Final Words
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. It's hard to summarize Peter's final thoughts here with any one title, but it is clear that he has a few final words of admonishment for the Church as he urges them to live lives that are not only holy as we've also seen, but "blameless, without spot, and at peace." That's a pretty high bar, and impossible for us to do in our flesh, but remember, that we should be letting the Holy Spirit move in and through us and doing His work to sanctify us to make us more and more like Christ every day. Peter then tells the churches that he's planted that they should accept the letters of Paul as Scripture. Paul was always looked on as an outsider because he was not one of the original 12, and people questioned whether his gospel was authentic because he preached to the Gentiles, not just the Jews. Peter made sure that before he died that the Church knew that the only reason people were having an issue with Paul's teaching was because they were trying to twist what he was saying, just like has always been done with all of the prophets and the other apostles. This is one of the first times though that Epistles of the New Testament were referred to as Scripture equal to the Old Testament as the Word of God and is evidence that these letters were widely circulated among the early churches and that there was ample opportunity for someone like Peter to correct Paul if he believed he was in error. Peter's admonishment to not be carried away by error by the people that are lawless (this is a word we've seen a lot to describe those that are false prophets and false disciples--pay attention to this) and that Peter wants them to remain stable (remember the part of the Sermon on the Mount about the two foundations). We need to instead grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by reading and studying the Word of God, making sure that in all things God gets the glory both now and forevermore. To God be the glory!
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2 Peter 3:1-13 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Day of the Lord Will Come 1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Peter makes the point here to not mistake God's patience and mercy to not execute immediate judgement on the wicked and ungodly as a sign that His judgement is never going to come. Peter refers back to the Flood as an example when God was patient and let the world reach a point where the people did only what was evil all the time before He poured out His judgement on the Earth. God promised in the Noahic covenant that the world would never again be destroyed but water, but Peter tells us that in the final judgement it will be destroyed by fire with such fervent heat that "the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved." Another version says that "the elements will melt." I'm not going to try to guess what this is or if it is a natural phenomenon. Let it suffice to say that nothing in this creation will survive the coming judgement. However, Peter lets us know that God gets no pleasure out of this and He wishes for all to come to repentance and that His long-suffering is a form of grace whereby He is giving more people an opportunity to repent and believe. However, there will be a day that will come upon us suddenly when His patience will run out and He will execute His righteous judgement because He is a just God who cannot let sin go unpunished. Do not mock the mercy of the Lord or His patience and never teach people that the second coming of Christ is not a real event. The coming judgement is just as real and even more severe than that of the Flood and it is our duty to carry the gospel to all nations and make disciples of all people groups. Like in the Flood, God has provided a way of escape for those that believe and trust in His way and His plan, but they must take refuge not in the security of an ark, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross--His incarnation, sinless life, his death on the cross where He died in our place, His bodily resurrection to show His victory over both sin and death, His ascension into heaven where He rules at the right hand of the Father, and His second coming where He will judge the wicked and set up an everlasting kingdom that will literally be heaven on earth for all who believe--but for those who do not believe they will be cast into the lake of fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. In light of this, how should we live? Peter calls us to live a life of holiness--this means to be set apart for a special calling an purpose, not ordinary or common (like the silverware and fine china that you only use on special occasions, or more specifically the instruments of worship used in the temple and tabernacle that were holy to the LORD and were not to be used for any other common purpose). We too are to live uncommon lives that bring glory and honor to God, even more now that we see the end times approaching because this is part of our testimony that shows the world that we really believe what we say and that God has actually done something in us and is now doing something through us so that they too can be saved. We are left with two choices. Give our lives to Christ now and live forever in his presence to give eternal praise, glory and honor to God, or to live forever in separation from God in what is described as "utter darkness" and "fire that cannot be quenched" where "there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" (great pain and suffering), but people still curse God and refuse to give Him the glory He deserves, yet in either case, God is glorified and proved righteous, just and holy. Which path will you choose? Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” There is not much commentary needed for this passage. There may be a few words that I'll define and a few characters from the Old Testament that a few could use a citation so that you can go back and see what Peter is talking about, but for the most part, Peter is laying out the case that the wicked men deserve the just wrath of God in this life and in eternity to come as do those who claim they have been transformed by Christ but turn back to a a life of sin and rebellion against God (the apostate). If you'd like to read more about the story of Balaam, the son of Beor, you can read about it in Numbers 22-24 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+22-24&version=ESV). Numbers 22 covers most of what is alluded to here by Peter. Also the word "blasphemous" might be unfamiliar to some. To "blaspheme" is " to speak in a way that shows irreverence for God or something sacred." Last, but not least is the idea of the apostate....one who says they were saved, but then turns away from God and turns back to their life of sin in rebellion to God, possibly even following other false gods. The Bible seems to say that anyone who does this does so because they were never really part of the elect to begin with and never had God fooled. Their nature was never changed, they are still the "dog" or "sow" that they were before their apparent conversion experience. This is why I don't say that salvation is about praying the Sinner's Prayer or walking the aisle as this reduces it simply to an act of works and if you "say the magic words" then you're saved. The next book we'll talk about after 2nd Peter is probably going to be 1st John and it is all about testing yourself to make sure that you are genuinely saved. It's not pleasant, but it's a real conversation that needed to be had during the early Church and needs to happen even moreso today in a "Christian" culture full of cults, false teachers and apostasy. 