A New Identity of Obligation: Metaphors and Paul’s Ethical Argument in Romans 6:1–14

Series: 

In Romans 6:1–14, Paul corrects an erroneous ethical conclusion drawn from the narrative of God's grace in Romans 3–5. This innovative study employs tools from cognitive linguistics to unveil Paul's sophisticated rhetorical strategy for resolving the "indicative-imperative" tension. By moving beyond traditional theological frameworks, the book shows how Paul presents believers’ new identity as defined by a new obligation, illuminating the metaphorical narrative that undergirds Paul's logic. Readers will better understand the importance of conceptual spaces like "in sin" and "in Christ," and how Paul conceptualizes the relationship between believers and their "old selves" who have been crucified.
Copyright Year:
2025
E-Book (PDF)
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-73044-1
Publication:
13 Jun 2025
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Published
ISBN:
978-90-04-73043-4
Publication:
26 Jun 2025
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Andrés D. Vera (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Associate Professor of New Testament at California Baptist University. His research focuses primarily on Pauline soteriology and cognitive linguistics. He contributed several articles in the Baker Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.
Preface
List of Figures and Tables
Abbreviations

1 Introduction
 1 Tensions within the “Indicative-Imperative” Schema
 2 Approaching the Tension in Romans 6 through Metaphors and Narrative
 3 Roadmap for the Book

2 The “Indicative-Imperative”: Development and Recent Challenges
 1 The Pioneers: F. C. Baur and H. Fr. Th. L. Ernesti
 2 Introducing the (Non)problem: Paul Wernle
 3 Early Solutions to the Problem
 4 Recent Reformulations and Reevaluations of the Problem
 5 Summary

3 Narrative and Metaphor: a Cognitive Approach to Paul
 1 Language, Narrative, and Ethics in Paul: Recent Interdisciplinary Approaches
 2 Toward a Theory of Metaphor
 3 Cognitive Linguistics and Conceptual Metaphor Theory
 4 Conclusion

4 Sin Is a Container: the Binary Nature of Human Existence (Romans 6:1–2)
 1 “Indicative-Imperative”: a Narrative-Dependent Schema
 2 The Metaphorical Narrative of Romans 5
 3 Detecting the “Indicative-Imperative” Tension
 4 Remaining, Living, and Dying in/to Sin (Rom 6:1–2)
 5 Conclusion

5 Baptism Is Death: Embodying Death and the New Life in and with Christ (Romans 6:3–4)
 1 Romans 6:3–4 in the Context of Paul’s Argument
 2 Transportation to the Narrative World
 3 Perspectives on Paul’s Baptismal Language
 4 Βαπτίζω’s Metaphoric Extension (Rom 6:3b)
 5 Baptism for Conversion: Baptism and Conceptual Metonymy (Rom 6:4a)
 6 Baptism is death by burial: Baptism as a Ritual Embodiment of Death (Rom 6:4a)
 7 New Life Is a Container (Rom 6:4b)
 8 Conclusion

6 Death, Life, and the Self: Christ’s Resurrection and the Shaping of an Identity (Romans 6:5–10)
 1 Overview of Paul’s Second and Third Arguments (Rom 6:5–10)
 2 United to One’s Death and Resurrection: a New Identity Shaped by Death (Rom 6:5)
 3 The Subject-Self Metaphor: the Death of Self and Christian Identity (Rom 6:6a–6b)
 4 Death is Release from Sin’s Subjection: Δουλεία and Sin’s Personification (Rom 6:6c–7)
 5 Dead to Sin and Dead to Death: Christ’s Death and the Assurance of Life (Rom 6:8–10)
 6 Conclusion

7 “Consider Yourselves to Be …”: the Ethics of Self-Perception (Romans 6:11–14)
 1 “Consider Yourselves” as Imperative of Autobiographical Reconstruction (Rom 6:11)
 2 Identity and Presentation: Sin, Subject, and the True Self (Rom 6:12–14)
 3 Conclusion

8 Conclusion: a New Identity of Obligation
 1 Paul’s Ethical Argument in Romans 6:1–14
 2 Romans 6:1–14 and the “Indicative-Imperative”
 3 Avenues for Further Research
Appendix—Ὁμοίωμα: What Kind of “Likeness”? (Rom 6:5)
Bibliography
Index
Biblical scholars, theologians, and advanced students interested in Pauline theology and hermeneutics. Scholars studying religious identity and conversion. Scholars interested in linguistic interdisciplinary approaches to the Bible.
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