2 Peter 3:11-18

COMMENTS

I love the way Peter ends his letter!  The reason for writing the letter (warning against false teachers and false doctrine) required him to say some hard things, and he didn’t shy away from that.  However, he ends with hope and encouragement and arguments for obedience.  A good example for us all….

NOTES

Much of what Peter says in these last few verses is a repeat of things he’s already said; but as I mentioned above, they are couched in hope, encouragement, and solid reasoning.  For example, in verse 12, he reiterates that this world will be destroyed by fire; but he also reminds us that God will create a new heaven and a new earth.  Verse 15 is a reminder that “our Lord’s patience means salvation”, and in verse 17 Peter says that we should be “on [our] guard so that [we] may not be carried away by the error of lawless men”—his whole reason for writing the letter in the first place.

As I read through this passage, I noticed another instance of repetition.  Did you see it?  Peter uses “look[ing] forward” three times in these few verses.  Sometimes, our ability to endure the tough things is based on the reward at the end:  the pain of childbirth is endured because of the sweet baby the mother will hold afterward; the tough football practices in the heat are endured so that the athletes will be better players and have a good football team; the debilitating cancer treatments are endured in hopes that they will defeat the cancer.  Looking forward is a powerful motivator!  Without something to look forward to, many hard things would not even be attempted!

So, Peter reminds us that we have something wonderful to look forward to:  this world will pass away, but a better one is coming!  As we go through this life, it’s easy to get focused on what’s right here in front of us; but we can stay the course more effectively if we will focus instead on what’s to come.  In the long run, none of this stuff down here will last.

How, then, should “looking forward” to a better world affect our choices here and now.  Peter tells us—each reference to looking forward is accompanied by character qualities that will be developed in the process.  Verses 11 and 12 say that we “ought to live holy and godly lives as [we] look forward to the day of God and speed its coming”.  Verse 13 says that the new heaven and new earth we are looking forward to will be “the home of righteousness” (so if we want to be there, we need to be righteous).  Verse 14 reminds us that since (not if!) we are looking forward to the things mentioned above, we will “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him (God)”. 

False doctrine will not bring about these things.  Whatever is not from God is opposed to God.  Godliness brings righteousness and unity.  Rebellion brings sin and discord. 

That makes me think of something else that I’d like to bring out.  In 2 Peter 3:15, Peter mentions his “dear brother Paul”.  If you’re not familiar with their history, let me tell you about it.  Paul tells us in Galatians 2:11-14 that he publicly admonished Peter for being a hypocrite in his dealings with the Jews and Gentiles; and his misbehavior had led others astray, as well.  That kind of confrontation often injures one’s pride and creates a barrier in a relationship that cannot be overcome.  In verse 14, Paul pointed out that Peter had been deceived by false doctrine:  “When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel”.  Recognizing this, Paul was obligated to challenge them with the truth.  Peter repented, corrected his behavior, and was humble enough to call Paul his “dear brother”.  That’s a flesh-and-blood example of God’s Truth versus the error of false teaching.

It’s important for us to remember one final VERY IMPORTANT point.  We can’t live “holy and godly lives” or be “righteous”, “spotless”, “blameless”, or “at peace with [God]” by our own efforts.  As humans, most of us try to do things on our own.  We might be able to pull that off with some things, but not with this!  Our only hope of success is given in the final verse of Peter’s letter:

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever!  Amen.”

This, too, is a repeat, taking us back to the beginning of the letter.  It is in our increasing knowledge of Jesus Christ that we have EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)!!

2 Peter 3:1-10

COMMENTS

I don’t know about you; but I accept warnings, suggestions, and correction much better when they come from someone who loves and accepts me.  The same words that I hear from a friend and then apply to my life sometimes provoke anger and resentment when they come from someone who frequently criticizes me.  In these matters, relationship is vitally important.  I believe our blustery friend Peter has learned a few things as he has matured in Christ ;-).

