The Ethical Dimensions of the Christian Life

Chapter three begins what normally is called the “ethical section” of the epistle. This follows a general trend in Paul’s epistles in which he first deals with the theological issues and then builds his ethics upon that foundation (cf. Rom. 12:1ff.; Gal. 5:1ff.; Eph. 4:1ff.; Phil. 4:1ff.).

It is quite common to discuss this characteristic as the indicative and the imperative of Paul’s theology. Basically, it is the “you are” and the “you ought” of the Christian life. In some ways this concept comes across as a paradox in Paul’s thought. On the one hand, he can say that, by virtue of his or her position in Christ, the believer is “dead to sin,” “light in the Lord,” “a new creature,” and so forth. But then on the other hand, Paul says, “Now become w…