Acts & apologetics: Do as Peter Says to ... (two)

One thing we know about the apostle Peter, he spoke frankly... 

In the Gospels, we often find Peter getting ahead of himself. He had, I believe, a touch of "foot in mouth" disease. Whether it was defending  Jesus or wanting to build a memorial to Him or wanting to walk on water with His Savior, Peter seemed to speak or act first, then dealt with the consequences later. 

Most of us suffer from this human ailment from time to time. Usually, it was Jesus Himself who reeled the disciple back in and lovingly instructed him (I'm thinking, also with a chuckle). And as Peter aged and matured, he began doing as he was taught by the  Master. He thought first, then prayed, then finally spoke.

2 Peter 3:14 - 18, is the second foundational verse for our study of Acts and Apologetics. We looked at 1 Peter 3:15 - 16 last time, and we were able to glean quite a bit from those two verses when it came to the subject of apologetics.

These verses in 2 Peter chapter 3 are a bit more direct in making his appeal that we believers are personally and individually responsible for understanding the Scriptures and presenting them in a cogent way to the unbelieving world around us. Peter even invokes the apostle Paul and his writing to be used and studied in the defense of the Christian Faith. 

Before we dive into the passage, let's take a look at the context. 2 Peter is his second and last epistle. Where 1 Peter dealt with pressures from outside the church, 2 Peter deals with problems and pressures that had infiltrated the fledgling church. Misunderstandings - both accidental and purposeful - were coming into the pulpit and confusing the believers and churchgoers. The foxes were already getting into the chicken coop. As chapter 3 of 2 Peter unfolds, Peter is discussing the final return of Jesus Christ in the future. And even though we look forward to this event, we need to be diligent and on guard with our thinking, speaking, and actions. We are to continue proclaiming Christ and his finished work at the cross, and we are to seek Godly wisdom with all that we do.

Here is the passage, 2 Peter 3:14 - 18, "So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. 

"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and  Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

Let's break it down.

"Since you are looking forward to this," What are we looking forward to? We're looking forward to the new heaven and new earth that God will bring at the end of the age. We want to look forward to Jesus coming again and the righteousness that He will restore to all of His creation. That's an amazing thing. And when it happens, it will happen in a timely and rapid way. 

When you read Revelation 21 and of the new heaven and new earth coming down,  it is not taking billions and billions of years. The initial Creation was done by God in six literal days, why would the new, redeemed Creation take any longer? All of creation, all sentient (being self-aware) beings whether redeemed or condemned will witness God's power as He remakes and restores everything for His glory. Keep this in mind when we look at worldviews and apologetic strategies; especially when dealing with the topic of evolution and creation.

But back to the text.

"make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him."

In other words, we are to live, speak, and function in a way that gives glory to God - the "Him" in that part of the verse (why I capitalize the first letter of words referring to any member of the Trinity). It will take effort. Peter doesn't gloss over that fact. You could almost make the leap that  Peter knows that we will sometimes (oftentimes) fail in those efforts. That is normal for fallen men and women. Peter knew that. Peter even experienced that fact time and time again.

He knows - even God knows - that we cannot live sinless lives, but we can take on the responsibility to make every effort to live a life that is pleasing to God and that will attract the unbeliever. We are not to live a false piety or to lord our redeemed lives over the unbeliever because we were all once like them: an enemy of God.

"Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience..." God is long-suffering as He brings salvation to His creation. Time is on His side. God will not act, and Christ will not come again until all and every last person is saved and His prophesies are fulfilled; according to HIS plan. We don't know the time and day. God does, and we are to be ready and not just waiting. 

But this is where we need to be focused on the Gospel. This is where we need to understand God's Word and God's Wisdom as presented in the Bible. We are not to take His Word out of context for our own purposes. We are to use His Word to lead people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Bible is both the Foundation for the defense of the Faith and the Defense of the Faith itself.

