“You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong” (1 Peter 2:16 CEV).
While there are a variety of ways to express “freedom,” this word carries a rather simple definition: freedom represents the ability to choose between alternatives and the liberty to act upon those choices.
Although some may prefer to associate freedom with the ability to do whatever they like, there is an issue with defining freedom in that manner. To illustrate that issue, we can turn to an oft-quoted question among many commentators: “Can you flap your arms and fly to Jupiter?” While that idea sounds laughable, it serves to illustrate our point. We may desire to flap our arms and fly to Jupiter, but we are not free to do so.
Perhaps the best-known Biblical statement on the subject of true freedom can be found in Jesus’ message from the Gospel of John…
“…’If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free… Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed'” (John 8:31-32, 34-36).
1 Peter 2:16 also underscores our need to accept personal responsibility in those areas where we are free to choose between alternatives: “Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil…” (NIV). This cautionary message resurfaces whenever we uncover instances where people have privately engaged in inappropriate behaviors that contradict their public image.
Nevertheless, any effort to conceal such behaviors is merely a temporary measure at best. 1 Timothy 5:24 alerts us to the futility of using our liberty as a cover-up for evil when it tells us, “Some people’s sins are obvious, preceding them to judgment, but the sins of others surface later” (CSB). As we’re also reminded in Romans 2:6, God “…will repay each person according to what they have done” (NIV).
We can find a far more encouraging motivation in Jesus’ teaching from Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” Therefore, we would do well to discard any cloak for vice we are wearing today to help ensure that we will meet God with a pure heart later.