II Peter 2 - False Teachers

Today our focus passage is an entire chapter. I'd like for all of us to read it and consider it before we really dig in tomorrow.
Here is some background for us:
Probably most of us have been in the situation where one of our kids, or our family member, or someone that is close to us, is getting ready to leave the house. It has been raining/sleeting/snowing for about an hour (you can insert whichever one works for your corner of God's world!) and so you tell them to "fasten their seatbelt, don't go too fast, pay attention to other (crazy) drivers" .....why do we do that? They know all of that. They are not likely to leave the seatbelt hanging out of the door, squeal tires out of the driveway right in front of an oncoming truck, and belt down the highway at 80 mph. (Grin) But we remind them. Because we care, and we want them to remember the dangers that are at hand.
This second letter from Peter, the bold and impulsive fisherman who left his nets to follow Christ, is a series of reminders.....so far he has reminded us to go beyond just being a passive and comfort-zone Christian. He has told us to add to our faith all seven of the spiritual vitamins that we studied; he has reminded us that the Lord is certainly going to return; he has told us that the prophets and scriptures are reliable and true.
Now he is going to remind us that there are false teachers in our world.
We need to beware, and to take heed. We need to compare and consider their teachings and determine if they are true or false teachers.
There have always been, and will always be false teachers.

There were false prophets in the Old Testament. Do we remember the story of Micaiah? How about Elijah and the prophets of Baal?
First, let's look at Micaiah . . . we can read about this in I Kings 22.  This was in the time of the divided kingdom, and the king of Judah (Jehoshaphat) was visiting the king of Israel, Ahab. The king of Israel had been longing to retake a portion of the kingdom that had been conquered by Aram. Being a neighborly sort of fellow, Jehoshaphat said, "Sure, let's go take back Ramoth-Gilead, but first let's ask the Lord if we should." "No problem," says Ahab, and he consults his four hundred prophets, who are led by Zedekiah and are all saying the exact same thing.
"Attack, and the Lord will deliver the bad guys into your hand!"
I'm not sure why, but Jehoshaphat seemed to think it was a bit weird for all four hundred to be chanting the same thing, and he asked if there were any other prophets. Kinda like asking for a second opinion.
Ahab said, well, sure, but I don't like this other guy's prophesies because he's such a negative Nellie. He always tells me the Lord is against me, and things are not going to go well. But, hey, if you want to hear him, I'll bring him in.
So they fetch Micaiah, and the messenger tells him about the goings-on while they head to the threshing floor. The messenger implores Micaiah to give a favorable message, but the prophet affirms that he will tell whatever God gives him to say.
After mocking the four hundred by repeating their words in a sing-song manner, Micaiah gets down to business and tells the kings the real message from God. He tells about a meeting of heavenly hosts, in which a spirit volunteers to put a false message in the mouths of Ahab's prophets, so that the king will be enticed to go into battle -- to his death.
As we can imagine, this doesn't go over well.
First, Micaiah is struck in the face by Zedekiah, and then Ahab orders him to be thrown in jail and placed on a bread and water diet. Ahab must have been worried about the prophecy, though, because he disguises himself and goes into battle, hoping no one will know it's him. He is killed anyway, by a random arrow . . . and we don't hear of Micaiah again, although some say it's he who is the un-named prophet in I Kings 20; but I leave that for the scholars.
Have we ever felt like we are up against four hundred false prophets?
How about Elijah? He was victorious over eight hundred! The false prophets of Baal and Asherah danced and yelled and even cut themselves to try to get their gods to respond. Elijah showed everyone that YAHWEH was the only true God!

False teachers came under the scrutiny of Jesus, as well. Look at Matthew 7:15:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. (Matthew 7:15, 16a)

Sometimes it's difficult today to weed out the false from the true. We can scroll through channels on our cable television; we can thumb through books and pamphlets at a bookstore; we see all kinds of claims and statements from human beings who feel they have something significant to say. They want to teach.
But because false teaching can be dangerous, it is up to us to ask the Holy Spirit to help us determine which ones are true. And we can refer to this chapter in II Peter, because he gives us several characteristics that we can look for.
I hope that you will read the second chapter of II Peter and rejoin me for our studies this week!

Friday slowdown

Word of God, speak to us......

Transforming power, conclusion

Yesterday, we stated that the Bible pointed directly to the root(s) of our problems, whether pride, idolatry, gluttony, or rebelliousness. The Bible tells us that we are all sinners; we are all in that same boat....
But hey!
There's more!
The Bible also tells us how to correct things!
It tells us that the first thing we must do is to take care of that sin barrier between us and God. How do we do that?

