Friday 24 October, 2014

2 But there were also false prophets among the people. In the same way there will be false teachers among you. In secret they will bring in teachings that will destroy you. They will even turn against the Lord and Master who died to save them. His death paid for their sins. They will quickly destroy themselves. 2 Many people will follow their shameful ways. They will give the way of truth a bad name. 3 Those teachers are never satisfied. They want to get something out of you. So they make up stories to take advantage of you. They have been under a sentence of death for a long time. The One who will destroy them has not been sleeping. 4 God did not spare angels when they sinned. Instead, he sent them to hell. He put them in dark prisons. He will keep them there until he judges them. 5 God did not spare the world’s ungodly people long ago. He brought the flood on them. But Noah preached about the right way to live. God kept him safe. He also saved seven others. 6 God judged the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He burned them to ashes. He made them an example of what is going to happen to ungodly people. 7 God saved Lot. He was a man who did what was right. He was shocked by the dirty, sinful lives of people who didn’t obey God’s laws. 8 That good man lived among them day after day. He saw and heard the evil things they were doing. They were breaking God’s laws. And his godly spirit was deeply troubled. 9 So the Lord knows how to keep godly people safe in times of testing. He also knows how to keep ungodly people under guard until the day they will be judged. In the meantime, he continues to punish them. 10 Most of all, this is true of people who follow the evil longings of their sinful natures. They hate to be under authority.

Peter, most prophetically, tells his readers and prepares them that false teachers will come, he lets them know the teaching they will bring as ‘Christian’ sounding as it is be will not be Christian at all. He warns his readers – me included – from 3 Old Testament events – that there is no mercy or tolerance for false teaching to His church.

Peter’s audience then is no different to us now, how can I protect myself from the influence of and taking on board false teaching? Worse yet, how can I make sure I don’t become one?    By staying in God’s Word, knowing His character and by ‘growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ.’ (2Pet 3:18)

Thank you Lord that we have your Word, the filter that countless thousands have died to protect through the centuries, so that we can all use this treasure to know your character & the life that your Son has given us.

Written by Suzie Hodgson