📖Scripture:
“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves.” – 1 Peter 2:15-16
🔎Examination:
Freedom — one of the most misused words in human vocabulary. To the world, freedom means unrestrained autonomy: no accountability, no authority, no limits. But in Scripture, freedom is not the absence of restraint — it’s the presence of righteousness. Peter’s command, “Live in freedom… as servants of God,” sounds paradoxical, yet it captures the heart of the Gospel.
This past Sunday's sermon brought this tension into sharp focus: Peter closes this section with a paradox—live in freedom as slaves of God. The world defines freedom as the absence of all restraint—‘do whatever feels right to you.’ But God defines freedom as the power to obey Christ—to be liberated from sin’s tyranny so that we can joyfully dwell in His life-giving presence forever!
That’s not poetic metaphor; it’s theological reality. The apostle Paul echoed the same truth: “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Rom 6:18) True freedom isn’t doing whatever you please — it’s being freed from what once enslaved you so you can do what pleases God. Grace does not erase obligation; it empowers obedience.
The sermon warned, “Do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Don’t weaponize grace. Don’t wave the banner of ‘Christian liberty’ to justify that which God’s Word overtly condemns.” Every generation faces that temptation. In the first century, some twisted grace into license (Jude 4); today, many parade “liberty” as an excuse for moral compromise, doctrinal drift, or spiritual laziness. Freedom without holiness is just rebellion in disguise.
Peter then lists four imperatives that summarize the posture of the regenerate heart:
Treat everyone with high regard. Every person bears the image of God — even those who despise you. The sermon reminded us: Speak truth, yes—but with integrity and restraint, not venom or arrogance. Honor is not endorsement; it’s evidence that you know the King who dignifies His creatures.
Love the brotherhood of the saints. The Church is no brand or social club. We don’t devour one another over preferences or politics. We protect, correct, and build up one another because we belong to the same King. That kind of covenantal love cannot coexist with self-worship.
Fear God. Reverent awe is the soil of obedience. When we truly fear God, there’s no fear of men and what they can do. We stop accommodating culture, the crowd, and the cowardice of compromise. Every misplaced fear reveals a diminished view of His holiness.
Honor the king. This isn’t worship of earthly rulers; it’s the acknowledgment of God’s sovereign ordering. Honor is due to earthly rulers; worship belongs to Christ alone.
These commands dismantle false freedom — the self-centered version that celebrates autonomy while denying authority. Peter doesn’t call the saints to independence; he calls them to joyful servitude. In Christ, the paradox resolves beautifully: slavery to God is liberty from sin. When the elect live this way, the world sees a kind of freedom it cannot counterfeit — a freedom that bears fruit in love, courage, and holiness.
And therein lies the tragedy of the modern church: The American church traded the Gospel of Christ for cultural relevance, traded courage for comfort, and traded conviction for tax exemption. That’s not freedom; that’s bondage dressed in patriotic colors. Only when Christ is Lord — not country, comfort, or self — can freedom flourish.
As the sermon concluded, the elect in Christ live as free people… not free from authority, but free under Christ’s sovereignty; not free to do evil, but free to do that which is honorable and good even when the world calls it hate speech. That’s true freedom — the kind that confesses, “Jesus is Lord,” and lives accordingly.
🤺Action:
Examine your understanding of freedom – “Let us test and examine our ways.” (Lam 3:40) Do you equate liberty with license, or holiness with joy?
Test your motives for grace – “Each one must examine himself.” (1 Cor 11:28) Are you using grace as a shield for sin or as strength for sanctification?
Assess your fear – “Search me, O God.” (Ps 139:23–24) What do you fear more than you fear the LORD, which is disobedience to Christ, i.e., sin?
Confirm your servitude – “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.” (2 Cor 13:5) Is your “freedom” producing obedience, or indulgence?
🧠Reflection:
The world says freedom is found in self-discovery. The Word says it’s found in self-denial. The cross doesn’t give us permission to sin — it gives us power to stop. When Peter commands, “Live as God's slaves,” he’s reminding us that every human heart is enslaved — either to sin or to Christ. One master destroys, the other redeems.
True freedom is not the right to do as you please, but the joy of pleasing the One who bought you. Freedom that is not surrendered to God’s will and Word isn’t freedom at all — it’s still slavery. The only chains broken at the cross are those that bound us to self.
So live today as a freed servant of God. Honor everyone, love the saints, fear God, and honor the king. This is not weakness — it’s worship. This is not bondage — it’s blessing. Only slaves to Christ can ever truly walk free.
Click the following link for a short video version of today's post:
Blessings & love,
Kevin M. Kelley
Pastor
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