The Freedom of Slavery: A Meditation on 1 Peter 2:16

What a blessed paradox and yet a stern warning!

"By doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of fools, as free people, not freedom as a pretext for clinging to your wickedness, but rather as bondslaves of God." (My translation)

The command is to live as free people and to live as slaves of God. This seems paradoxical to my mind, probably because I am an America, greatly influenced by a culture that values "liberty" above all else. But our American understanding of freedom is skewed; freedom is confused with autonomy. When the text speaks of free persons, it means citizens in the Roman society who were not subject to slavery. But even these citizens were subject to the emperor and his governors and to various human institutions (1 Pet. 2:13) The freedom Peter has in mind is not autonomy from any authority, but the freedom of self-control and submission, freedom from a harsh and unbearable master (our sin) and freedom to serve a benevolent Master.

Peter warns against using this freedom as a pretext, a cover-up for hanging on to evil. Rather it should be the freedom exercised by the slaves of a benevolent Master. Once again he emphasizes the essentiality of santification. In the first chapter, the reasons for sanctification are:

1. God is your Father. Emulate Him. He is holy; be holy. (1:14-15)
2. God is a just Judge; He judges according to each one's deeds. (1:17)

In chapter 2 the reasons are:

1. God is a benevolent Master. Enjoy the freedom of serving Him. (2:16)
2. Christ is a perfect example. Follow in His footsteps. (2:21)
3. Christ is a suffering Savior. He died, not to purchase a get-out-of-hell free card, but "that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." He didn't just pay the doctor's bill; He "healed" us by His wounds. Healing implies change. (2:24)

The paradox is: live free like the slave you are! The implications? Only by living as the slave of a benevolent Master can I experience true freedom from bondage to selfishness, the pursuit of acceptance, the need to be liked and valued. In valuing my Master's agenda, I am freed to "count it all joy" when mine falls through. Only be submitting to my benevolent Master am I freed to submit to poor and imperfect human authorities in my life.