6-28-2025 Dangers of the Worldly Understanding
Reading through the 1Peter and 2 Peter
, this time, I find it more interesting than ever before. It reminds me of Joe
Friday of the 1950’s crime drama ‘Dragnet’ – “the facts ma’am, just the facts’. Peter spells things out pretty clearly, I
think.
As we read through (even) the bible, I
think people get wrapped up in the story lines and the colorful details but
miss the message. I know that I’ve been
guilty of that in past years. I have
also learned that researching the Hebrew and Greek words used in a chapter or
verse, I‘ve discovered that I get a better context of the words being
used. Context can make a huge difference
in how we ‘see’ a passage which we read.
How we read some words today may not be the same way those words were
used centuries go.
I don’t know about you, but I always ask
the Father, through the Holy Ghost, to guide my understanding and show me what
I need to know in the passage I’m reading.
Today, I’m presenting a paraphrased
version (of KJV) of 2Peter chapter two. Please
feel free to compare with other versions of the bible KJV NKJV, Living Bible, Message, New American
or any other version you like or to which you have access.
2 Peter Chapter 2
1 In
the days of old, false prophets rose up among the people and some will also
arise up in your midst. They will bring
up lies even denying the Lord who bought them (as well as us), condemning themselves to destruction.
2 And
even though these men speak evil of the truth, many will follow them and their
evil ways.
3 Filling
their own lustful desires. Misusing
words, they will take advantage of you and though it seems as though nothing
happens to them, their damnation awaits them.
** In case you missed it, false
prophets will come into our fellowships or even rise up from within. The apostle John tells us that a ‘spirit’
that tells us Jesus is not come in the flesh is not of God but the spirit that
does confess that Jesus is come in the flesh is of God (1 John 4:1-3).
4 God
didn’t spare the angels that sinned but cast them down to eternal torment and delivered
them to the chains of darkness until their judgement and that eternal judgement
is the ‘lake of fire’ (Rev. 20:14).
5 God
did not spare the world when He brought the flood upon the ungodly but did
spare the righteous Noah and his family (Gen. 7:1-24).
6 He
turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes as an example of those who
live ungodly.
7 Yet
He delivered Lot who was surrounded by the ungodly (Gen:19:1-16).
8 For
Lot, a righteous man, was troubled daily by their unlawful deeds (The Law – 10 Commandments).
9 The
Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of their temptations and reserve the
unjust until the’ day of judgment’.
** Father
gives us a contrast between the ‘good’ Abraham and Lot versus the two evil
cities.
10 That
is those who walk after flesh, the lust of uncleanness and despise
government. Those who are presumptuous (to
benefit themselves), are self-willed and not afraid to speak evil of
dignitaries (those in authority).
11 whereas
the angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring false accusations
against them (even against the devil, Jude 9).
12 But
sinners, as natural brute beasts bound for slaughter, speak evil of the things
which they don’t understand, shall utterly perish in their own corruption.
13 They
shall receive their reward of unrighteousness as they take pleasure in causing
trouble in the day. They are spots and
blemishes strengthening themselves through their own deceptions while they try
to drag you down.
14 Their
eyes are full of adultery and they cannot stop from sinning. They deceive unstable souls (not solidly grounded in God’s Word) and
have committed covetous practices (desiring things which others possess),
they are cursed children.
**
These are those who will not be with the Lord in eternity and if we
aren’t on solid ground in our relationship with Jesus, we could be among those
who fall away. Jesus tells us that, in
the last days, there will be a falling away in the church (2 Thess. 2:1-4). That
means even those who have been a part of a church. Our relationship with a church does not
guarantee our salvation, but our relationship with Jesus does! This doesn’t mean can skip church to avoid
the ungodly, for we don’t forsake the fellowshipping together with other
believers (Heb. 10:24-25). There is strength in numbers. Jesus is in our
midst even where only two or three are gathered in His name (Matt. 18:20).
15 They
have forsaken the ways of righteousness and gone astray, following the ways of
Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness (Num. 5-34).
16 God
rebuked Balaam for his sin by speaking to him through the donkey, upon which he
had been riding, which forbade him to continue his madness.
**
Read the account of Balaam and the
donkey to get the full impact of what happened (Num. 22:-35).
17 These
men are like wells without water and are like clouds carried about by the
storm, for whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.
