And count the patience of the Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 2 Peter 3:15-17 ESV
Our Scripture passage for today comes from 2 Peter. Peter begins by speaking of the Lord’s patience. Peter has already explained in verse 9 that God is not slow to act but is patient wanting all of us to come to Him and be saved.
Peter is using letters written by Paul, after Paul’s death, to support his teaching. Peter goes on to address the ignorant and unstable, some versions say the untaught. He was referring to a group of people who were ignorant of what God’s word said but were perverting it. They were twisting Scripture.
We see a lot of this going on today. Many people who never step foot in a church or participate in Bible study like to give their opinion on what the Bible means. Let me say that when I was occasionally going to church, I could no more explain the Bible to someone than I could have explained quantum physics.
People like to twist Scripture to suit their own needs. In other words, they use Scripture to justify their sin. If we understand the true meaning of God’s word, it may result in us having to give some things up, like our sinful behavior.
Many profess to be opposed to organized religion like it’s the Mafia or organized crime. I have often heard, I believe in God but not in organized religion. So, you would prefer a chaotic religion? Let’s be honest, this is someone who doesn’t want to go to church, lest they be confronted with their sin.
Then I have heard people say they don’t read the Bible because it’s too hard to understand. The interesting thing about the Bible is it was written for those who are earnestly seeking the Lord. You see, when I was lost in my sin, I wasn’t seeking the Lord. I was hoping to hide from Him. I couldn’t find Scripture that justified my sin. I wanted my sin justified. I wanted God to condone it. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand it, it was that I couldn’t make Scripture conform to my sin and justify my sinful behavior.
Some like to argue that parts of the Bible don’t need to be there. You can just remove the parts that deal with your sin. Wrong! God wrote the Bible in its entirety as a love letter to those who believe in Him. He wrote it as an instruction manual to teach us how to live, how to love each other, and how to get to heaven to spend eternity with Him.
When we refuse to go to church, we are saying we don’t want to study His word. And are we so arrogant to think we can refuse to go to His house here on earth and He will allow us to live in His mansion in heaven? But many of us don’t want to go to church because again this would mean we would be confronted about our sin. That’s if we are going to a church that teaches the Bible.
Some argue that the Bible was written by men, so it is flawed, but we are taught in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is breathed out or inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:21 tells us no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Men wrote the Bible at God’s direction with Him telling them what to write.
My friend, we can’t make the Scripture justify our sin. We can’t change the Bible, we can only change our behavior. If your behavior is not lining up with God’s word, I suggest you change it while there is still time.
We are told in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive them and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. But verse 10 says that if we say we have no sin, we are a liar.
Seek God through His Holy word, and trust in Him. Give your sin over to Him and let His word guide the way you live.
Have a great day!