2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. First we see Peter admonish the Church to watch out for false prophets--they have always been around, were around when he was writing the letter, and they continue to be an issue today--and the problem will grow even greater in the end times when there will be a false prophet that will make people worship the anti-Christ and Satan (even if they don't really understand that's what they are doing). People follow these false prophets because they want to live lives of sin, they hate the truth and they are haters of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God. God had never let even go unpunished forever, and we can be sure that judgement is coming, but we can also be sure that it is God's nature to save a remnant of faithful people in ways that only He can do which preserves His covenant. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this. Just like Noah and His family took refuge in the ark and were saved from catastrophe, so all those who take shelter in Jesus as both Lord and Savior will be saved from the coming judgement. We are called like these men to live lives of righteousness in an unrighteous world and to do so for the glory of God alone. The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, but let us have the faith of Daniel's friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known by their Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3: 16b-18). God is able to save us from the fire, but is not required to do so, and even through the fire, we may still be delivered from the hands of evil men. God will one day make all things right and the wicked who have chosen any other way other than the way that God has provided will be judged and found inadequate and unable to live in the presence of God and will be cast out of God's presence like the fallen angels were, but this is every man's choice. Those who surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior and take their refuge in Him will be covered by His righteousness and will be found acceptable in the sight of God, not because of our own acts of righteousness which are woefully inadequate, but because of the superlative righteousness of Jesus Christ the Righteous One. There are only two roads, two kinds of tress and two destines. Will we spend an eternity in hell that was created for the devil and his angels or will we choose a life of surrender now and forevermore as we bow before the one and only King of Kings and Lord of Lords and live in His presence forevermore as we serve Him through all eternity in His coming kingdom that is without end? The choice is yours and yours alone. If you'd like to learn more about what I just said and the decision that is before you, watch one or both of these videos, and let me know if you have any questions: Watch this video on 3 Circles presentation of the Gospel , or this slightly different presentation of the 3 Circles Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Before we begin, it may be necessary to back up and also share the events that Peter is referencing here. You can find Jesus' transfiguration recorded in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9. I'm going to share the account written by Luke, but feel free to read the accounts in Matthew and Mark as well. Luke 9:28-36 (ESV) 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. It is understandable that the veracity of such testimony would be called into question if there were only three witnesses who are all from the inner circle and they all claimed to hear the voice of God from heaven telling them that Jesus was the Son of God and they saw Jesus glorified and speaking to Moses and Elijah, and they knew Him. Peter's point here is that he is sure these events were real because he experienced them and he got to see the prophecies about Jesus fulfilled before His very eyes. We may not get to see it as clearly as he did, but he says that one day it will all be abundantly clear to us as if we are no longer depending on the "light" of someone else's testimony (compared to the light of a small lamp), but we will see it for ourselves and the truth will be abundantly clear to us (compared to the light of the Sun). Until then, we can be certain that the prophecies are true because they come from God the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1 English Standard Version (ESV)
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. Simon Peter, the apostle, nearing the end of his life found it necessary to remind the Church of what real Christians were and what they looked like and acted like (similar to The Sermon on the Mount that seemed to be the first full sermon recorded by Jesus). Jesus came back to these teachings over and over again throughout His three years of ministry and their importance was so impressed on His disciples that the last thing that Simon Peter wanted to do was to maker sure that these values had been passed on and would continue to be passed on after his impending death. There are a couple words here that probably need explained though. First the idea of "election"--this is a hard doctrine for many people, but it is clear throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament that God's people are chosen by God, not the other way around. For example, God chose Noah and his family to survive the flood--while Noah was righteous and obeyed God, nothing Noah did made God reveal that the flood was coming, give him instructions on how to build the ark to survive the flood or shut them up inside the ark and protect them the entire journey. Similarly, God chose people who were weak and seemed unfit for the duty they were called to...Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, and even people like Mary and Joseph and the apostles. We don't choose Him, but He chooses us. That's not because we are special and He has need of us, but rather that it brings Him pleasure and glory to do this work in and through us and His word is obvious to everyone when He uses imperfect vessels like us to accomplish His perfect plan as only He can. The confirmation spoken of in verse 10 is simply that our "fruit" matches what we say is our "root" (see the recent blog from Matthew 7 about the False Prophets and False Disciples). In this way we can be sure that our faith is genuine and that we will enter the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not the works that save us, but simply that our actions bear witness to the transformation that has occurred within us. We are a different type of tree that produces a different type of fruit now. The fact that we now produce "good fruit" (see Matthew 7) is confirmation to us and all around us that the new life we claim we have in Christ is real because only God could find a way to accomplish such a metamorphosis. This passage seems to summarize much of the Sermon on the Mount with a few verses. Believe in and worship the right God, have the virtues given in the Beatitudes, learn God's Word and love it so that you can apply it and obey it, be self-controlled (controlled by the Holy Spirit) and not given over to your lusts, be faithful to the end, and live a life godliness that comes from having the right "root" which produces the right "fruit," and love your brother with the kind of love that God has shown you. If we are identified by these traits, then we will confirm to ourselves and others that we have been chosen by God and are part of His family. Peter was concerned that Christianity not die with those who had first-hand knowledge--that the truths taught by him and the other apostles and Jesus Himself would be passed on from generation to generation. While I don't feel in quite the same position as Simon Peter (I'm not on death row awaiting execution by the government for my faith), I do feel this same urgency, especially as I see that we are in the last days, something that Peter will talk about at the end of this letter. Join me in studying these few short chapters where we see Peter's final words to the Church and what was most important for him to pass on to future generations like ours. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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