Peter pokes fun at Paul saying some of his teachings are hard to understand, but Peter is no slouch when it comes to teaching truth. His approach may be different, but he brings home the tough teachings as well as anyone. Take these first few verses of chapter one for example. There is truth well communicated in the opening verses with just a surface reading, but its when we start asking questions about what is written that the deeper meaning shines through. Let’s take a look at verses 5 through 7 to learn how to read the rest of Peter’s writings.
When I started working in IT, like most people, I started in a call center. This can be either a good or bad experience for beginners, and the experience has nothing to do with one’s equipment or the attitudes of the customers that call. It has everything to do with the training one receives. My experience was a good one. My managers made sure I had the technical know-how before they hired me, but once in the center my first two weeks were spent shadowing other techs, then having them shadow me as I started taking calls. That time was invaluable.
During his second missionary journey Paul traveled to one of the great cities of his day and what he noticed was a culture in confusion – a culture ripe for the gospel message. The city was a jewel of the Roman empire whose culture, artwork and practices started long before there was a Roman power. The city was full of temples, but none were as great as the acropolis which stood on high ground and was the center of pantheon worship. People came from around the world to worship, and they still do. The city is Athens, and Paul had his work cut out for him.
It was a dark time in Israel’s history. They had a streak of bad kings, leaders who introduced idols and the worship of foreign Gods. They joined the royal house with those of other nations to establish peace rather than depending upon the Lord. But there was one king who went further than the others. King Jehoiakim succeeded his brother, a brother who was exiled to Egypt. Jehoikim didn’t care as long as he held the throne. Yet he didn’t just play with evil as his predecessors had, he purposely suppressed the word of God and advanced a conspiracy to keep it buried.
Last week in our series we began uncovering Peter’s explanation of how Jesus is sufficient for Christian living through three elements. The first of these elements is regeneration, defined as restoring one’s inclination toward righteousness and a right relationship with God. The second is sanctification, the process of purification and spiritual growth. Today we take on the third truth, that Jesus is sufficient for our eternal security. I realize that term is loaded, and ask that you set aside what you think you know so you can rightly understand what Peter wants you to know.
Last week we barely got started, but start we did, a study of Peter’s second letter. The takeaway from our introduction is Peter’s Big Idea, that as we patiently wait for our Savior’s return we combat apostasy be increasing in our knowledge of God. During this study, I’ll be using a free online study tool from Faithlife. At the end of our study I’ll be reviewing the tool and its suitability for use in a group setting. But that comes later, today we are furthering our understanding of 2 Peter and there is no better place to start than with the salutation.
The story of Abraham and Isaac is a difficult reading (Genesis 21). Why would God ask Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice? The Bible only hints at one reason, that it was a test of Abraham’s faith. This answer is not very satisfying, however, to most believer’s. After all, God knows every person’s heart does he not? He not only knows our heart, but he can harden hearts (as in the case of Pharaoh) and takes joy when we share his heart (as David did). I believe there are other, better reasons if only we start at the beginning.
Historically, the primary characteristic of Jesus-followers has been called “the mark of the Christian.” It should come as no surprise that this trait is “love”. The first and greatest commandment? Love God. The second? Love others. The greatest of all the gifts God has given man? Love. Love is what defines us. Yet to many, this is just good theology and it has little bearing on how we live out our daily lives. The “mark” has become difficult to see, as if it’s been rubbed away by decades of intellectualism and humanism. That needs to change.
Yesterday we learned that Peter is helping to define the Christian life through a series of three elements; the first of these elements is regeneration. We defined regeneration as restoring one’s inclination toward righteousness and a right relationship with the Creator. The second of these three elements is sanctification. This term is used widely in both testaments to signify something or some people as set apart as sacred. In Peter’s use, the term is used more specifically as “the process of gradual purification from sin and progressive spiritual growth that should mark the life of the believer.”
Yesterday we talked about two things modern believer’s need, dedication to our mission and the courage to act on the mission. Paul certainly engaged the culture of the Athenians, but there is another apostle who confronted his culture in a less cerebral fashion, a manner in which some of our readers may find a little more familiar. The apostle Peter was like a force of nature at times, and his two letters are no exception to his confrontational style. While we have already completed a study of 1 Peter, now may be an opportune time to study 2 Peter.
Over the last five years or so the Western world has become increasingly polarized over politics and, in America at least, Christians have become willing participants. I’m not implying this is a good or bad thing, only that we need to make sure our response to the world is properly measured and reflect Biblical thought. Pastor Mark Anthony of Grace Fellowship in York, Pennsylvania recently wrote an open letter (published here) rightly criticizing an unnamed Christian organization’s response to the president’s recent ban on transgender individuals serving in the US military. This is, partially, a response to him.
“Hope” is another one of those words that devolved over time. Today it means little more than to wish, or positive thinking, but this has not always been the case. The Greek word translated as “hope” in the New Testament is elpis, and had many functioning components to its definition. This was true of the English word as well, until modern times. Any Bible dictionary will tell you that “hope” means a confident expectation. This is good, as far as it goes, but if you’re like me it leaves you wanting something more. So here is something more.
