Author: Megan Langan

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:10-18 (day four)

When some consider the end of the world, or the end of this present life as we know it, it causes them to want to live wildly, with reckless abandon. The thought is, “if this is all going away, let’s live it up while we can.” They figure if it’s all going to end anyway, there isn’t a long-term consequence to their choices now. We who belong to Christ, though, view things differently. When we consider the end of things as we know them now, we celebrate because a better thing is coming in its place. The perfected, redeemed, all-things-made-right heaven and earth is what we look forward to. So we don’t live as though there is no consequence; rather, we prepare for the greater things to come. We prepare like a bride for her groom. We prepare for the wedding feast of the Lamb. Our preparation comes through growing in holiness, gentleness, love, and mercy. Prepare well.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:8-9 (day four)

There is roughly a 400 year gap between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, ends with a promise that sounds a lot like Peter’s words,

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze…But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts.

I’m sure this promise filled the Israelites with hope in the middle of the trying times they lived in. But 400 years later, many generations had passed without seeing this promise fulfilled.

The Greek language uses two different words for time. The time that we think about most is time that can be measured in seconds, hours, weeks, and years. This is “chronos.” The Greek language has another word for time, though, that represents something much deeper – “kairos” indicates the fullness of time, the right time, a divinely appointed time. When Jesus comes on the scene, he says “the time (kairos) has come for the Kingdom of God to be near.”

While there was a great deal of time (chronos) between the delivery of the promise in Malachi and its satisfaction, Christ fulfilled it at the exact right time (kairos). In the same way, though the time (chronos) is long and slow as we wait for Christ’s return, he will come again at the exact right time (kairos) to restore all things. He is not slow; he simply operates in the fullness of time.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 3:1-7 (day four)

Peter points out a fatal flaw in the argument of false teachers who claim that Jesus is not returning. These false teachers, and other scoffers, look around and see no evidence of God’s intervention. In their view, the days, months, years, and generations pass by without even a wink from the divine. They see no evidence to support the claim that Jesus made – that he will return to rule the earth and restore all things – so they live unconcerned with God and his kingdom.

Peter reminds us that our very existence, the planet on which we stand and the galaxies we see each night, are proof that God’s Word is trustworthy. It is by God’s Word that the heavens were made, it is by God’s Word that the flowers bloom, and it is by God’s word that you and I exist today. Nothing happens apart from God’s Word.  It was the Word of God that took on flesh, died, and rose again. Everything in history has occurred just as God said it would. When we look around, we see abundant evidence that God’s Word is true, and that Jesus will return at exactly the right time, just like he said he would.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:17-22 (day four)

…promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

A common mark of false teachers is that they portray their teaching, their way of life, or the product they’re pushing, as one that will bring you freedom. It might be the freedom to do what you want without consequences, the freedom to pursue worldly things without constraint, the freedom of sexual expression, or the freedom from the restrictions of traditional morality.

Americans might be especially susceptible to this. Freedom is kind of our whole schtick, isn’t it? If something is painted as a constraint to our freedom, we naturally want to cast it off.

Peter reminds us that Jesus also taught about freedom, but the freedom we see him offering looks very different from the false teachers described here. The freedom we’re offered through Christ is the freedom from sin, the freedom to serve, the freedom from fear, the freedom to approach the throne of God with boldness, the freedom to pursue a holy life, clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

This is true freedom. Be wary of messages that promote a kind of “freedom” that looks and sounds different from that of Christ, whatever the source. Galatians 5:1, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:10-16 (day four)

We’re bombarded with news headlines about the latest tragedies of the world. When we’re taking in a constant stream of information about violence, political tension, and cultural upset, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the weight of it all. The world is heavy, sin is real, and tragedy is all around us. When we add that to our own trauma, fears, and concerns, it can almost be too much to bear.

When Peter brings up Balaam, Noah, and Lot, he’s reminding us that sin and violence are ancient. The issues we face in this life are not new; they are ancient problems with a fresh coat of paint that we can trace all the way back to Genesis. But he’s also reminding us that God’s justice is ancient as well. It existed before sin entered the world and it is sure and steadfast.