18 They
speak great swelling words of vanity, they draw people in with lusts of the
flesh, wantonness, drawing those who are clean into a life in error.
19 These
men promise liberty but are bound by and serve their own corruption. A man becomes a servant to that which has
overcome him (Matt. 6:24).
20 For
after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of
Jesus Christ, and being entangled and overcome by the world again, the latter
end is worse than its beginning.
21 it
would have been better had he never known the way of righteousness then to turn
away from the holy commandment given to him.
22 But
as the proverb says “The dog returns to his own vomit” (Prov. 26:11) or “Or
after being washed, the pig returns to wallowing in the mud (traditional
truth).
** Note
the end of those who strayed from the Lord.
To know Jesus, then turn away they become no different than not knowing
Jesus at all. Peter even suggests that
the end of those who strayed might even be worse that those who never knew
Jesus.
We’ve mentioned a lot of negative things here
and mentioned briefly the alternative to sin.
But we need to know how our adversary works through people so we
can be on guard.
Praying and reading scripture daily fills our hearts and minds
with God’s ways. It is
great to hear the lesson the Sunday School teacher brings. We love it when the pastor brings an awesome
message (AMEN!). Yet we need daily to
put God’s Word into our own heart (Rom. 12:2). That is, read the scriptures for
ourselves and let the Holy Ghosts open our heart and mind for understanding. If all we receive is what we hear from others,
we come into danger of being oblivious to the flip side of the coin (evil). In other words, we ignore evil but try to
gather as many blessings as we can. Paul
tells us that the job of the church is to edify (1 Corinth. 14:12, Rom.
14:19) so we need to encourage and build up those around us. However, we can become so wrapped in God’
blessings, we forget about our obligation (to the Lord). Choose to serve the Lord (Josh. 24:15). To truly know Him is to love Him, loving Him is
getting to know all about Him. The choice
is ours.
Should we become ‘comfortable’ in the Lord, we may become slack in
continuing to strengthen our own hearts and minds, thus letting our guard down,
thus letting our enemy sneak in and we find ourselves guilty of what Peter
talks about here. Should we fall away
completely and not repent, we find ourselves in the situation Peter describes
in verse 20.
HOWEVER, when we discover that we have strayed, we need to repent
of what we have thought, said or done - and mean it! God loves us so
much He will forgive us our confessed sin.
If you will, He puts the sin behind His back (Isa. 38:17) and it slide
off into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:19).
Understand that when a man is tempted with sin, he is drawn away
(from the Lord) by his own lust and as soon as he has agreed with that
temptation, sin is conceived, he is guilty (James 1:13-15). A negative thought in and of itself is not
the sin, but when we consider taking action on that thought, we have
sinned even though we may not have physically performed it. The fact that we desired to do it is the sin. Then, un-repented sin eventually will lead to
destruction (a total falling away from the Lord), which then puts us into the
same category as a sinner (James 1:13-15).
When we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us
that sin (John 1:9) and should a righteous fall seven times, he is preserved
(Prov. 24:16). That is, he confesses
that sin and gets back on track living for, in and through Jesus! We do have a responsibility in our
relationship with Jesus. If we love Him,
we will keep His commandments (John 14:15).
His commandment is to ‘love’ (Mark 12:28-31). To love is to put God foremost in our lives
and make sure that He is not just an afterthought or a last resort. As we allow Him, He guides our decision
making.
We remember that ALL those around us are people, just like us with
feelings (joy and sorrow), hopes or disappointments, no matter how they may
present themselves. We treat everybody
with dignity and respect (love our neighbor as ourselves- Matt. 22:39). No, we don’t put ourselves in danger, but we
don’t turn away anyone who is truly seeking the Lord. If we aren’t sure of the other person’s
intent, ask the Lord. He will let us
know.
No human being is perfect so when we do sin, we need to remember
to remover ourselves before the Lord, as forgiveness, then allow the Holy
Spirit to give us he strength to get back up on our feet, back on track in pressing
forward.
The world cannot receive the things of God for the things of God
are Spiritually discerned (1 Corinth. 2:14), but the Holy Spirit knows the mind
of Christ and reveals to us, what we need to know (1 Corinth. 2:10). Remember, because
of our commitment to the Lord, the Holt Ghost is in us (John 14:15-17, Acts
1:5-8).
In Jesus’ name
Amen