“Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.”

We live in a unique situation where we have the freedom in our society to make  use of the privileges of the citizenship. We can vote. I hope that you do. We have the opportunity to have primary elections that helps in the process of selection of presidential and congressional front runners. We have privileges of caucuses. There are issues that you can address on a grass roots basis, if you align yourself with a particular political party. We do have a voice if we choose to have one. I am not saying that your voice will be part of the majority, but all ideas and all people began as a minority some place and it took a while to be known or change public opinion.

We have practical ways to live as free men. However, when Peter was writing he was living in a day were there were 60 million slaves. Many Christians were not free. Is Peter talking then only to the free citizens of Rome? No, he is talking of the Spiritual freedom we now have from sin in Jesus Christ. We also are no longer under the bondage of the law that points out our sin, but under grace. We do not have to live under the law or under religious rules. We are free to live unto the Lord. Do not let that freedom be confused with sinful lifestyles. Be model citizens. Obey the laws. Follow the processes that make living together at peace.

Jesus gave Himself for us and His supreme gift of Himself for us demands absolute surrender of ourselves to Him. The blood which He shed on Calvary is the price by which we have been bought and we cannot be other than the property of our purchaser. We kneel at His feet professing our desire to be His only and wholly.

We need to live, not under legalism, but with the freedom Jesus purchased, but never use it as an excuse for sin or cover-up for wrong motives. Do you have a good conscience before God? Can you pray about what you are doing and ask Him to lead you?  Rejoice in Christ and live uprightly.

Christian is community. The Christian is not an isolated unit; he is not just an individual. He is a member of a community, and within that community his freedom operates and therefore, Christian freedom is the freedom to service. Only in Jesus is a man freed from self, sin and passion to be as good as he ought to be. Only in Christ is a man freed from selfishness and self-seeking to be as great a servant as he ought to be. Freedom comes when a man receives Christ as king of his heart and Lord of his life.

Do you have this freedom?