1 Peter 2:16
“Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.”
The other day, I heard a radio pastor say that outside of God’s power, sin is the most powerful force in the world. I would have guessed a force of nature or an atom bomb. I think he’s right.
Our culture mocks sin. They often describe it as all the fun stuff that church goers aren’t allowed to do. What culture doesn’t choose to focus on are all of the broken lives due to sin: addicts of all sort, substance abuse, gambling, sex, codependency, etc.. Sin has other forms: selfishness, anger, obsessions and more. Sin is not harmless.
Jesus came to defeat sin. The Son of God had to die to win. No one in history had the power. The creator had to do it. Jesus did win and we can have the victory over it. Sin isn’t dead, nor is it powerless. We need to follow God’s instructions to overcome it. We now have the potential to defeat the most powerful force in the world.
Peter says to “act as free men”. This is in response to their former status as being slaves to sin. It’s highly addictive. Even though we have the potential to be free from sin, we can dabble in it. Peter says to avoid it.
Part of sin’s power is it’s allure. Hebrews 11:25 tells of the pleasure of sin. Hollywood has some of it right. There is pleasure in sin. It’s very tempting.
Many christians stuggle with temptations their entire lives. This doesn’t mean they are sinning or doing it wrong. Often their involvement with sin before or after their commitment to Christ still can be felt.
Peter gives a new twist on being a slave of sin. He says to reject that and be a bondslave to God. Bob Dylan’s song, “Gotta Serve Somebody” speaks of that truth.
Lord, thank You that You’ve allowed us to defeat sin. Help us to avoid it. Help us to yield to You and be Your servants.