NOTES

If love and acceptance are prerequisites to effective communication, Peter certainly applies them in this letter.  He shows his acceptance of his readers by telling them that he knows their faith is real (2 Peter 1:1).  Then, he starts this section of the letter (Chapter 3) with a reminder of his love for them by acknowledging their relationship—“dear friends”.  (He actually uses this term four times in Chapter 3.)  These people are his friends.  He cares for them deeply, and he wants the best for them.  They are special to him, and he wants them to know it!  He has been vocal and critical of those who have been trying to lead the people astray, but he has done this because he cares.  He wants their thoughts to be “wholesome” (V. 1).  He wants them to remember all that the Lord has spoken to them through the holy prophets of the past and through Peter and the other apostles (V. 2).  God has not left them on their own.  He has sent messengers to guide them into His truth.

Why is it so important for them to remember these things?  And what does remembering the words of the prophets and apostles have to do with the scoffers (false teachers) in the next few verses?  Just this:  God made us, and He knows that we’re impatient.  When we get impatient, we get discouraged.  When we’re discouraged, we’re susceptible and more easily led astray. 

That’s what the false prophets were trying to do—lead the people astray.  “Didn’t God say He was coming back?  Where is He?  Nothing has changed!  Everything is the same as it’s always been!” (V. 4).  The impatient, wavering mind hears that and starts to question.  But throughout history, God has spoken love and hope to His people through His messengers.  By remembering that, the deceptive words of those evil men cannot gain any traction because God’s words build faith and hope.

God’s Word.  Powerful.  Reliable.  True.  In Verses 5-7 Peter reminds them and us that by the word of His mouth, God created the heavens and formed the earth.  By the word of His mouth, He destroyed the earth in a flood.  And by the word of His mouth, He will destroy the present heavens and earth and ungodly men.

We’re arrogant people and, even though we’re so inferior to the One True God, we judge Him by our own standards.  How foolish!  We think God should operate on our time schedule; but if we compare the time we’ve waited to the “forever” of an Eternal God, it has only been a few days (V. 8)!  Peter tells us to “remember”—we’re on God’s time, not human time.

But really, why doesn’t He just hurry up and come?  Things are just getting worse.  Humanity is more self-centered and evil all the time.  Society seems to be falling apart.  Dissension has replaced unity….  All that may be true, but Peter reminds us of one very important thing—the moment Jesus returns, everyone who has not accepted His sacrifice will be doomed to Hell.  So He waits, “not wanting anyone to perish” (V. 9).

As if to put an exclamation point on what he has just said, Peter ends this section of Chapter 3 with a declaration:

“But the day of the Lord WILL  come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”  (2 Peter 3:10, emphasis mine)

It WILL happen.  Count on it.  Remember—and let His Word fill you with the confidence and hope it was meant to bring.  With that as your foundation, you cannot be led astray.

2 Peter 2:19-22

COMMENTS

I thought we were done with Chapter 2.  I didn’t really see a dividing point and thought I had covered the whole chapter in that one posting.  However, the Lord won’t let me move on to Chapter 3.  I now realize that I didn’t really discuss the last four verses, so there’s more to cover in Chapter 2….

NOTES

It’s a terrible thing to see someone bound who doesn’t have to be.  Our prisons are full of people who would not be incarcerated if they had just made better choices.  There are countless persons out there who, even though walking freely, are bound by their addictions--and there are all kinds:  gambling, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol, pornography—even food. 

There are other kinds of bondage, as well.  People are bound by “family sins”—things passed down from one generation to another.  We often see that in child abuse, spousal abuse, poor parenting skills, etc.  Then there are the “personality” bondages (my term!).  These are things like insecurity, harshness, mistreatment of others, etc. etc.  

In 2 Peter 2:19 Peter defines bondage for us:  “for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him”.  In other words, anything that controls you rather than being controlled by you has made you a slave.  And what is slavery if not bondage?   Peter tells us that the false teachers he has been warning about are slaves—slaves of depravity.  They are promising freedom to their followers, but they aren’t even free themselves.  How can they lead anyone else to freedom?