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

That's how the transformation begins. After that, when the Bible (and the Holy Spirit) shows us that we are doing what is wrong, we should face it and admit it, and confess that it is wrong.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

When someone wrongs us, we are to overlook it or forgive.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)

The Bible challenges us to stand up. To be counted. To resist being squeezed into the world's idea of what people should act like.

...so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky... (Philippians 2:15) 

The Bible encourages to trust, instead of to worry.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

The Bible says to us, don't ever, ever feel abandoned. It reminds us that we are never alone.

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

And after we are saved and transformed we will be constantly maturing and growing more like Him. To do that, the Bible counsels us to flee from evil.

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (II Timothy 2:22)

Lastly, the Bible is transforming because it shows us what the path that honors God looks like. How does it do that? It trains us in right living. As we read and study, the Lord's Spirit can change the way we think; He can change the way that we look at other people; He can change what our priorities and our values are. God's Word will not return to Him without making an impact. So, if we submit to His instruction, we can grow in faith and live more like Jesus each day.
In II Timothy 3:17, we see that God uses the Bible to prepare and equip us.
It tells us about God and His plan.
It tells us that He has made us His ambassadors.
And it shows us examples (both good and bad) so that we can better learn to be a follower of Christ.
When we turn its pages, we see men and women who trust God to do great things -- like Elijah facing off against the king, the queen, and the prophets of Baal. Like Moses, taking on the Egyptians, including Pharaoh.
We see in its chapters people who held on to God in the fiercest times of testing -- like Daniel in the lions' den, and his buddies when they were in the fiery furnace. And we read of Esther, when the entire Jewish race was threatened with being wiped out.
On the flip side of the coin, we see people who failed miserably.
Abraham committing adultery with Hagar, Peter's denial of Christ, Jonah running away from God, and Paul killing Christians.....all of these people failed. But they were forgiven and restored.
We can read, too, of people who stood firmly without fear -- prophets who were ridiculed and attacked, Peter speaking on the Day of Pentecost, and the disciples who continued to preach at the temple, despite orders to stop.
All of these examples help us to learn what it means to be a true follower of Christ.
We all have a story.
Our story may be dramatic; He may have saved us from a life of drugs or other crimes. Or our story may be less dramatic, but it's still a story of salvation, transformation, and a growing faith. It's a story that should be on our lips, and ready to be told.
As we read our Bible, and as we tell others our story, we will begin to understand more and more that faith is not a concept that we learn -- it's a peaceful confidence in God that impacts all that we do.

There are other places that we can find truth, but there's only one place where we can find truth with no mixture of error. Only one place that we can find truth that can get us right with God, and can transform our lives. That truth is only effective if we put it to use -- how long has it been since we really felt that transforming power in our lives? How long has it been since we presented its truth to someone else?

Lord, help me to dig into the Bible, to have confidence in it, and to share it with others!

Transforming power, part III

(Photo courtesy of Amy Velazquez on Unsplash)

For the last two days of our study, let's dig in to how the Bible transforms men and women into Christians.

First of all, the Bible teaches us what is true. The Bible's truth is unchanging; it is true at all times. It's not like man's truth, which changes with the whim of the speaker, or with the approval/disapproval of peers. It's not like man's truth, which can even be impacted by government or by legislative edicts. The Bible is the final word, and we don't have "license" to tweak it or adjust it to suit ourselves.

That is why we hold to the creation account in the Bible, instead of the theories and speculations of men. After all, we cannot see the Big Bang or evolution happening; they cannot be replicated, so they do not even fall into the category of true science, which states that things must be able to be replicated to be true. The tools of science allow us to describe the predictable, consistent way in which the universe normally behaves. I mix chemical A with reagent B and I get a certain product. Always. I walk outside and gravity holds my feet to the sidewalk, instead of my floating skyward and requiring a mechanism to come back down to earth to get into my car. Astronomers can calculate years in advance the movements and positions of planets, stars, and comets, because of the operation of the universe in a consistent way. We accept that things will be in the future as they have been in the past.
Why?
What is the foundation for this principle?
(I'm glad you asked!)
The Bible provides that foundation. According to the biblical worldview, God has chosen to uphold the universe in a consistent way for our benefit. He has promised that the cycles of nature will continue in the future just as they have in the past:

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. (Genesis 8:22)

Only God is in a position to promise that. He is beyond time, and only He knows what the future will be.

