But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (vs25-30)
It was more than the singing: the actual lifestyle of the new converts saved the Philippian Jailor. He expected everyone to be gone, escaped, but there they were, criminals in their past life, along with the messengers of God, obedient to His will, sitting happily in the prison house loosed from their sins, but bound to obey and honor God, even when the shackles were removed. Paul said, “we are all here” (vs28). They didn't say, “We're free, so the gospel doesn't need obedience to Christ”, but they willingly subjected themselves to Christ as obedient children. Peter says, “as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Pet 2:16-17). The gospel doesn't make us live loosely in indifference to Christ's commands; it makes us serve and honor Him IN our freedom.
Freedom is God's response to Christ's work, loosing us from our sins by the debt the Son paid. He says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:32). He sets us free from the prison house, reconciles us to God, and He gives us the VICTORY over sins that He's earned: we're forgiven and given obedience as the result. Paul and Silas did more than sing and pray; they SHOWED by their actions that the joy of Christ and freedom of the gospel is real.
Do the same! Don't live saying, “I'm free, so I can sin”, or, “Freedom means that I don't have to be zealous in obedience”, but see these former criminals subjecting themselves to harsh prison sentences and even DEATH, all so that they could honor Christ!
Your personal freedom is secondary to the gospel, if you know God, and we see how Paul and Silas taught this by example, from the beginning of the word's influence on these jailed men. He didn't wait for them to grow, but OBEDIENCE was immediately part of the gospel, what it means to believe. They said, “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house” (Acts 16:31-32). Lydia, the seller of purple, was SET FREE, and she begs the apostles to stay in her home (Acts 16:14-15). The demon possessed woman wasn't free until the evil was cast out of her and repentance was given, but when he was, the apostles willingly suffered the reproach of Christ, singing hymns and praying to God.
What kind of freedom do you have? Are you free to serve Christ and free from sin's dominion, or is your freedom devilish, something used to excuse rebellion?
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