Reading: We often find passages in scripture that don’t make sense on the surface. Passages like Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever lose his life for my sake will find it” are understandably difficult. What about Matthew 16:24-25 when it says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it”? And again, in Matthew 10:37-38 it says, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Here in 2 Peter 2:19, we read him write, “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity — for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.” Depravity is another word for “corruption or destruction.” We see another example of something that doesn’t make sense to much of the world — that choosing our own way isn’t true freedom. These false teachers, as we know, wrote their own script. They made their own way and set their own rules. They determined for themselves what was true and what wasn’t true. They lived according to their own agenda and put themselves as priority.

What could be more freeing?! What more could we want in life than to have this kind of freedom? Yet Peter says that this makes them slaves — the very opposite of their intention. Peter says that a slave is “to whatever has mastered him”. What are these false teachers mastered by? What is this depravity he speaks of? 

Lets turn to Romans, chapter 6, as Paul speaks directly to this question we are asking ourselves. Romans 6:16 says, “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey — whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Very quickly Paul points out this to us — our way is sin and sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). Death doesn’t sound very freeing. 

Jesus makes clear that only he is the way. Our choices apart from God lead to death, if not an immediate physical death, a little bit of death here and there – to relationships with others and God. This may be Satan’s intention for you – to believe in your freedom outside of God. Jesus wants you to be free in him. John 10:10 says, “The thief [Satan] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I [Jesus] have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” “Full” here in this verse, in the literal word, translates to abundant. Jesus not only tells us that he is the way to true life and this freedom, but abundant life!

Paul says in Romans 6:20-22 too that,”When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.”

Being a slave doesn’t sound good at first glance because of the negative connotations in our culture, but God is a great master. The truth is, we all answer to a master — whether it be ourselves or God. It is much better to be a slave to God. Slavery in God to righteousness reaches for holiness and communion with God. You have to choose who you will serve. As scripture says, “Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer the in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:19). Who will you choose today? 

God has offered us a path to life, a path to freedom from sin and death into the arms of a new master. His name is Jesus.

Reflection:  What things are you drawn to over God? We all struggle with putting our attention on worldly things over God. Write them down so that you can put them lower on that priority list!

Prayer Prompt: Flip to Psalm 46 and pray along with it — thanking God for being our refuge!