Skip to main content

Posts

2 Peter 3:18: But Grow In Grace, And In The Knowledge Of Our Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him Be Glory Both Now And For Ever. Amen.

2 Peter 3:18 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (KJV) As the Apostle Peter concludes his second letter to the church he includes a phrase that can be helpful to understand a little more deeply. The reader is encouraged to grow in two areas; the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and also, the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is not an accident that they are both mentioned, as both are important. If we were just growing in the grace of Jesus Christ, but not growing in the knowledge of our Savior we might be loving and gracious to everyone, but we would not know the truth of Christ. We would be likely to excuse all kinds of immoral behavior, thinking that we were being gracious. It is important that we add to our gracious lifestyle, a proper understanding of the knowledge of Jesus. Suppose we diligently grew in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, but did not see fit to grow in g
1 comment
Read more
Recent posts

2 Peter 3:17: You Therefore, Beloved, Knowing This Beforehand, Take Care That You Are Not Carried Away With The Error Of Lawless People

2 Peter 3:17 [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. (ESV) The first question you might be asking as you read this verse is, "what does the reader know beforehand?" Peter has spent much of this epistle talking about the false teachers who had already infiltrated the church and caused much damage. They are greedy for money. They deny the deity of Christ. They mock the promise of his return. They are immoral. They are lawless. One would think that Christians would recognize these terrible character traits and appropriately stay away from them. Sadly, Peter's warnings are quite necessary. People are often carried away by the error of false teachers because they are not careful to study the Word of God and live by it. False teachers don't say everything false. They incorporate some Biblical truths to help the poison pill go down easier. Every book in the New
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Peter 3:16: 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

2 Peter 3:16 [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. (ESV) The Apostle Peter is speaking of his fellow Apostle, and brother in Christ, Paul. He describes Paul as saying some things that are hard to understand. It would be helpful to note the background of both Peter and Paul. Peter was a fisherman. This does not mean that he was uneducated, but he was more familiar with working with his hands. Paul had a different background. In Acts 22, we have Paul describing his background. In verse 3, he says, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day." To be educated by Gamaliel would be akin to saying, "I studied at Harvard."
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Peter 3:15: 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

2 Peter 3:15 [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, (ESV) In much of this epistle, the Apostle Peter has spoken of the coming judgment of God. From a contextual standpoint, Peter was dealing with the infiltration of false teachers in the church. These unfaithful frauds had caused much damage. Not only is Peter right to point out their deceptions, but he is also right to remind them of the coming penalty for the poison they had been peddling. I am sure that Peter, and the faithful believers whom he was writing to, were more than anxious for the Lord's judgment to come upon all of those who had caused such trouble in the church. Perhaps you can identify. Maybe you have reached a point in which you long for the Lord's return because you are tired of all the destructive people that you encounter. It is understandable to be frustrated while you wait for justice to come for those who
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Peter 3:14: Therefore, Beloved, Since You Are Waiting For These, Be Diligent To Be Found By Him Without Spot Or Blemish, And At Peace.

2 Peter 3:14 [14] Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. (ESV) The teaching of the church was that Christ was coming again. The false teachers mocked and scoffed about Christ's return because they wanted to continue living in their lives of sexual immorality and greed. They were not waiting for Christ's return because it would mean judgment for their sinful lives. If anything, they dreaded his return, if they believed he was coming at all. The ones whom the Apostle Peter refers to as, "beloved," are the believers in Christ Jesus. They are the original recipients of this letter. They are beloved in two distinct ways. Peter himself loves all the believers in Christ Jesus. Also, and more importantly, the original recipients of this letter are loved by God himself. God demonstrated his love for mankind at the cross.  The beloved Christians are waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. They k
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Peter 3:13: But According To His Promise We Are Waiting For New Heavens And A New Earth In Which Righteousness Dwells.

2 Peter 3:13 [13] But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (ESV)   Many people hear of God's return and they can only think to mock. The idea of God is absurd to him. The thought of him coming to bring and end to the earth as we know it is even more preposterous. This is because they do not know him. This is why the false teachers did nothing but mock the coming judgment for their false deeds. They truly did not know God at all. It is very different for those who know the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we think of His return we are filled with joy deep in our hearts. We know that his coming means new heavens and a new earth. It would easy to take delight in the reality of the physical wonder and beauty of new heavens and a new earth, but there is something else that the Apostle Peter describes. This new heavens and a new earth are described as a location where righteousness dwells. There will be no devil, tempt
Post a Comment
Read more

2 Peter 3:12: Waiting For And Hastening The Coming Of The Day Of God

2 Peter 3:12 [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! (ESV) When I was a child I could not wait until Christmas. As soon as the month of December started I could not focus on anything else. I remember the three major department stores, J.C. Penney, Montgomery Wards, and Sears, had special Christmas catalogs. I would highlight each item I wanted. I would dog ear the pages. I wanted to make sure that my parents knew exactly what I wanted! This word for hastening that Peter uses here speaks of "eagerly desiring something to happen." Do you eagerly desire for the coming of the day of God? This day of God means an end to the "day of man." It is the time when we will forever be in the Lord's presence. I don't have any special catalogs to look at in expectation of this "day of God." However, I have his holy word which describ
Post a Comment
Read more