Remember the former things, those of long ago;    I am God, and there is no other;    I am God, and there is none like me;  I make known the end from the beginning,    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,    and I will do all that I please.’ (Isaiah 46:9-10)

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  (II Peter 3:8)

We, however, are within time, and have not experienced the future. The only way we can know that the future will be (in some ways) like the past is because God has told us it will be. And so far, no one has been able to show how that belief would make sense, apart from Scripture. Philosophers have argued until they have been blue in the face, but only the Bible can make sense of the past and the future.
Non-Christians are able to use the laws of logic and the methods of science with success in other areas.  So, how is it that they can deny the truth of the Bible, and at the same time, rely on the core truths of the Bible: that tomorrow nature and science will be the same in many ways, and that it's the God of the Bible Who has set it up and promised its continuance?
Paul shed some light on this in the first chapter of Romans:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:18-21)

God has "hardwired" knowledge of Himself into every single human, so we have inescapable knowledge of God.  Some evangelists have said that there's a "God shaped hole in every soul" but people rebel against God. They go to great lengths to convince themselves (and others) that they know or need God. They deny His existence because they don't want to deal with the fact that He is rightly upset with them for their rebellion and disregard for Him.
We are all made in His image, so we are able to use knowledge, logic and common sense that He has placed within us. What the Bible teaches us can make sense of the things necessary for science and for reasoning. Unless the truth is "a given," we can't prove anything at all.
Here is a quote from Greg L. Bahnsen that says it more clearly and succinctly than I can!

"Imagine a person who comes in here tonight and argues "no air exists" but continues to breathe air while he argues. Now intellectually, atheists continue to breathe - they continue to use reason and draw scientific conclusions (which assumes an orderly universe), to make moral judgments (which assumes absolute values) -- but the atheistic view of things would in theory make such "breathing" impossible. They are breathing God's air all the time that they are arguing against Him."

Here is another that goes right to the point:

"I shall not convert you at the end of my argument. I think the argument is sound. I hold that belief in God is not merely as reasonable as other belief, or even a little or infinitely more probably true than other belief; I hold rather that unless you believe in God you can logically believe in nothing else."   Cornelius Van Til

The Bible is the foundation for belief in an orderly universe; it's foundational for asserting that there can be moral judgments and absolute values. It's the truth that we can base our lives upon!

The second thing that makes it possible for the Bible to transform lives is that it shows us what is wrong in our lives. Recently, a member of our family was diagnosed with lymphoma, and will be considering treatment options. It took many, many tests, and some second opinions, too, to make certain what was wrong inside that person's body.
The Bible has no need of second opinions. No need to go to specialists. The Bible shows us what is wrong -- it's sin in our lives!

As it is written:“There is no one righteous, not even one; (Romans 3:10)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  (Romans 3:23)

As we read, the Bible strips away our excuses. Even when we think "oh, I'm not so bad, in fact, I do some nice stuff to help other people!" the Bible tells us the truth:

All of us have become like one who is unclean,    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;we all shrivel up like a leaf,    and like the wind our sins sweep us away. (Isaiah 64:6)

The Bible lays the blame directly at our feet. It doesn't allow us to shift the blame to other people. We have to own up, to take responsibility for our lives.

For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person. (Mark 7:21-23)

The Bible points directly at the problems in our lives, whether pride, rebellion, idolatry, lust, greed, gluttony, or a combination of several problems! It's painful but true; we are all in the same boat. We can't fix the problem, and we can't even begin to find a solution until we admit we have a problem, and agree with God about it.
This quote from R. J. Rushdoony is right to the point:

In any age, our problems are a result of sin, and the solution is faith and obedience.

Lest you think we will leave it here on this low note, come back tomorrow for a joyful resolution to our problem!

Transforming power of the Bible, part II

(Photo courtesy of Aaron Burden on Unsplash)

Yesterday, we mentioned the transforming power of the Bible. This may be the most compelling reason for believing the it is God's book. The message that it teaches about God is powerful and can change lives.

