Do you remember what it felt like to be a kid in your parents’ home—completely at ease, grabbing a snack without asking, flinging open the windows just because you could? That’s what Pastor Matt called refrigerator rights—the kind of full access and belonging that comes with being secure in your identity and home. It’s that same freedom Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 8–9—not the freedom to do whatever we want, but the freedom to lay our rights down in love.

As we grow older, many of us chase independence. We build our own “Goat Island”—careers, homes, reputations—all in hopes of finding happiness and fulfillment. But too often, what we create for ourselves becomes a burden. Just like the lawyer in Pastor Matt’s story, we end up longing for the simplicity and security we once knew. Spiritually, we do the same thing. We take our knowledge, our rights, and our religious performance and try to build something impressive. But without love, it’s just another prison.

Paul identifies three of those prisons in the Corinthian church and in our lives today. First, the prison of what I think I know. Whether we’re the “weaker” believer trying to add to God’s grace or the “stronger” believer flaunting our freedom, we can miss the heart of the gospel: that Christ is enough. Second, the prison of what others say about me. If we let the opinions or criticisms of others shape our identity, we lose sight of who God says we are. And third, the prison of what I say I know—our own internal narratives and self-limiting beliefs that keep us bound.

But here’s the good news: Christ has already torn down every wall. Paul shows us the way out—not by claiming his rights, but by laying them down for the sake of others. Instead of building walls with knowledge and pride, he builds bridges with love and humility. And instead of demanding his due, he invites others into the freedom he’s found. That’s the call for us today: not to live puffed up by knowledge, but built up in love.

So what about you? Are you living with refrigerator rights in God’s house—confident, secure, and free? Or are you still trying to earn your way in, impress someone, or prove yourself? Jesus isn’t asking you to strive harder. He’s simply saying, “Come home.” The door is open. The fridge is stocked. And there’s a place for you at the table.

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Small Group Discussion Questions

1. “Refrigerator rights” paint a picture of deep belonging. In what areas of your spiritual life do you feel at home with God—and where do you still feel like a guest?
2. Pastor Matt described the danger of “building your own Goat Island.” What personal ambitions or ideas of independence have ever left you feeling more burdened than free?
3. Paul warns against letting our knowledge puff us up rather than build others up. Can you think of a time when your “right” to do something may have harmed someone else’s faith?
4. Whose voices are the loudest in your life right now—God’s, others’, or your own? How do you determine which voice to listen to?
5. What would it look like for you this week to lay down a right in order to better love someone else—and how might that reflect the freedom Paul describes in Christ?