1 Peter 2:13-21,
13-15 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16-20 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. Servants, be submissive to your nasters. With all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps…”
Do not use your freedom as a covering for evil. This is something I see every day. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear somebody say we will always sin and our sins are covered with the blood of Jesus. They claim that God doesn’t see us as sinners when we sin, He sees us as righteous because we believe in Jesus.
People like this are using their freedom as a covering for evil. They are saying it is okay to continue in sin because we can’t stop sinning. In saying this, they are calling God a liar, for His word says He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but will provide a way of escape. Not taking the way of escape is most assuredly using our freedom as a covering for evil. And it is wrong. It is sin in itself.
If one would be near God, one must be submissive in all things. As Peter said, we are called to learn obedience and walk in it daily.
Peter also said, “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh not for the lusts of men, but for the will of God,”
1 Peter 4:1-2.
Paul said in Romans 6:5-14,
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts…
Peter and Paul have both been very straightforward about whether it is possible to walk in obedience to the Lord or not. They both say it is possible. People brush them off every day of their lives, refusing to even consider that it might be possible if one were disciplined. They turn their nose if you mention that a disciple is someone who learns and practices discipline; one who follows the teaching of his master.
Which one are you? Are you one who listens to, and learns to accept, and puts into practice the teachings of your master. Or, are you one who looks for loopholes in the master’s teachings in order to justify your bouts of evil.
Do you honestly think that since we are free in Christ, we can keep sinning? Did He not come to take away sin? Those who use their freedom as a covering for evil are calling God a liar for He says He will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear, but will, with the temptation, provide a way of escape. Those who say we can’t help but sin are refuting the word of God by insinuating that He cannot, or will not, provide a way of escape from all temptations common to man. He said He would; they say He doesn’t do what He said He would do. In other words, they’re saying He lied to us.
I’m well aware that what I’m saying will be shunned by nearly everyone who reads it. Not many want to stop sinning, so they instead inherently use their freedom in Christ as a covering for evil. The sinful flesh is very powerful. But Jesus is more powerful than the sinful flesh. At least, He is to everyone who wants to live godly and follow Him.
In closing, a few words from Peter’s second letter:
2 Peter 1-11,
1Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his “former” sins. 10Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org
jondavidbanks.com 