His (Paul’s) 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. 2 Peter 3:16
Boy, how glad I am that this verse is in the Bible!
Here is Simon the fisherman, no less - the man to whom Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”, the man who preached the first “Christian” sermon on the Day of Pentecost - and he’s frankly admitting that there are things in the letters of Paul that are “hard to understand”.
What’s so wonderful about that?
Well, for one thing, we know that Peter and Paul didn’t always see eye to eye - and that’s putting it mildly. More bluntly, there was a major bust-up between the two of them one memorable day in Antioch, as Galatians 2:11-14 makes clear. So seeing Peter describe Paul as “our dear brother”, and seeing the high regard he has for Paul’s God-given wisdom (verse 15), is very encouraging for times when we, sadly, fall out with fellow-Christians. Always hope for reconciliation!
But I like this little verse is for other reasons too.
First, it reassures me when I am unable to understand the Bible.
I first began reading the Bible for serious study over fifty years ago, but I have to admit that there are passages - many passages, and not just in Paul - that I still struggle to understand. That’s just a fact, and it would be dishonest of me to try to hide it, either from myself or from other people.
But if sometimes it threatens to get me down a little, I can think to myself “Well, even Simon Peter had the same problem!” That makes me feel a lot better.
The fact is that the Bible is not a simple book. True, there are many wonderful passages which yield up their meaning without any difficulty, and we can nourish our faith by feeding on them. But there are plenty of the other sort as well, so we might as well get used to the fact.
The written Word of God is at the heart of our faith as Christians; but I’m so glad that supremely we rest upon the living Word, Jesus himself.
Second, it keeps me humble.
When you’ve been reading the Bible for a long time there can be a danger of thinking that you’ve got it all sewn up - every i dotted, every t crossed. Yes, there may be different interpretations of various passages, but of course my interpretation is the right one; and of course the denomination, movement or school of thought I belong to is the one that has basically got it right.
So I tend to look down my nose at those poor saps who have been deluded into thinking something different - certainly, I don’t doubt their sincerity, but I’m afraid they aren’t really “sound” and you have to be careful of them.
In a word, it’s easy to become a bit smug, a bit arrogant.
Don’t get me wrong. Truth matters. To handle the Bible correctly is vital. And error is something we always need to look out for. But humility demands that we always allow that little inner voice to speak: “Of course, it could be you that’s wrong, you know...” I personally feel this particularly when I come across truly Christlike Christians who, I discover, see things very differently from me. Jesus said “By their fruit you shall know them”, after all (Matthew 7:16) - not by their perfect doctrine.
Third, it warns me about the danger of being deceived.
It’s striking that Peter, having mentioned these “hard to understand” parts of scripture, goes on to say that “ignorant and unstable people” may “distort” them.
I said a moment ago that we need to be careful about looking down our noses at people who may take a different view. Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people around who need to be treated with serious concern.
It’s a troubling fact that anyone who feels like it can set up a “church”, or, within another church, can bring their influence to bear on people who know even less than they do. They may have no training, or credentials, or wider recognition, and no overall grasp of biblical truth, but they do have a winning personality, a certain way with words - and bucketfuls of self-confidence. Result: people eager for teaching, and perhaps deeply impressionable through hard experiences, get well and truly suckered.
Peter says such teachers “distort” the scriptures, and that is a key thing to look out for. A Bible verse quoted totally out of context... a passage twisted to yield a meaning which just isn’t there... a promise offered or a claim made that go beyond scripture... a display of total certainty on matters which the cream of the church have been puzzling over for two thousand years... these are the things that can lead people astray.
Shakespeare wrote that “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose” - and he wasn’t wrong! (You can see him doing precisely that by turning to Matthew 4:1-11.)
So thank you, Peter, for your honesty and humility - may it help me always to hold fast to Christ, and to be faithful to God’s word!
Amen!
Boy, how glad I am that this verse is in the Bible!
Here is Simon the fisherman, no less - the man to whom Jesus said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”, the man who preached the first “Christian” sermon on the Day of Pentecost - and he’s frankly admitting that there are things in the letters of Paul that are “hard to understand”.
What’s so wonderful about that?
Well, for one thing, we know that Peter and Paul didn’t always see eye to eye - and that’s putting it mildly. More bluntly, there was a major bust-up between the two of them one memorable day in Antioch, as Galatians 2:11-14 makes clear. So seeing Peter describe Paul as “our dear brother”, and seeing the high regard he has for Paul’s God-given wisdom (verse 15), is very encouraging for times when we, sadly, fall out with fellow-Christians. Always hope for reconciliation!
But I like this little verse is for other reasons too.
First, it reassures me when I am unable to understand the Bible.
I first began reading the Bible for serious study over fifty years ago, but I have to admit that there are passages - many passages, and not just in Paul - that I still struggle to understand. That’s just a fact, and it would be dishonest of me to try to hide it, either from myself or from other people.
But if sometimes it threatens to get me down a little, I can think to myself “Well, even Simon Peter had the same problem!” That makes me feel a lot better.
The fact is that the Bible is not a simple book. True, there are many wonderful passages which yield up their meaning without any difficulty, and we can nourish our faith by feeding on them. But there are plenty of the other sort as well, so we might as well get used to the fact.
The written Word of God is at the heart of our faith as Christians; but I’m so glad that supremely we rest upon the living Word, Jesus himself.
Second, it keeps me humble.
When you’ve been reading the Bible for a long time there can be a danger of thinking that you’ve got it all sewn up - every i dotted, every t crossed. Yes, there may be different interpretations of various passages, but of course my interpretation is the right one; and of course the denomination, movement or school of thought I belong to is the one that has basically got it right.
So I tend to look down my nose at those poor saps who have been deluded into thinking something different - certainly, I don’t doubt their sincerity, but I’m afraid they aren’t really “sound” and you have to be careful of them.
In a word, it’s easy to become a bit smug, a bit arrogant.
Don’t get me wrong. Truth matters. To handle the Bible correctly is vital. And error is something we always need to look out for. But humility demands that we always allow that little inner voice to speak: “Of course, it could be you that’s wrong, you know...” I personally feel this particularly when I come across truly Christlike Christians who, I discover, see things very differently from me. Jesus said “By their fruit you shall know them”, after all (Matthew 7:16) - not by their perfect doctrine.
Third, it warns me about the danger of being deceived.
It’s striking that Peter, having mentioned these “hard to understand” parts of scripture, goes on to say that “ignorant and unstable people” may “distort” them.
I said a moment ago that we need to be careful about looking down our noses at people who may take a different view. Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people around who need to be treated with serious concern.
It’s a troubling fact that anyone who feels like it can set up a “church”, or, within another church, can bring their influence to bear on people who know even less than they do. They may have no training, or credentials, or wider recognition, and no overall grasp of biblical truth, but they do have a winning personality, a certain way with words - and bucketfuls of self-confidence. Result: people eager for teaching, and perhaps deeply impressionable through hard experiences, get well and truly suckered.
Peter says such teachers “distort” the scriptures, and that is a key thing to look out for. A Bible verse quoted totally out of context... a passage twisted to yield a meaning which just isn’t there... a promise offered or a claim made that go beyond scripture... a display of total certainty on matters which the cream of the church have been puzzling over for two thousand years... these are the things that can lead people astray.
Shakespeare wrote that “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose” - and he wasn’t wrong! (You can see him doing precisely that by turning to Matthew 4:1-11.)
So thank you, Peter, for your honesty and humility - may it help me always to hold fast to Christ, and to be faithful to God’s word!
Amen!
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