2 Peter 3:16
He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Truth to Learn
The hard truths of the Bible are often distorted and mistaught by those claiming to be teachers of truth.
Behind the Words
The word “ignorant” is translated from amathēs, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of manthanō, meaning “to learn.” Hence, it means “unlearned, uneducated, or ignorant.”
“Unstable” is from astēriktos, made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of stēridzō, meaning “to confirm” or “to establish.” Hence, this word refers to those who are “unsettled, unsteady, or unstable.”
Meaning Explained
Today’s verse is another one that, on the surface, seems confusing and hard to understand, so let’s look at it one phrase at a time.
“He writes the same way in all his letters” As we saw in the previous verse, Peter is talking about the Apostle Paul. At the time of the writing of 2 Peter, many of Paul’s epistles had been written. Peter, no doubt, had read them and had been himself instructed by them.
“speaking in them of these matters” In Paul’s letters the subjects of the return of Christ, the judgment of the wicked, and the coming of a new heaven and a new earth are all spoken of.
“some things that are hard to understand” In Paul’s letters there are a number of topics that are not easily understood by these mortal minds of ours. Things such as
- the timing of the coming of Christ, which Paul believed would be any day;
- the manner of his coming in person with all his saints and his mighty angels;
- the destruction of antichrist at his coming, which will be with the words of his mouth
- the rapture both of living and sleeping saints together, with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and trump of God, to meet our Lord in the air;
- the standing of all believers before the judgment seat of Christ, and the account we all must give of our deeds.
“which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” Those who have great human knowledge but who have not been taught by the Spirit of God, those scoffers who don’t really believe, those who have not the Spirit of Christ and are none of His, who are ignorant and unstable will pervert the teachings of Paul as they have done to the teachings of the rest of Holy Scripture.
Application
Let us treat with sacred care the contents of this Book, teaching as truth only those things that are taught in it and denying all teaching that is contrary to what is taught in it! All truth is God’s truth. But when it is mistaught by false teachers it becomes man’s lies. We must uphold the truth of the Bible!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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