It seems to me that Peter’s tone changes in the next couple of verses.  Having been quite outspoken about their sin and deception and depravity, there seems to me to be a softening here.  Look at 2 Peter 2:20-21:

“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.”

Do you see his pastor’s heart in those words?  Can you feel the agony he feels as he thinks of these poor souls who once lived in freedom and have now chosen to return to bondage again?  “It would have been better for them not to have known….”  (Of course, the original tone returns in verse 22 when he quotes the “dog” and “sow” proverbs.)

We know that this is all the work of the devil, who longs to see Christians in bondage.  As believers who have been filled with the Spirit, we have access to all the tools we need to live in freedom.  Peter assumes that when we chose the Christian life, we moved out of bondage and into freedom.  Having known freedom, we’d be fools to choose bondage again.

If you know me or have read many of my posts, you know that I have a great concern that many of us have never learned that we actually have the tools we need to defeat Satan, and those who do know don’t necessarily know how to use them.  If you’re interested, check my blog back on May 27, 2014, for a series I entitled “Freedom in Christ”.  There are 10 postings, starting with “Freedom in Christ:  An Appeal” and ending with “Freedom in Christ:  A Clarification”. 

Remember:  Freedom is an inward thing.  I’d venture to say that the disciples and many Christians since have been more free while sitting in prison than many of us are who are not behind bars.

2 Peter 2

COMMENTS

I was talking with someone recently, and she was “expounding” against a subject that she felt strongly about.  When she paused, I teasingly said, “Why don’t you tell me how you REALLY feel about it.”  We had a good laugh over that.  We could ask Peter that same question; but somehow, I doubt there would be any laughter. 

NOTES

The entire second chapter of 2 Peter deals with false teachers, and he doesn’t mince words!  As I was reading it, I decided to jot down some of the terms he uses in describing them:  (V. 1) false, (V. 2) shameful, (V. 3) greed, exploit, (V. 10) corrupt, despise authority, bold and arrogant, (V. 12) brute beasts, (V. 13) blots and blemishes, (V. 14) an accursed brood, (V. 17) springs without water, mists driven by a storm, and (V. 19) slaves of depravity. 

In addition to those descriptive terms of the men themselves, Peter also describes their reprehensible actions:  (V. 1) secretly introduce destructive heresies; denying the sovereign Lord who bought them; bring the way of truth into disrepute, (V. 3) exploit you with stories they have made up, (V. 10) not afraid to slander celestial beings (which even angels will not do!), (V. 12) blaspheme in matters they do not understand, (V. 13) carouse in broad daylight; reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you, (V. 14) never stop sinning; seduce the unstable, (V.15) have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam, (V. 18) mouth empty, boastful words; appeal to the lustful desires of sinful human nature; entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error, (V. 19) promise freedom while they themselves are slaves of depravity.

Look at the words Peter uses.  He is describing terrible people who are doing terrible things!  Please forgive me for giving you such long lists to read, but no “summary” would have the impact this does.  Did Peter feel strongly about the false teachers?  That would be an emphatic “YES”!!! 

Why did he despise them so much?  It was because they were distorting the Truth and making a mockery of Jesus’ love and sacrifice—and all for personal gain.  If they could succeed, they would be powerful and able to do anything they wanted.  Those early disciples were commissioned by Jesus Christ Himself to spread His Truth and His church to “all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  None of them, including Peter, were going to stand by and allow anything to prevent or distort that!

Early in the chapter, Peter noted that there had been false prophets in the days of old, and that false teachers would be among them in that day.  I hate to tell you this, but false teachers still invade our churches today and “appeal to the lustful desires of sinful human nature” and “entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error” (2:18).  If you will review those two lists, you will see that nothing has changed!

So, that brings about an important question:  How do I know whether what I’m being taught is Truth or falsehood?  Just as Peter taught us in Chapter 1, he reminds us of the answer in 2 Peter 2:20, which says, “If [we] have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…”.

