Promising to them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of corruption—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
Truth to Learn
That which you are committed to and controlled by is your master and you are its slave.
Behind the Words
This word “freedom” is translated from the Greek word, eleutherio which means “freedom or independence.”
“Slaves” is translated from doulos, which refers to “a slave, one who is in a relation of servitude to another, his will being altogether consumed in the will of the master.”
The word translated “corruption” is phthora, meaning “decay, spoilage, corruption, ruin, or wasting away.”
Meaning Explained
Peter now continues his description of the messages that these false teachers proclaim. In the previous verse we talked about the fact that these messages were well crafted messages, like orchestrations, that were intended to lure the people through the lusts of their flesh. The people who had come out of churches which preached a false message were then entrapped by these well crafted messages of these false teachers.
Peter now says that these messages contained promises of freedom. That’s what many people want to hear, freedom from worry and independence from guilt. They want freedom from the rules of a righteous God and independence to make one’s own decisions. They want free will without guilt. Unfortunately, true freedom only comes from submission and dependence (on the grace and mercy of God) but that’s not the message that was being preached to these people.
Why? Because the teachers are themselves slaves to the corruption of their own selfish desires. They are literally incapable of preaching the message of peace through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, because they are themselves slaves to sin. And, Peter says, anyone who has been overcome by something or someone else is a slave to that which has overcome them. These false teachers have been overcome by their own selfish motives and have become enslaved by them. Hence, they are not able to see the truth let alone preach it to others.
Here’s the message that we all need to take from today’s verse. If we want to be an effective witness for God then we have to be slaves to God (His personal servants). We have to proclaim His message and we have to do it His way. Anything else is selfish ambition and cannot possibly portray the truth. This applies to both teacher and disciple. In order to effectively teach or to effectively learn we must be submitted and committed to God and God alone.
Application
Peter doesn’t sugar coat it and neither will I. So let’s be completely honest with ourselves and answer the following two questions.
Who are you committed to, God, or your own selfish desires?
What are you submitted to, the will of God, or your own will?
I think it’s time for all of us to pray!
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved