The apparent delay of Christ’s return is due to His patience with sinful humanity. He desires more and more people to come to a saving knowledge of Christ before He comes in judgment. Therefore, Peter exhorts us to live each day in light of that coming Day and to grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The proper response to this danger of false teaching is to grow up into maturity in Christ. Like Jesus, Peter warns that false teachers will be known by their fruit. The sensual lives they lead show they do not really take the teachings of Jesus to heart. The best way, then, to avoid the dangers of false teaching, is to grow in an experiential knowledge of Jesus. When we increase in godliness, blamelessness, and steadfastness, we demonstrate by the fruit of our lives that we belong to Christ.
Exodus 13 focuses in on what redemption means for the people of Israel. But we can glean insights into our own redemption because Scripture is ultimately about God, not us.
It is easy to forget that we are called to have a personal intimacy with Jesus Christ. We may have head knowledge, but we need more than that.
If I were asked to explain how Christianity is unique compared to every other religion in the world, I would say it boils down to this one verse: “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
To the world, a Christian worldview seems upside down; but Scripture teaches that it is the world’s way that is really upside down.
In his Wednesday Morning Men’s Fellowship class, Dr. Boa introduces some of the imagery and metaphors associated with living in God’s presence on an ongoing basis: abiding in the vine, walking by the Spirit, setting your mind on the Spirit, rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, running with endurance.
We all have broken stories and Peter wants us to understand that we can rewrite our story. We can imbed our story in a greater narrative that begins and ends well. When we are a part of God’s story our life matters. When we keep an eternal perspective we understand that the adversity and afflictions of this life will only be brief and the glory will endure.
Peter admonishes his readers to have an uplook and an outlook.. Our uplook determines our outlook and our outlook determines our behavior. As we look up, we are to apply what we see. We are called to become a people who manifest the new life in this present world.
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