other job at Freddie Mac, where she worked from Tuesday to Thursday. This is not just a story of overwork; it is a tale of deception, a juggling act that ultimately couldn’t last. Just like this employee, who couldn't sustain the duality of her life, we too face a situation where allegiance to conflicting powers cannot coexist.

Sin as a Power and Citizenship

Sin, in the context of the Bible, is not merely about individual acts of wrongdoing. Instead, it is portrayed as a cosmic power, a force with its own form of citizenship. Sin is like being part of an exclusive club or a nation that demands total allegiance. Just as you can't be both a member of the Fraternal Order of the Police and a Black Panther, or work two full-time jobs without being found out, you cannot serve Sin and still claim to be free from its grasp.

Last week, we explored how Sin and Death have been defeated by Jesus' death and resurrection. The problem that Jesus solves is not merely about making us morally perfect or sin-free. Instead, it’s about defeating these cosmic powers—Sin and Death—that have held humanity captive. If these powers have indeed been defeated, our response must be to transfer our allegiance from them to Jesus.

Romans 6:1-2: Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

Paul, in Romans 6:1-2, asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in Sin so that Grace may increase? Certainly not! We died to Sin; how can we still live in it?" Many interpret "continue in Sin" as a reference to continuing to commit sins, but Paul is talking about something much deeper. Sin is not just a series of bad choices; it is a tyrannical power. It is a nation, a master to whom we once pledged our allegiance.

The problem with Sin is that it does not let go easily. You can't simply walk away from it, just as you can't casually leave the mafia. The only escape from this despotic club is death.

Pseudocide: Faking Death to Escape

Have you ever heard of "pseudocide"? It’s the practice of faking one’s death to escape debts, responsibilities, or even marriages. Though it sounds like a Hollywood plot, it’s surprisingly common—and almost always lands you in jail. Most who attempt it end up in jail, but there are a few success stories, like that of Grace Oakeshott.

Grace Oakeshott: Escaping to a New Life

Grace Oakeshott was an active socialist and civil rights activist in early 20th century England. She dedicated her life to setting up trade schools for girls, but suddenly, she vanished. A pile of her clothes was found on a beach, and it was presumed she had drowned. But years later, a journalist discovered that Grace had faked her death to escape to New Zealand with her lover. She didn’t die, but she successfully escaped her old life.

In a similar but infinitely more profound way, Jesus didn’t fake His death; He actually went through with it. Romans 6:7 states, "A person who has died has been declared free from Sin." Jesus, by dying, was released from the power of Sin, not just for Himself but for all of humanity. He found the loophole in the system, a way to break free from the tyrannical rule of Sin.

Romans 6:9: The Ultimate Victory Over Death

Romans 6:9 goes further, "We know that the Messiah, having been raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has any authority over him." Jesus’ death and resurrection were the ultimate jiu-jitsu move against Sin and Death. By allowing these forces to overtake Him on the cross, He used their own power to break free from the grave, thus defeating them both.

Jesus demonstrated that Sin is ultimately self-defeating. This is reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, where the Creator God, Illúvatar, tells Melkor, the satanic figure, that any discordant theme he plays will ultimately only serve to make the music more beautiful than he could have imagined. Similarly, whatever Sin, Death, and Evil plot, God turns it on its head.

Romans 6:3-4: Baptism and a New Quality of Life

Paul continues in Romans 6:3-4, "Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into the Messiah, Jesus, were baptized into his death? That means we were buried with him, through baptism, into death, so that, just as Messiah was raised from the dead through the Father’s glory, we too might walk in a new quality of life."

Here, Paul invites us into a mystical and imaginative world where baptism symbolizes our own death and resurrection. Just as in the imaginative worlds of social hierarchies, corporations, and currencies, the ancient world of Scripture, too, has a real impact on our lives. When we are baptized, we participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection, symbolically escaping from the mafia-like grip of Sin.

Romans 6:5: Participation in Resurrection

In Romans 6:5, Paul writes, "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection." If we have died to Sin, we also get to experience the benefits of resurrection. What is true of Jesus becomes true of us.

Not Substitution, but Participation

This is not about substitution, where Jesus dies instead of us. Rather, it is about participation. Jesus died ahead of us, paving the way for us to join in His death and, therefore, be free from the powers of Sin and Death. This understanding aligns with Jesus’ call to "take up our cross" and Paul’s assertion that we "died in Christ." Baptism is not just a symbolic act but a real participation in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Romans 6:6: The Crucifixion of Our Old Humanity

Paul emphasizes in Romans 6:6, "This is what we know: our old humanity was crucified with the Messiah, so that the bodily solidarity of Sin might be abolished, and that we should no longer be enslaved to Sin." This is a radical transformation, where our old selves are crucified with Christ, freeing us from the enslavement to Sin.

Romans 6:7: Reckoning Ourselves Dead to Sin

Romans 6:7 continues, "In the same way you, too, must reckon yourselves as being dead to Sin, and alive to God in the Messiah, Jesus." But how do we reckon or consider ourselves dead to Sin? This is easier said than done.

The answer is not legalism, which is the temptation for every religious movement. Legalism—trying harder to be better—always leads to exhaustion, bitterness, resentment, or spiritual abuse. Paul warns against this approach, as he explains in the next chapter.

Romans 7:15-25: The Struggle with Sin

In Romans 7:15-25, Paul vividly describes the inner struggle with Sin: "I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise... But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!"

Paul acknowledges that trying to follow the law perfectly, trying to do better on our own, will only lead to frustration. Something more is needed—something beyond our own efforts.

Romans 8:1: No Condemnation in Christ

The surprising solution comes in Romans 8:1: "THEREFORE there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Despite the struggle, despite the feelings of guilt and inadequacy, Paul declares that there is no condemnation. This is a radical statement of grace and self-compassion.

The Power of Radical Self-Compassion

As Lori Deschene, a Buddhist teacher, wisely said, "We can’t hate ourselves into a version of ourselves we can love." Henri Nouwen, a theologian and mystic, echoes this sentiment: "Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us Beloved." Carl Rogers, the founder of person-centered psychotherapy, also reminds us, "The curious paradox is when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."

Union with God Through Grace

We cannot work our way into union with God; it’s a gift we already have. Trying to earn this union through legalism or self-imposed piety is a distraction from the true work of setting people free from oppression and harm. Paul reinforces this in Colossians 2:20-23, where he warns against submitting to human regulations, saying that such practices "have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self-indulgence."

Grace to People, Tough on Systems

In light of this, our response should be grace—to ourselves and to others. Being tough on oppressive systems is not the same as being tough on individuals. As Thomas Merton observed, "When I criticize a system, they think I criticize them – and that is of course because they fully accept the system and identify themselves with it."

Conclusion: Participation in Life Beyond Sin and Death

To summarize, in the words of my friend Craig Uffman, an Episcopal priest: "Death is God's solution to defeating the power of Sin; Resurrection is God's solution to defeating the power of Death. Our participation in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is our means of embracing God's gift of life that transcends time and space."

Participation in this divine life is not merely about intellectual agreement but an embodied commitment to follow Jesus’ Way, guided by the Holy Spirit who meets us anew in every generation.

Closing Prayer

Let us pray: May we, through our participation in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, be empowered to live in the freedom and grace that God has provided, extending that same grace to others and working to set people free from all forms of oppression and harm. Amen.