I was a business major in college; and as I was reading and thinking about this passage, I remembered something one of my professors told us.  He said that bank tellers are taught how to recognize counterfeit bills by handling real bills over and over and over.  If you’re familiar enough with the real thing, you instinctively recognize a fake, even if you can’t explain exactly what’s wrong.  I believe our Christian faith is just like that.  If we “handle” our Bibles, our prayer time, and our relationship with our Lord “over and over and over”, we’re going to recognize the “fake” Christianity.  “Fake” comes in many forms, but there is only one Truth!

Repeatedly throughout this chapter, Peter reminds us that the unrighteous will be punished and the godly will be rescued (V. 1, 3, 9, 12, 13, 17, 20, 21).

Obviously, this is a serious subject; and we have received a severe warning.  We MUST remember such an admonition, but there is also hope and encouragement here.  Let’s end by looking at 2:9a:

“if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials…”

Rescue us, O Lord!  Grant us wisdom to know the Truth, discernment to recognize and escape evil, and courage to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ!

2 Peter 1:16-21

COMMENTS

I love how the Lord speaks to us and encourages us to get into His Word and to commune with Him.  It seems that every time I do, He gives some kind of confirmation.  I know that you’ve experienced this if you interact with Him at all.  For example,  my husband mentioned at lunch today that he had heard a scripture mentioned last week; and then, someone emailed him the very same scripture a couple of days later.  I mean, there are thousands of verses in the Bible.  Why would the same verse come to him from two different sources at the same time?  Coincidence?  No.  God-incidence!  That happened to me today.  Our guest preacher referenced today’s blog verses in his sermon this morning ;-).  I mean, the very verses that I was going to write about this afternoon!  Another confirmation that 2 Peter is where we’re supposed to be!

NOTES

Have you ever noticed that every time there’s some kind of a major news event, the media interviews someone who was there for it—someone who either experienced it or observed it first hand and close by.  Why do they do that?  Because we give value and credibility to an eyewitness account.  In our passage today, Peter does the same thing. 

He starts by reminding his readers that he and the other disciples didn’t have some clever marketing scheme to sell Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  Instead, he reminds us that they were “eyewitnesses of His majesty” (V. 16).  Referring to the transfiguration of Jesus, Peter recounts what he SAW and HEARD from the very mouth of God!  He literally heard God—the Majestic Glory (don’t you love that name!)—say, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (V. 17).  Basically, Peter was saying, “You can believe what I’m telling you because I saw and heard it myself.”  What he had to say was credible.

Peter then adds some history.  He reminds us that we also have the word of the prophets who came before.  Those prophets, speaking not on their own but in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (a VERY important point), gave validation and confirmation of the deity of Jesus Christ.

I love two of the phrases Peter speaks here:  (1) “you will do well to pay attention to [the word of the prophets] (V.19) and (2) “as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (V. 19). 

NOTE:  Just a warning to you:  I’m not researching what that means.  I’m telling you what it says to my heart, which may not be theologically correct. 

What those two phrases say to me are:  Hey, guys.  Pay attention to what the prophets said.  Their words are true.  You may be confused now, but they will help you understand God’s plan.  Slowly and surely, it will dawn upon you that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah—the Son of God.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve been to a bridal shower, a baby shower, and a graduation party.  At each event, I was asked to write a piece of advice for the honoree.  Why was I asked to do that?  Because I am married, I’ve had two babies, and I’ve graduated and experienced life beyond graduation.  I’m just an imperfect human being, but I’ve learned things from my experiences (especially my mess-ups!) that can be helpful to someone who’s doing it for the first time.  Peter, the other disciples, and the prophets were also imperfect human beings; but what they have to teach us is far more valuable than anything I wrote at those showers.  Their words of wisdom come from God Himself, speaking to us in the power of the Holy Spirit.  As Peter said, we would do well to listen….

2 Peter 1:9-15

COMMENTS

Do you ever find it easy to get distracted?  When I was growing up, I would often hear this phrase:  “He can’t see the forest for the trees.”  The meaning, of course, was that the person was so wrapped up in the small details that he couldn’t see the big picture.  It’s easy to allow the “urgent”—those things that need immediate attention—to distract us from the “important”—the things that really matter.

