Be on guard
Be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17-18
These words are particularly interesting when you remember that their author is Peter, the one who betrayed his Lord and who often seemed to wobble in his faith. Perhaps it was those very experiences that convinced him of the importance of having a firm and secure faith. Through the years the grace of God had helped him to have a rock-like faith and a determination to encourage others to have the same.
The majority of this letter is dominated by Peter’s concern about the false teachers who were challenging the early Church. He had harsh things to say about them. He described them as “proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling” (2 Peter 2:10) as well as “useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind”. He declared that they were “doomed to blackest darkness” (2 Peter 2:17). It’s easy to understand how vulnerable the young church was to false teachers. Many members would have been new converts and few of them would have had much education. These days we are in a very different position. Our churches will often include people with huge experience of the Christian life and considerable knowledge of the Bible. We all have access to resources that can help us to explore Christian doctrine. However, we still need to be alert to false teaching. In every age there are people who want to destroy the Church and to demoralise us. Peter would urge us to be on our guard.
The best way to stand up against the attacks of false teaching is to live close to the Lord. It has been wisely said that the Christian life is like riding a bicycle. Unless you keep moving you fall off! We need to ensure that we are continually growing in grace and the knowledge of Christ. If we do so then, although there will probably be bumps in the road and times of difficulty, we will stay firmly in the saddle.
QUESTION
What false teaching challenges you and how do you stand up to it?
PRAYER
Lord God, help us each day to grow in grace and in our relationship with you. Amen