The Firewall

2 Peter 3

2 Peter 3:1-18

Just as in the first chapter, Peter dispenses with lengthy greetings and gets right to his point.  By the time of this letter, Christians had been waiting some thirty years for Jesus' return; apparently this produced some grumbling and doubt.  In this chapter, Peter attempts to dispel the doubts and assure Christians that Jesus was indeed going to return.  This is a particularly important message for us: if thirty years seemed like a long time to them, two thousand years seems like an eternity (slight pun intended).  I think it's hard for us to put this into perspective.  The Old Testament is usually dated as covering a span of four thousand years, while the time from the beginning of the New Testament until now is only two thousand years.  What seems like forever to us is only a third of the story!  And to God, only a handful of days!  But He is returning.

In v 14, Peter encourages us to "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him" when Jesus returns.  Help in doing just that can be found in v 2, when he reminds us to "recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles."  While we're waiting for Him to return, we are to live holy lives.

Our journey through the letters of Peter is at an end.  Monday we'll begin working our way through the letters of John.  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

2 Peter 2

2 Peter 2:1-22

In this chapter, Peter warns us against false teachers, while also reminding us/them about their eventual punishment.  In discussing their punishment, Peter points out that while God does punish evil people, He also spares the good (vv 4-10).  What Peter doesn't discuss is how to determine whether or not someone's teaching is false.  According to Romans 12:2 and 1 Thessalonians 5:21, we should test every teaching against the Bible.  The renewing of our minds happens as we study the Scriptures, giving us the ability to recognize false teaching.

We do have an Old Testament quote in v 22, it's from Proverbs 26:11.  Peter is referring to those who have come to know God, but return to their evil ways.  We all, at times, fall back into old habits, but let's continue to seek God and make sure that we don't truly fall away.  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

2 Peter 1

2 Peter 1:1-21

In this chapter, Peter is assuring his readers that what they believe is true, and that there is no secret or hidden knowledge about Christianity.  What has been passed down through the teachings of Jesus and of the Apostles, now known as the Bible, is what we need to grow in our relationships with God.  This spiritual growth is the focus of this chapter, and specifically vv 5-11.  The disciplines listed in vv 5-6 allow us to grow spiritually, and be effective in whatever work God has given us to do.

The quote in v 17 is from three places in the Gospels: Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, and Luke 9:35.  This breaks our streak of consecutive New Testament books with Old Testament quotations, but it looks like we might be back on tomorrow!  Thanks for reading today!

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net

An Introduction to the Book of 2 Peter

An Introduction to the Book of 2 Peter

While there is some doubt amongst scholars, the book of 2 Peter is traditionally assumed to be written by Peter.  The disputed points don't have enough weight to disprove his authorship.  Like 1 Peter, this book was originally a letter and was not addressed to a specific group of Christians.  This letter is usually dated between 64 and 68 AD (Peter's death is usually dated around 66 AD, but as with anything that old, it's not an exact science).

This letter has three chapters, and (not surprisingly) three main themes.  Since this letter was written towards the end of Peter's life, the focus seems to be on passing advice and warnings on to younger believers.  Chapter 1 deals with spiritual growth, chapter 2 warns against false teaching, while chapter 3 assures readers of Jesus' return.

The greetings in this letter are far shorter than in 1 Peter, perhaps owing to this being the second letter.  Remember to try and read sentences and paragraphs, and not focus on chapters and verses.

God Bless,
Jason Chaillou
thefirewall@comcast.net