For the word of God is alive 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. (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  (II Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

The message of the Bible, and the truths recorded there, have the power to change lives.
I guess the best examples of this from the Bible itself is in the life of our buddy, Peter. As Jesus was questioned and accused in a mock trial, and as He was beaten and prepared for the crucifixion, Peter was incapacitated by fear. He denied His Lord three times. He rushed from the courtyard, sobbing, after Jesus' eyes met his own.
Less than fifty days later, Peter was standing at the temple in Jerusalem -- he was loudly proclaiming to the crowd that gathered that even though they'd killed Jesus, the Christ, that He was alive and He wanted to offer them life. What could have made such a transformation in Peter?
It was the message that Jesus gave to him. By the shore, Jesus told Peter that He recognized his failure and sin, but that He had forgiven Peter that sin. He told Him that He loved him in spite of how much he had hurt Him, and that He wanted to restore Peter to a close fellowship -- and use him to help in accomplishing His mission here on earth. To put it precisely, Jesus gave Peter a message of forgiveness, love, acceptance, and purpose. What a powerful message that is!
Have we experienced that message?
Have our lives been changed? That is what happens when we experience this message personally. This world responds to sin, disloyalty, wrongs, and insults with anger, retaliation, and revenge. Jesus' message is just the opposite: forgiveness, peace, love, and mercy. And a new purpose in life!
That's powerful!
That's transforming!
There are many people all around us, in all walks of life, who have experienced this transformation.

A prisoner serving a 365-year sentence for murder was given a New Testament and Psalms by another inmate. One night in his cell, he picked it up after ignoring it for some time. He began reading Psalm 34, and when he reached verse 6, it melted his heart.

“this poor man cried and the Lord heard him, and saved him from all his troubles.” David remembers that night well and later wrote, “It was at that moment, in 1987, that I began to pour out my heart to God. Everything seemed to hit me at once. The guilt from what I did... the disgust at what I had become... late that night in my cold cell, I got down on my knees and I began to cry to Jesus Christ. I told Him that I was sick and tired of doing evil. I asked Jesus to forgive me for all my sins. I spent a good while on my knees praying to Him. When I got up it felt as if a very heavy but invisible chain that had been around me for so many years was broken. A peace flooded over me. I did not understand what was happening. But in my heart I just knew that my life, somehow, was going to be different.” 

That is the testimony of David Berkowitz, a.k.a. The Son of Sam, who now leads Bible studies in the prison and wrote to the governor to say, "Don't give me a parole, I don't deserve it." He says the Lord has placed him in the prison so that he can reach more for Him.
When I was a teen, the story of violent New York City gang leader Nicky Cruz was inspiring to many, as he told how his life was miraculously transformed by Christ - he participated in many crusades, reaching others for Jesus.
Former star athlete Charles "Tex" Watson was headed for greatness until he got into drug abuse and murder. Not until he found God's mercy was his life powerfully changed.
Actor Kirk Cameron had everything that many people dream about: fame, money, looks, and success. None of that compared to the joy he later found in knowing Christ, being forgiven, and being in a right relationship with God. He now is known for his work in Christian ministries.

These were people who, like  Peter, had lost their way.

Jesus Christ's message to them of forgiveness, love, and a new purpose in life was a transforming message! This week we will conclude our studies of the inspired Bible by looking at how it's power works in our lives to transform us, and to begin changing us to be more like Him.

Transforming power of the Bible

Are you wondering why I'm still lingering on the concepts that we've been studying the past couple of weeks? Do you think that, as my grandma used to say, that I'm not only making a point, but I'm driving the nail into the board and breaking it off? (Grin)
I guess I really feel moved to post these studies because everything hangs on the truthfulness of our Bible. Many people who claim to be Christians don't believe that everything in the Bible is true. Many religions of the world are constantly challenging the Bible and our faith. And besides, if we really believe the Bible is true, we'll be telling other people its message, and living according to its words. (Ouch. Got my own toes there, too.)
So the Spirit must be correct, here, and we need to build up our faith and confidence in the Bible as accurate and true.
Quite frankly, one could point to a compilation of letters and writings of George Washington and verify the evidence. The writings could truly be penned by him. Ole Mr. Webster's dictionary has survived many copyings and has been transmitted correctly.

What makes the Bible God's book?

