THE NARROW WAY
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Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, fill me with your presence today; have your light shine through me in ways that bless others around me.
Read 2 PETER 2:1–10a
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
False Teachers and Their Destruction
2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;
Reflect
Where in your culture do you see people or movements that work counter to your faith in Christ?
We have been meditating on the authority of Scripture and God’s expectation that we will be obedient believers. Today’s reading focuses on the opposite: false teachers who will encourage people to disobey. However, there will be a final judgment that they cannot escape. The idea of judgment is unpleasant and decidedly counter- cultural. The tone and the wording of today’s passage underline God’s uncompromising holiness.
In a few words, verse 2 seems to identify a characteristic feature of false teachers: depraved conduct. Other translations also identify the quality of ‘sensuality’ (NASB, ESV). As such teachers succeed, the way of truth will be maligned. Keen social observers attest to this fact already, especially in post-Christian Western societies. We are being warned to expect social pressures to shape us, rather than God’s values. In the rest of the Bible, the reality of judgment day is reiterated (vv. 1, 4, 6, 9). Judgment Day is a deadline. It focuses our energies and attention, encouraging us to conserve our limited physical, financial, and other resources. In a similar vein, Peter shares that there will be real consequences on earth that originate from destructive heresies. This is very strong language. A casual glance at some of the Christian teaching on the Internet or religious TV channels confirms this.
What we should not miss is that the Lord maintains a balance. Even though Judgment Day is not simply a figure of speech, God’s willingness, ability, and determination to deliver and rescue those who genuinely love him and live for him is not to be doubted. Like deadlines, Judgment Day should encourage us to embrace the narrow way.1
Apply
Has the cost of discipleship been increasing where you live? Encourage yourself by knowing that you have full access to the Judge—before Judgment Day comes.
Closing prayer
Father, I lift up to you the leaders in my church as well as my nation, that you would keep them from corruption and lead them in ways that bring justice and mercy.
1 Matt 7:13, 14.
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