1 Peter 2:15-16

NASB: 15 For such is the will of God, that by doing right you silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-servants of God.

NRSVUE: 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.

VOICE: 15 You see, it is God’s will that by doing what is right and good you should hush the gabbing ignorance of the foolish. 16 Live as those who are free and not as those who use their freedom as a pretext for evil, but live as God’s servants.

God’s Good Knocks Out Evil

God calls all believers to reflect His character at all times. Peter places this type of conduct within God’s powerful purpose, calling on his audience to obey God despite the pressures of the society they lived in. Proper conduct, mercy, honesty, service, and submission to the proper authority are all signs of how the Gospel’s teachings can transform us. Peter wanted his audience to live like this so that others can see and worship God accordingly because of their good actions.

Consistent godliness answers the wrongs of the world more effectively than retaliation or self-defense. Christians, during Peter’s time, were often accused of disloyalty, immoral behaviors, and social disruptions. Living a faithful life exposed that those accusations are uninformed and unjust. Those that shared these accusations revealed their ignorance, not just because of a lack of information, but it showed their resistance to the teachings of God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Given the state of our current society, do you believe that good actions and take down the evil of the world?

Silence the Fools

We would love the people who spew ignorance, hatred, and vitriol to silence themselves. To learn that spreading this misinformation is not helpful to the greater society, and only creates divisiveness and fear. What does it mean for those believers to be silenced?

The Greek word that Peter uses describes an image of someone being muzzled of their false talks. God doesn’t want us to get into shouting matching about right and wrong, good and bad, and all that. God wants us to put our words into action and reveal an unmistakable goodness that would make any accusations meaningless. Peter called his audience to do good in very simple ways: be honest in your businesses, respect authority, be kind to all people, and be pure in your speech. Things that may be simple on paper, but can be very difficult to institute in our world. We hear constant stories of business leading the way through unethical and immoral business practices. We hear stories about authorities abusing their power and leadership. We hear people constantly taking advantage of others. How can this foolishness be muzzled? We have to look at the perfect model: Jesus.

One of the ways the godliness can show is above reproach behavior at work. This isn’t to say that we give all of lives to our jobs, but we do our jobs in a way that’s dependable, punctual, and diligent. We hear stories of people being taken advantage of in their workplaces because of their niceness, feeling like they must working extra without proper pay, sacrificing time away from their family, and creating extra stress on their workers for the name of profit. We don’t need to do that in order to live above reproach. Can we be depended to do our jobs within reason? Can we be trusted to show up to our jobs on time without excuse? Can we be diligent enough to get our jobs done on time, without creating more work for our coworkers.

Another ways godliness can show is through helping those in need. This can look at like providing a meal for someone in need. This can look like providing childcare for a family when they need it. This can look like giving a ride to someone to go to their work or a medical appointment. This can look like providing financial aid in the form of helping with rent or their mortgage or their utilities. We are called to be generous with our excess to ensure that our neighbor’s needs are being met, especially when our world is full of unjust systems that don’t allow for the proper help necessary. This doesn’t mean that you should put yourself in a tough spot as a result, but we need to make sure our cup is full so that we can pour the overflow into our communities.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Which ways can godly behavior show up in your actions and words?

Finding True Freedom

Believers are released from condemnation and an unsuccessful effort to establish a right-standing with God through our own effects. These liberties were important to Christians under the Roman authority. Freedom in Christ reaches our minds and hearts, enabling our obedience to God to come from a place of gratitude instead of fear. Grace doesn’t give us permission to sin or hide rebelling against God. It’s not a mask for dishonesty, defiance against God, or a way to do what we want. As believers, we are called to reject the lifestyle choices that we were delivered from. Christians belong to God through Christ’s redemptive work. Our response is not to stay chained to sinful behaviors, but to obey God through His freedom. We do this by walking in holiness, humility, and faithfully obeying God’s commands.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What does God’s freedom look like in your life?

Protecting Necessary Freedoms

Our freedom can cover up evil behaviors. Our fleshly desires battles our spiritual desires often. Sin loves anonymity and freedom can be disguised as compromise. It can be the quiet and “helpful” behavior that can create the most chaos. People will sometimes go with the flow of behaviors that don’t feel right in order to not stir the pot in the situation, but God wants us to follow His commands no matter what – even when means disrupting the natural flow of a situation. Being free through Christ means that we are released from the spiritual penalties of sin and its power it has over us. We are called to live in love, compassion, and justice for all people as long as its aligned with God’s will. We do this by choice so that it keeps our intentions pure. We don’t this because we’re forced to, for that removes free-will, but because we get to.

What does this look like? How can protect ourselves from abusing these freedoms? Focus on the scriptures, seeing how that can lead and impact your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your decisions and desires. Create accountability to allow others to share their perspective and critiques with us. Practice transparency to allow the hidden behaviors to come to life. Remember the cost, keeping the sacrifice of Christ in the forefront of our minds. Serve others by choice and intention, focusing on the love and compassion for caring for your neighbor. Honor just authority, respecting the leadership of right-standing people and challenging those who corrupt it.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What way can you protect the freedom you have in Christ’s sacrifice?

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