First, the Bible alone contains only accurate theology of God's ways.
Huh?
Let me back up a bit. If we wanted to find out information on someone, and we didn't have the option of talking to them personally, what would we do? Hmmmm. Check out their Facebook page? Maybe their Linked In page if we are a business type. Or look at something else that they had written themselves. Now, there's a problem here. How many people do we know that have posted on their Facebook page any of their flaws? Any character traits that they are trying to overcome? The outcome of their latest fight with the boss, their spouse, their kids, or with God?
No way!!
You only post the good stuff, right?
You want people to think well of you.....
So in every human writing, the author is going to show a certain amount of bias. We can't take it all at face value; the person might be fudging on the details.
As we have discussed, there was human involvement in writing the Bible. God wrote it all in the sense that it was all inspired by Him. But these peeps that wrote it down -- some of them showed some pretty bad character flaws!
Guess what? The writers were accurate about how they recorded the history and the precepts, even when it wasn't flattering to them. Think about it.....if you had been Moses, would you have recorded that you broke the first tablets of the Ten Commandments in a fit of anger? That you pounded on the rock with your staff because you were mad at the people? (I'm guessing anger management classes were not readily available in the Wilderness....) How about when Joshua made a military blunder by sending too few soldiers into the battle to capture Ai? How about when Balaam pounded his donkey with a stick and yelled at it, and lied, and more? What about David, when he lusted, committed adultery, and then arranged a murder?
The fact that all these things were recorded, both the good and the bad, gives us reason to trust the writings that they recorded about God. They are accurate in their depiction of God, and in the outlining of His words and the history of our faith.

There are a couple of other reasons, too.
The message that the Bible teaches about God, Himself, is unified.
How far-fetched is this?
Let's have a history project. Let's let people add to this history, and write down things for over one-thousand years. In fact, let's allow over forty generations to add to it, OK?  Oh, and let's have authors from all walks of life -- all occupations. Don't forget that we want to have lots of diversity; make sure some of it is written on several continents, and in several languages!
What kind of an outcome would we get?
Might we see some disunity, even contradictions, and errors? Yup.
The variety that was involved in the process of recording God's message to mankind is a positive thing and a potentially negative thing, all at the same time! It's good to have information from many sources and authors. But with all of these writers, there is the potential for disunity. For disagreement. Or for errors. The fact that all of the Bible authors are so unified gives another evidence that there was one Guide behind the whole process.
I expect you are like me; you have encountered people who will claim there are contradictions in the Bible. Most of them can't point to one if you hand them a text, but they still say it!
Without diving down too many rabbit holes, let's look at some areas where some of them say there's a problem.....
Each one of the four gospels records the sign over Jesus' head on the cross; the sign was to specify the charges, the crimes. Now, they all agree the sign was there, and they agree where it was placed. But check this out:
THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS (Matthew 27:37)
THE KING OF THE JEWS (Mark 15:26)
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS (Luke 23:38)
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS (John 19:19)
The differences are not huge, but they are not in complete agreement, are they? Is there a contradiction here? Not really. Part of the answer could be in what John tells us about this sign:

Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.  (John 19:20)

Have we experience with other languages than our own? Then we know that sometimes there is no exact way, no "one and only way" to translate the words of one language into another. Also, one gospel writer could have tried to translate one of the three languages, one a second, etc.

Here's another potential problem to consider: we all recall the story of the day on the hillside, when Jesus fed the 5,000, right? From five loaves, and two fish, and the food came from a small child's basket..... two of the gospels also tell of a time that Jesus multiplied food to feed 4,000 people. This time He utilized seven loaves and a few fish -- and the disciples provided the food. Is this a contradiction? I don't believe it is. Many Bible scholars concur that Jesus performed similar miracles with slightly different details, and fed the crowds twice.
If we ask four different people to describe a memorable event, each of them would bring forward certain details that were significant to them - this does not mean that they contradict each other, but that they complement each other.
Each of the gospels, too, were written for different audiences. I expect you have heard that before - what do we mean? Well, Matthew was written to the Jews, in order to give evidence that Jesus Christ was the King. Mark was written to show the humanity of Jesus. One of the reasons Luke was written was to show Jesus as a servant, and John was written to the Greeks, to show that Jesus was God.

The important thing is this: rather than contradicting each other, the gospels complement and fill in the details that the others left out. Like the people describing an event, they are all describing the same thing -- and the message of the four gospels is all the same. Jesus lived, died, and rose again in order to bring us salvation from our sins!

It is this powerful and transforming side of the Bible that we will study next time!

Friday slowdown

Thanks for joining me this week, on what I think was an important study. I hope that you received a blessing and some confidence that will help as we make our defense of our faith to those who question us.

The grass withers, the flower fades,    but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

I thought of this verse as I looked at a beautiful camellia bush outside our home. The blooms are a brilliant crimson color, and as they mature they will fall to the ground, carpeting the dormant grass with a flood of color. From bud to fallen bloom, the flowers are short-lived.

But the word of our God will stand forever . . .