DeConick A.D

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PAUL AND GNOSTIC DOGMA
from the cosmic gods and their laws, so that now “all things are lawful.”
They were convinced that their liberation from the cosmic rulers had
made them kings of their own, and that this was justification to disobey
the civil authorities, who were nothing more than the earthly representatives
of the archons (4:8). They partied with their friends at the temples,
feasting on bloody meats sacrificed to idols. They were sexually promiscuous,
indulging in the erotic pleasures of the body. Women were claiming
equality with men, refusing to wear their veils during services. Arrogance
erupted and inflamed discord and strife as some people were marked more
spiritual than others.
Paul in Retreat
Paul was in trouble. He had no choice but to stand down from his message
of gnosis and liberation, to retreat and regroup. He finds it necessary
to qualify his position that all things are lawful by adding “but not
all things are helpful,” especially those things that result in sin, strife, or
disobedience to civil authorities (1 Corinthians 8:5, 7–13, 10:23, 29). Paul
is concerned that his converts no longer fear the civil authorities and that
harm will come to them. So Paul curtails the converts’ liberation from law
by emphasizing that spiritual liberation and social liberation are not the
same thing. He tells his converts that their battle is not with human rulers
but with cosmic rulers in the heavens (Ephesians 6:10–12). “Let everyone
be subject to the governing authorities,” Paul remarks, “for there is no
authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by
God” (Romans 13:1).
He continues by reframing his Gnostic and antinomian message within
the parameters of a new form of indenture. To get control of the converts,
Paul begins to talk about voluntary indenture to Christ. He uses himself
as an example. Even though he is “free with respect to all,” Paul tells his
converts that he has voluntarily made himself “a slave to all” and considers
himself a “servant of Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:91, 9:19; Romans 1:1, 8:2;
Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 3:7; Colossians 1:23, 25–26). Even
though his converts have been liberated from their indenture to the cosmic
spirits, Paul wants his converts to consider themselves slaves to Jesus
and to be beholden to the new law of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5; Ephesians
6:6; Galatians 6:2; Romans 6:6, 22, 7:6).