Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:16-17
This past Sunday we finished our Touch Points series at LWF with a message on Persecution and Politics. The message was a great reminder that the Bible is our basis for how we live and how we vote. As I reflected on the passage Pastor Josh preached from on Sunday, I was reminded that as believers we are truly free. Peter reminds us that we are to live as if we are free, regardless of whether we are free or not. We are free from sin and free to live for Christ, no matter what our government is like. As Americans, we have also been blessed to live in a free country. We too often take these freedoms for granted. We are free to vote; we are free to practice religion; and we are free to speak what is on our hearts and minds. We have been given incredible freedom; however, with that freedom also comes temptation. As believers, we can begin to use the freedom we have been given in Christ as an excuse for selfish sin. We use our freedom as a cover-up for evil. God did not give us freedom through Christ so we could spend it on our selfish desires. He freed us from sin so that we could live as His servants. We serve Him by serving others. Do not use your freedom in Christ as a cover to sin. We should not use our freedom in Christ to stand for things that are contrary to God’s Word. We should not use the freedom we have to slander and tear others down. We need to use the freedom we have been given to speak the truth in love and live without fear.
Peter challenges us to live as servants of Christ, not as servants of our own desires. We can live this out by following what Peter says in 1 Peter 2:17. We should honor all people and love the brotherhood. All people are created in the image of God, and we should treat them with honor even when we disagree with them. Honoring others does not mean that we agree with them when they go against God’s Word. We can stand for truth and do so in an honoring and respectful way. We should not apologize for God’s Word. We are also called to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ even when we don’t see eye to eye. This political season has caused a lot of division within our country and even within the church. We must be able to work through our disagreements in love.
Finally, Peter tells we need to fear God and honor the emperor or ruler. We need to honor and respect those in authority over us even when we don’t agree with them. While we honor the ruler, above all we revere God. He is ultimately the One we answer to. We must revere Him above everyone else.
These truths that Peter recorded for us do not change. Our circumstances and settings will change, but we are always called to:
Live as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
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