I read through the book of 2 Peter today, and Peter, knowing his life is nearing an end, is focusing on what he says his readers already know, according to chapter 1, verse 13, he is just refreshing their memory. What do we think Peter would have considered important enough to remind his readers of? Well, by the rants I've been seeing recently, the most important thing would be to capitulate to society's norms, only say what people want to hear, and whatever you do, don't dare say anything is wrong unless it disagrees with what society is saying. Let's see if that matches up with what Peter sees as important.
In chapter 1, verse 4, Peter talks about escaping the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Well, so much for matching up with the rants - he's just broken every one of their taboos. In verses 5-8, he goes on to tell us how to escape that corruption: "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; / and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; / and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. / For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." It certainly sounds to me as though all of these qualities are important, and if I want to be a godly man I must practice all of them. To stress one, or several, of them as opposed to others, or as more important than others, is to miss the bigger picture we get when we add them together, and I think Peter is saying that without all of them, our effectiveness is diminished, if we're effective at all. I suggest that it's also like trying to get a clear glimpse of who God is, but only including certain aspects of His character and leaving out others that we don't fully understand. The picture might appeal to us more, but it's not accurate, and doesn't help us get to know Him the way that seeking to understand all of His character as a whole would.
Not only does Peter give good advice about what we should aspire to, he also warns against false teachers' destructive heresies (2:1); shameful ways bringing the way of truth into disrepute (2:2); greed and exploitative stories (2:3); corruption and despising authority (2:10); blaspheming (2:12); adultery and sin (2:14); boasting and appealing to lust (2:18); and depravity (2:19). These don't sound like the warnings of a man who's playing by society's rules and norms, they sound like someone who's more interested in following God's rules, and living for Him. Peter sums up his warning in chapter 2, verses 20-21: "If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. / It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed onto them." No offense to the ranters, but I'm going to take Peter's warning over theirs. As Paul says in Galatians 1:10, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
So again, what does Peter say we should do? Live holy and godly lives (3:11); be spotless, blameless and at peace with God (3:14); guard against being carried away by the error of lawless men (3:17); and grow in grace and knowledge of Christ (3:18). Good, sound, godly advice - and that's the kind of advice worth listening to!
No comments:
Post a Comment