PART 4

As we continue in our study, let’s consider an ultimate warning from the apostle Peter... follow through with me as we unfold his warning…

2 Peter 1:1-3 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received the same precious faith with us, in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you through a full knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord; who by His divine power has given us all things relating to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and virtue.

There can be no doubt that Peter is writing to Christians in this letter. He addresses "those who have received the SAME precious faith with us". Then Peter explains "through a FULL knowledge", that God, "by His divine power", has given us (the saved) all things relating to life and godliness "through the knowledge of Him". Let's look at what John wrote concerning what it means to “know” God…

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

When we "know" God, and Jesus Christ, who God has sent, we have eternal life. Again, there can be no doubt that in Peter's letter he is writing to those that "know" God, and are indeed saved. I really do not believe anyone would argue with this scriptural fact. Now let's continue with Peter's letter…

2 Peter 1:4 Through whom He gave us great and precious promises; that through these we may have fellowship with the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Once again we have evidence that Peter is writing to Christians... God gave us (Christians) great and precious promises. Peter further wrote that as Christians we have "escaped the corruption that is in the world". Through “these” promises we share (“have fellowship” - “partakers” in the KJV) in the divine nature—the holy character which God possesses. Now let's read what Peter explains to Christians that we should add to our faith after we are saved…

2 Peter 1:5-7 Because of this, give all diligence to add with your faith moral excellence, and with the moral excellence add knowledge; and with knowledge add self-control; and with self-control add steadfastness, and with steadfastness add godliness; and with godliness add brotherly love; and with brotherly love add love.

Because of these promises and our fellowship with the divine nature, we should strive to "add" to our faith all of these things he has mentioned. Next we learn what happens when we add "these things" and what happens if we do not add "these things"... let's continue with Peter's letter…

2 Peter 1:8-9 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

We learn that IF we have “these qualities”, that we are not idle or unproductive, but those that lack “these qualities”, he has “forgotten his purification from his former sins” (“cleansed of his old sins” KJV). If we have been cleansed from our old sins (purified), we have been washed of our sins, baptized into Christ, we have been forgiven of our sins... we are saved. Now we get to Peter's warning…

2 Peter 1:10-11 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you shall never fall. For in this manner the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.

If we do "these things" we will not fall. If we do not do "these things" then we have "forgotten" that our sins were cleansed, and we have a extremely clear warning from the apostle Peter that we must be very careful not to fall. Later in his letter, Peter warns of some who may cause us to fall…

2 Peter 2:1-3 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Peter explains that there will be "false teachers" among us and they will "secretly introduce" their own doctrines, teachings, and their own ways. Peter wrote "many" will follow their wrong ways, and that they will malign the truth. These false teachers will exploit us with their false words. Peter says more...

2 Peter 2:20-22 For if, after escaping the world's corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled and conquered by them, then their last condition is worse than their former one. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. The proverb is true that describes what has happened to them: "A dog returns to its vomit," and "A pig that is washed goes back to wallow in the mud."

Keeping in context, the “they” in “they are again entangled” is referring to the false teachers previously spoken of. They, "after escaping the world's corruptions through a full knowledge" (clearly indicating they were saved), "are again entangled and conquered" by the world. As Peter explains, it will not be good for them. In this same letter, Peter re-emphasizes that we must be careful not to fall... we cannot get all tangled up and fall back into the world... we must keep our guard up against such false teachers. Notice he says, “knowing these things before, be on guard”…

2 Peter 3:17 You then, beloved, knowing these things before, be on guard so that you will not be led astray by the error of the wicked, and fall from your own steadfastness.

Remember what Peter wrote earlier... that we should add "steadfastness" to our faith. We must take heed so that we will not fall from our “own steadfastness”. If it were impossible for us to lose our salvation, Peter’s warning is a moot point. Consider also what Peter wrote before his final warning... it further supports his earlier comments about false teachers deceiving us…

2 Peter 3:15-16 And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you. As also he speaks about these things in all his letters; in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, even as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Fortunately, God is patient with us, giving us time to understand His word and to know Him. However, we must make wise use of our study time so that we can understand His word and come to know Him personally. Peter explains that there are those who do not understand the Scriptures because they have not learned the truth. Many people will simply listen to what others tell them and fail to study for themselves. Many people will take these false teachings they have learned and distort them further, to their own destruction. This is one reason it is so vitally important for us to study and understand the scriptures for ourselves, so that we can know the truth and not be misled by those that distort the scriptures. We must study God’s word, accept it for what it says, and not try to twist or wrestle with the scriptures. We do not want to follow that “broad” path that “leadeth to destruction”, and be eternally lost. (Matthew 7:13).

__________________
In Christ,
brother Sonnie

Jeremiah 6:16 Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'