"...our dear brother Paul also wrote you..."  The  Bible is always supporting itself. Peter knew Paul. In the beginning, he probably feared Paul; and then God transformed this man who was actively persecuting the Church into a "tool" that He would use to bring His Gospel to the world. Peter recognizes that Paul is not only scholarly in his writings, but that the wisdom that he writes of comes from God Himself. Once "enemies", these two men are now brothers in  Christ. That is a demonstration of the reconciling power of the Cross.

Peter continues to direct the fledgling church to seek God and to use the writings of Paul as its guide. Paul's writings may be "difficult" to understand, but we are to use them nonetheless. It is our responsibility to read and study God's Word and as we read and study it, it becomes a part of thinking and our lives. Peter knows that the Spirit will provide the wisdom and the guidance to come to an understanding of God and His ways.

"...which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures..." This really is the crux of the matter, isn't it? The early Church struggled with the Scriptures then as we do today. People come in, claiming to be believers or followers of Christ and yet they are truly not. Now I know that may sound judgmental, but we need to be cognizant of the "fruit" of these believers, don't we? How many people take Scripture out of its context to make it say what they believe or want others to believe? When that happens, the world is confused and God and His Message of true Salvation is grossly distorted (even if the distortion is "minor", it is still a gross distortion) and not True.

Today, we see distortions such as Westboro Baptist Church and their ungracious attitude toward the families of our soldiers as one example. Another is the "impending" Day of Judgement, May 21, 2011. Since today is May 11,  we'll see who's right in 11 days... Then there is the segment of teachers (notably Rob Bell formerly of Mars Hill Bible Church in  Michigan - not to be confused with Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington) who are actively denying hell using God's love and beneficence to preclude a literal hell and eternal damnation (also notice that these people will claim that they are teaching the Bible by even using the word "bible" in the name of their organization). In the end, God Himself will judge these people. The men and women who lead the flock astray will be dealt with most severely. 

God wants us to deal truthfully in all matters of life. But most importantly when it comes to preaching and teaching His Word. Do I fear God in these matters? Yes, I do. Any of us who teach and preach His Word, I  believe, are held to a higher standard. We are to be diligent in what we write and say, so as to not lead anyone astray.

"Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard..."

I think that goes without saying... One thing that I have always appreciated about the pastors of our church is that they continually admonish all of us sitting in the congregation to prove what they speak from the pulpit directly with the Bible. Period. In that way, we are on our guard. God holds us personally responsible for "working out our salvation" (Phil 2:12).

If we are not on our guard, we can be easily swayed. The words of influential men and women can tickle the ear. Our sinful nature wants to hear what it wants to hear. Sometimes God's Word is hard. Sometimes God's Word does cut us to the heart. We remember Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged  sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and  marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

If your pastor or Sunday school teacher says something that doesn't seem right, pray. Then open your Bible (if you haven't already) and study. If it still doesn't seem right, speak with your pastor or teacher about the issue. Perhaps there was or is a misunderstanding. Perhaps not. God Himself will speak the Truth.

Stay in His Word daily. Read the difficult passages of Scripture. If you don't understand them, that's okay. Petition the Holy Spirit to open your mind and heart to what He wishes - or chooses - to teach you. Maybe it's a passage that He may not "want" you to understand at this particular time. God and His Word can never be fully known. That's why it will take eternity to get to know Him!

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord..." THAT is what we are to do. Being "in" Christ, we are fed by the Holy Spirit. He alone wins the battles of and for our hearts and minds - if we allow Him. As we willingly submit, the Spirit fills us to overflowing with His Grace and His Knowledge. That is the power that overcomes and truly changes the world; nothing else comes close. Our pitiful human words and actions may "cause" some minor changes, but it is God and His moving that shakes the world to its foundations.

Grace is God's power in action. That is the best way I can describe it. It is an awesome power. Knowledge is useful, but it is grace - God's Grace -  that is the true power (you can plug into the Attributes of Grace Study by clicking here).