They have left the straight way and wandered off…
2 PETER 2:15
There are times when the Bible doesn’t beat around the bush, and chapter 2 of 2 Peter is one of those times. It is like a shotgun blast – both barrels.
Rants don’t happen often in Scripture. But they do happen. The “woes” of Jesus against the Pharisees is one such occasion. And the second chapter of 2 Peter is another such railing against those who distort the truth.
One thing is clear. God is always watching. Nothing escapes his eye. Every careless word will eventually have to be accounted for. Deceivers will “be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.” (13) They are getting away with nothing.
And like Balaam (see Numbers 22-24) getting warned by a donkey, God is even now actively and creatively willing to use any means at his disposal to restrain untruth and vindicate his holiness. (16)
It seems the very air we breathe these days is carrying a doctrinal virus of some type or another. Distortion is everywhere, as truth becomes flexible and negotiable. In the book of Acts, the Bereans were commended for being alert and watchful.
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. ACTS 17:11
This Sunday, Randall Gruendyke will open up the second half of 2 Peter 2 to us, warning us that doctrinal distortion is still a reality, but that we don’t have to fall to its “charms.”
May the Lord turn us into 21st century Bereans. Be praying that we will have ears to hear, and that a purifying will take place that honors God and his Word.
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