1 Peter 2:16
16 As [hos] free [eleutheros], and [kai] not [me] using [echo] your liberty [eleutheria] for [hos] a cloke [epikaluma] of maliciousness [kakia],
but [alla] as [hos] the servants [doulos] of
God [theos]. KJV-Interlinear
16 Act as free men, and do not
use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. NASB
Even in the days prior
to Jesus and during His life, the general thought of the Jewish people was that
they had been given a sense of freedom, by God, through the scriptures, and it
was this context that led to various forms of rebellion against the Greeks and
the Romans later, and even before this, the Assyrians, then the Babylonians as
well.
Their attitude is
described in John 8.
John 8:33
33 They answered Him, We
are Abraham's offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it
that You say, 'You shall become free'?
NASB
And when Jesus came
along He told them that they were now free people. They were somewhat confused, as they had
always thought that they were free, first due to their genetic heritage, and
second due to their custody of the scriptures, and therefore, they owed no allegiance
to anyone except God (the Father).
Their biggest problem
was that they rejected God (the Father s) plan which created a singe path to
Himself, through a savior, Jesus Christ.
By rejecting the plan, they likewise insulted the Father.
But here we are told
that though we live in this world, and though we have believed in Christ, and though
through salvation we have been made free people (free from sin and death), we
were not made free so we could do anything we wanted, anytime.
To preach their
personal form of truth and freedom, and to presume that they had no obligation
to civil authority here on earth, was the quintessence of arrogance and
ignorance.
In so doing, believers
will come up with all sorts of ideas, such as they should not have to pay
taxes, should not have to obey the local laws, that they can become conscientious
objectors and avoid military service, that they can have multiple wives, that
they can accuse others of witchcraft, and in effect do anything they wanted. And history has revealed these things and
many other bizarre behaviors.
But, God says, Not so
fast.
Though you are free,
then freedom comes with responsibility, just as physical growth to physical and
mental maturity comes with responsibility and obligations in life.
And that, is what God
expects of you.God has issued mandates,
and you are required to follow them.No
if, ands, or buts.
Unfortunately, far too
many believers have their own ideas as to what they should or must do in
life.Far too many believers believe
that they can pick and choose their way through life and doctrine.
And so the exceptions
of life multiply, and doctrine slips into some distant thought or memory.
We studied the mandates
of God a long time ago.You may want to
re-visit the Check List study from time to time, just to gather your thoughts
together and re-check your thinking.
Do not be antagonistic
against the world with a vengeance.Do
not get involved in crusades to install your standards on others. Inevitably your standards are not compatible
with Gods.And God has entrenched His standards
on humanity since long ago.If folks will
not listen to God, then they will not listen to you, unless, of course, your
ideas are sin nature compatible and enticing to them.
Remember, you are a
guest, a visitor, and as such are bound by the rules of being a guest. You do not take over the world, nor to try
changing the world.The world, be
definition, is run by Satan, and you are no match for him.
Therefore, obey God and
live your life as free people, which means to be mature, and responsible, and
polite, etc.
And more than that,
submit, though you are free, to Gods authority, as a wife submits to her
husband (no jokes here please).More on
this subject in the next chapter.
God is our absolute
authority, and to Him we owe our absolute submission. God is truth, therefore
we are submitting to truth, rather than to lies. And that is a good thing.
Those who submit to the
lies of this world, believe that they are getting something for nothing, when in
fact they are losing everything.
Those who submit to
truth, are in fact gaining everything and losing nothing, despite their circumstances
in this world. These previous two
sentences are something to ponder each and every time you make a decision.
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