NOTES

Peter, I think, is saying something like that to his audience.  He says that if a believer isn’t growing in the qualities mentioned in verses 5-7 (faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love), he is “nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins” (v. 9).  Whoa!  That’s harsh!  Or is it?  As a Christ-follower, if I’m not focused on growing as a Christian, I’m “nearsighted and blind”.  In other words, I’m focused on the trees and have lost sight of the forest.  And when I remember the great price Jesus paid to cleanse me from my sins, I am not as easily distracted.

[NOTE:  I love the endearing way he addresses those to whom he writes this letter (that includes you and me).  He personalizes what he says by injecting “my brothers” (and sisters, I’m sure!).  He cares deeply about his readers—cares enough to tell them the hard things because he wants the best for them.]

As humans, we do our best when there’s a reward for doing it.  If you study hard, you get a good grade.  If you work hard, you get a raise.  If you exercise hard, you get thinner or stronger.  God knows that, and Peter knows that.  So what is our reward for diligently pursuing godliness?  We will never “fall” (v. 10), and we will “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 11).  Certainly a reward worth working for!

Friends, this reward is so incredible that we should be “eager” (v. 10) to do everything we can to be sure we’re standing on solid ground.  When we make living the Christian life and developing Christ-like qualities our focus and purpose, we are living a “forest” life, not a “tree” life. 

In verses 12-15, Peter acknowledges that his readers know all of this and that they are “firmly established in the truth [they] now have” (v. 12).  “The truth [they] now have”.  That says two things to me:  (1) At this point in time, they have some truth, and (2) if they pursue it, they will receive more truth.  Knowing and growing in this truth is important enough that Peter promises that he will “always remind” (v. 12) them and that he will “make every effort to see that…[they] will always be able to remember these things” (v. 15).  Those words apply to us as well. 

Have you noticed how often in this passage Peter has used some form of the terms “remember” and “forget”?  Verse 9:  forgotten.  Verse 12:  remind.  Verse 12:  know.  Verse 13:  refresh your memory.  Verse 15:  remember.  Obviously, remembering is important!  Remembering whose we are….  Remembering the truth we know….  Remembering what’s important….

Peter wanted believers to be firmly established and solidly grounded in truth.  How can we accomplish that?  “Through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (v. 3).  There is no other way.

2 Peter 1:5-8

COMMENTS

I love what Peter does in this section of scripture.  In my early years as a believer, I was given a lot of truth and information about who I should be and how I should act; but I wasn’t told how to accomplish those things.  Here, Peter moves into the “how-to”.  Let’s see what he says….

NOTES

Two phrases jumped out at me as I read this passage:

“For if you possess these qualities IN INCREASING MEASURE, they will keep you from being INEFFECTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8)

Some people love knowledge for knowledge’s sake—they just love to know things.  Sometimes, I can be like that.  I love to watch the TV show “Jeopardy” because I love learning new things.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  But our knowledge of our God must not be like that!  He desires that knowledge to accomplish something.  With that knowledge, we must be effective and productive, not “ineffective and unproductive” (v. 8).

So, how do I become effective and productive?  By developing godly qualities “in increasing measure” (v. 8).  I cannot stay stagnant.  None of us ever reach perfection, so we never “arrive”, as we used to say.  Life, including our Christian walk, is a journey.  My goal is to look more like Jesus when I go to bed tonight than I did when I got up this morning, to be more successful at “escaping the corruption in the world” (v.4) today than I was yesterday.

So, Peter tells me how I can do that.  He knows that, as a believer, I have faith.  However, I must “make every effort” (v. 5) to add goodness to my faith.  Then, to the goodness, I add knowledge.  To knowledge, I add self-control.  To self-control, I add perseverance.  To perseverance, I add godliness.  To godliness, I add brotherly kindness.  To brotherly kindness, I must add love.

 

Look at that list!  Will I ever have all of those qualities all the time?  Not in this life!  But as I know Him better and love Him more—as I “make every effort” in the power of the Spirit—I’ll have more of them more often.