2 Peter

Apostle Peter The Power of Knowledge Calling and Election Prophecy of Scripture False Teachers and Their Destruction The Day of the Lord

Apostle Peter (2 Peter 1) Peter was a fisherman known as the impetuous one, in scripture always mentioned first, along with James and John. He was chosen as the first to preach the message of the Gospel on the awesome day of Pentecost, an occurrence immemorial. His epistles to the churches told Christians how to live in a holy, righteous manner, glory to the Father give. A servant and apostle, he was personally taught by Christ, and recorded what he witnessed, saw the Lord’s great sacrifice. No one else can be apostles save the ones who saw his face, but we all can share the bounty of the same amazing grace. “Apostle” means “one who is sent”. Christ gave the great commission to those chosen few before he left, dying sinners to petition. Through the righteousness of God and Christ, we receive a faith as precious as the faith of those eye-witnesses testifying, “God is gracious”. Their writings give us knowledge of the Father and the Son, tell us to emulate them in the good works they have done. Jesus said, “I do exactly what the Father has commanded”, and we should try to follow suit with the talents we were handed. § The Power of Knowledge (2 Peter 1) The power of God has given us everything we need for life and godliness forevermore through knowledge of the Gospel, the word of Jesus Christ, which will judge us all on that eternal shore. By his glory and goodness he called us, that we may participate in the Lord’s own nature, holy and divine, and escape corruption in the world, caused by our own desires, that no blemish, spot or wrinkle will he find. The Word, when undiluted by additions wrought by man, is the power of salvation from above. Our source of joy, his promises, come always with an “if”, and he says the only way to show our love is to obey his every word, as he obeyed the Father, apply our Gospel knowledge every day in decisions we make and actions we take, according to his pleasure, as we walk with him along the narrow way. One at a time, in sequence, we should add to our faith the goodness that the Lord exemplified, then knowledge of his Word which can overcome our problems, that our search for truth is never satisfied. Self-control, which makes our body conform to healthy ways, is a great life-long endeavor of the heart which will foster perseverance as we strive toward perfection with an optimism that should not depart. Godliness will follow next, caring for the things of God, giving of our best, becoming more mature. Brotherly kindness is a type of love we show toward our neighbors and agape love will help us to endure, like Christ, suspended on the cross, forgiving his tormentors (who had heaped upon him every known abuse) instead of just reacting like his human body wanted and calling angels down to cook their goose. Unless we gain these qualities in increasing measure, ineffective, unproductive we will be, forgetting that we have been cleansed from past sins by his grace, near-sighted, blind; the way is lost, says he. § Calling and Election (2 Peter 1) Be all the more eager, my brothers, to make your calling and election sure. If you do the things prescribed before, your salvation is secure. We are called by the written Word of God to turn and follow him, and election comes by obedient faith that fills our cup of blessings to the brim. Make every effort, be diligent, to apply your knowledge well. The Jews depended on their heritage, and their institutions fell. Although they lived in wickedness, they felt above reproach, and Christians must be careful, lest sin should slowly encroach. The apostles’ teachings are down to earth, practical, common sense. To live for the devil and expect to please God is a pretty flimsy defense. Anyone who knows right and chooses wrong will answer to the Judge. Salvation awaits for all of those who are not too stubborn to budge. Life spent in any other pursuit is a “chasing after the wind”. “Fear God and keep his commandments” is the entire duty of men. § Prophecy of Scripture (2 Peter 1) I will always remind you (says Peter) of these seven fruits of the spirit. Your memory will be refreshed by the Word each and every time you hear it. You are firmly established in the truth, and after I leave this tent, (this earthly body which I’ll soon put aside) my time will have been well-spent. I will make every effort to write it down so that you need never forget. When all the apostles are dead and gone, there will be no cause to fret. As eye-witnesses of Christ’s majesty, we heard the Father’s voice say, “This is my Son, whom I dearly love”, good reason to rejoice. We made the words of the prophets more certain. Pay attention, for this is the Light that will guide you in all things holy to the land where is no night. Above all, you must realize that no Scripture comes from man, but originates in the mind of God and is simple to understand. The Holy Spirit led the apostles to recall what they saw and heard, resulting in the Gospel, Christ’s true, infallible word. § False Teachers and Their Destruction (2 Peter 2) There were false prophets among the Jews,  as some will arise among you, secretly introducing false heresies, drawing away more than a few. Denying the Lord who bought them, they’ll exploit you with all kinds of lies, and are headed for swift destruction in flames where the worm never dies. For if God did not spare the angels who, along with Lucifer, fell and are kept in gloomy dungeons while waiting for judgment and hell; if he did not spare the ancient world, when ungodly people were drowned because Noah and his family were the only righteous ones found; if Sodom and Gomorrah were burned as examples of hell fire’s destruction, what will happen to ungodly people now who willfully spurn his instruction? God is angry all day with the wicked, and their punishment is sure. He rescues the righteous from trials, as Lot’s family was kept secure. These bold and arrogant men will dare to slander celestial beings, including Satan, the fallen one whose strength is past their seeing. They blaspheme in matters they don’t understand. By instinct, not reason, they live. Seducing the unstable, they have nothing of value to give. False teachers are springs without water,  mists driven by the storm, all bluster, of no use whatever, better off if they’d never been born. By depravity they are enslaved, driven downward by their greed, dragging others along as they wallow again in the mire of filthy deeds. Having once escaped the corruption of the world through Jesus Christ, they have become entangled again and overcome with vice. They are worse off than at the beginning; blackest darkness for them is reserved, where they will never see the light of God nor be by angels served. Make every effort then, my friends, to be spotless, blameless, at peace. Beware of those who distort the Word,  whose evil will never cease. Be on your guard, don’t be carried away by the error of lawless men, but grow in grace and knowledge so that you do not fall into sin. § The Day of the Lord (2 Peter 3) In his second letter to Christians, Peter writes as a reminder to stimulate wholesome thinking, to be righteous, holy, kinder. He exhorts us to recall the words that were spoken in the past, the schoolmaster that now teaches us, and commands of Christ, given last. From Genesis to Revelation, all history looks forward through prophecy and faith and hope to that blessed day of the Lord. Understand that scoffers will come, he says, following their evil desires. “Where is the ‘coming’ he promised?” they ask, as though somehow it expires. Deliberately they choose to forget about God, long ago. From nothing he created life; he spoke and it was so. From water everything was made, by water then destroyed. Through the same God, love and justice - in time - were both deployed. By the same Word (Christ), heaven and earth are reserved for destructive fire. No, Greenpeace cannot save us unless it is God’s desire. God’s prophecies have always been fulfilled in his own time. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, unexpectedly and prime. The heavens will disappear with a roar, and the earth will be laid bare. We are aliens and strangers here, with one chance to prepare. Be on your guard, dear friends, he says, do not be carried away. From secure positions you can fall unless God’s word holds sway. Grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, the Bread of Life consume for nourishment of a healthy soul that may enter God’s throne-room. To contact me: cgtrent@att.net