The Promise of Freedom

Thinking about 2. Peter 2.19, this morning. Peter is severely taking to task false teachers in the church who promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you (NLT). Deep words. True words. How foolish we are if we turn aside from the excellency of Christ to pursue things that are useful in this world only. The endless pursuit of sex only makes you a slave to your sexual nature; there is no satisfaction to be found there. The same goes for power. The same for pride.

Don't shipwreck your faith in pursuit of a few colored glass beads and some temporal trinkets. True, lasting freedom is to be found in Christ alone.

Prayer: O Lord God, may I pursue Christ always. Christ before all things. May I see his excellency and desire him alone.

Purpose of Christian Freedom: Slavery to One Another

Reading in Galatians 5.13 this morning. Paul instructs the Galatians that they were called to freedom, but lest they assume he means autonomous freedom, he carefully explains. Christian freedom is a freedom that serves each other in love. The word serve might be better translated "is enslaved to" one another in love. Chrysostom thinks that Paul used the word to forcefully make his point:

He did not say “love one another” but “be slaves to one another,” to express the most intense possible love.