God’s justice is eternal. If it prevailed in the lives of Balaam, Noah, and Lot, it will prevail in our lives too. Our faith is anchored in the Ancient of Days, and this allows us to face the world without fear.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:4-9 (day four)

Peter is writing what are likely some of his last words from prison before his death. When you’re near death, you focus on communicating what is most important, not mere opinions or fantastical possibilities. Peter writes about the judgement and justice of God, and he describes it as both a fact and a promise. Paul writes in a similar way just before his death in 2 Timothy 4:1, and he invokes the judgement and justice of God when encouraging Timothy to be faithful to his ministry.

I don’t think they write in this way because their impending death is making them vengeful, but because they know more than anyone that they are sinners who deserve God’s wrath, but through Christ they have received mercy. Their walk with Christ has made them more aware of the magnitude of God’s love and sacrifice that covers their sin, making them recipients of grace rather than the judgement they deserve.

Peter makes it clear: God is a God of justice, and it is only through Christ’s mercy that we have cause to celebrate this.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 2:1-3 (day four)

It can be easy to identify false teachings that others believe in. It’s not too hard from where we sit to say “such and such church” or “such and such pastor” has fallen prey to false teachings. And it is good to recognize them as false. What is harder, though, is to engage in personal reflection and ask the question, “Where am I vulnerable to false teachings? What have I taken as fact that is actually a cultural influence, not a biblical truth? Where have my own bents towards sin allowed me to believe something untrue?”

Peter calls us to recognize our own vulnerabilities and asks that we pray in the spirit of Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:16-21 (day four)

The longer we live on this earth, the more we long for the return of Jesus. With each passing day, we become more fully aware of the darkness of this world and long for the day where “there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:5)

Peter reminds us that though that day is still in the future, we’ve been given a great light now. Through the testimony of the apostles and the prophets, which is the Word of God, we have been given a lamp to shine in a dark place. When we encounter this light, it awakes something in us to respond. We want to share this light with anyone who will see it. When we encounter the Word, we become like David, who proclaims in Psalm 57, “Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.”

Awaken the dawn in someone else’s life by sharing this light with them.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:12-15 (day four)

Was there something your parents or grandparents would say to you over and over again as you were growing up? Advice or instructions that they repeated, no matter how many times you told them you understood? While that repeated advice might have irritated us when we were young, it certainly sticks with us. As we age, those repeated instructions from loved ones become part of our core memories of them, and we often find their advice did sink in and helped form us into who we are.

Peter says, “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them…” He doesn’t do this to be patronizing, or to beat them over the head with advice. He does this because he knows that the more he repeats these things, the deeper they will sink into people’s hearts. Peter knew that the aim of the Christian life was to become like Christ, so he repeatedly told those under his care how to do so. His words didn’t just impact the people he wrote and ministered to; it impacted the entire church throughout history. We are being formed by his repeated advice even today. Will you let it sink into your heart and form who you are?

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:8-11  (day four)

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you…

Peter is not saying that we earn our salvation through diligence, knowledge, or kindness. Many of us have tried to earn and secure our salvation through performing enough good works, leading enough Bible studies, or going on another missions trip. That will fail every time, because that is not the system God designed. We receive salvation by grace through faith, through no righteousness of our own. It is a merciful gift from Jesus that we cannot earn.

In response to this gift, though, we are called to a life of goodness and godliness displayed in our speech, actions, and inner life. Every time we grow in diligence, or provide moral excellence, or increase our knowledge of God, we are confirming God’s work in us. Every time we exercise self-control or choose perseverance in the faith, it’s like we’re shouting “Amen! Jesus saved me!” Every expression of brotherly kindness and love are really a cry of “Hallelujah! I’ve been set free!” We do these things out of celebration for the gift of salvation.

When we grow in these things, our life becomes one big “Amen! I have been redeemed!” for all to hear.