Jesus died to set you free from sin, corruption, and death. Yet many people who believe in Jesus as their savior in their mind live a life that is controlled by something other than Jesus! Peter calls this slavery and gives the picture of slaves who were set free but then went back to their former slave master to be punished and controlled once more. At that point, what was the point of Jesus purchasing their freedom?
There certainly are actual slaves in our world today, but perhaps the things that control you look more like fear and doubt, guilt and shame, addiction and lust, busyness, and the opinions of others. These are terrible “lords” that have no authority over Christians. Yet they can threaten us, call us back to them, make empty promises, and they might even have false teachers legitimizing these “lords” roles in our lives.
Jesus purchased our freedom so that we could be controlled by love and by the Holy Spirit. That transaction already happened. We are already free. Our task now is to stay free and in the flow of God’s love to us and through us. We do that by following Jesus, knowing Jesus, thinking about Jesus, emulating Jesus, worshiping Jesus, and when we are deceived by old “lords,” coming back to the One we belong to in order to be set free by his amazing grace.
Questions for reflection:
- What old “lords” have Jesus set you free from that try to get you to come back to them?
- How is Jesus a much better Lord than your past “lords?”