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May 16, 2006 The past few articles have been addressing the Christian and his standing in the world and before God. There have been some minor descriptions of unbelievers and their worth to the spiritual welfare of the world, but these descriptions haven’t even scraped the surface of the actual standing of the unfaithful. There are only two letters of scripture attributed to the Apostle Peter. These letters are powerful in their condemnation of those who reject the truth and in the warnings to fellow believers about what they face when faced with unbelievers. “1But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.” (2Peter2:1-3) Jesus was not concerned calling the Scribes and Pharisees of his day “hypocrites” because they were typically “do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do” religionists. Jesus was also not concerned speaking open warnings against unbelief. He knew of a certainty the falsehoods contained in their preaching carried no redeeming values for the individual soul. Peter carried these lessons from his Lord to the people. Those who denied the Lord were speaking “damnable” heresy. That is a strong statement. He also recognized the “covetousness” behind these heretical teachings. Vanity, pride and selfishness would be the trademarks of the unfaithful who spoke against biblical truth. The judgment of these individuals does not “linger” or “slumber”. The judgment is set and the only appeal left to these heretics is to the Lord Jesus. “4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” (2 Peter 2:4-10) Peter sets forth the examples of how God will settle the differences between the faithful and the unfaithful. The Apostle Paul write that the Old Testament was written for the admonition of all men so they could see how God tried to covenant with men and how men always managed to neglect their responsibility and break each covenant. The result of a broken covenant is judgment. The Flood was a judgment. Sodom and Gomorrah were judged. In those judgments there were few survivors. The “unjust” and the “ungodly” were part of the example. If God did not spare the willfully sinful angels then how could he justify saving willfully sinful humans? “11Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceiving while they feast with you; (2 Peter 2:11-13) Angels do not need to accuse men. Satan, the “father of lies” is the “accuser” day and night of every man. Christians have the “Advocate”. Unbelievers have no advocate before the accusations. Even so, unbelievers are “natural brute beasts” who speak evil of “things they understand not”. It is “their own corruption” that will condemn them. The accusations of Satan will have no bearing. Unbelievers pat each other on the back for their “deceiving” words and ideas while Peter explains these people as “spots and blemishes”. “14Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” (2 Peter 2:14-16) It doesn’t matter if the unbeliever is a religionist that needs to have a conversation with a “dumb ass”. It doesn’t matter if the unbeliever is some philosophical prefect with his own ideas of nirvana. If Christ is out of the equation then adultery is present, sin is present and “rebuke” is assured. God doesn’t speak to the spiritually ignorant through the mouths of donkeys anymore. The Word of God is that which is “quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword…” It seems that the only thing spoken by the “dumb ass” anymore is a heresy based in unbelief. ( That is a Skip Toomaloo attempt at humor based in truth.) “17These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 18For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 19While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” (2Peter2: 17-19) A “well without water” is just a worthless hole in the ground. The “allure” of the unfaithful resides in sin and “vanity”. Many of the unfaithful justify their disbelief with “great swelling words”. They are impressive. Jesus spoke to the common man of common things. Things easily related to as seen through the eyes of God on earth. Men could respond because they could understand. This is the same principle of the “Reformation”. The Roman Catholic Church had religion in a linguistic bottle. They doled out pieces of scripture and church tradition through a sieve of the Latin language that few men understood. They claimed that only the clergy were gifted with the knowledge of God and the common man needed only to listen and obey and pay their tribute. Then the scriptures were translated into the languages of the common men. Then men began to learn for themselves the truths of scriptures against the errors of the religionists. God was not some master always demanding tribute for blessing. Blessing was a free gift to the men who responded to the message of faith in Christ! The preaching was simple and the preaching was true. “20For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.” (2 Peter 2:20) Even the first Christian century saw error among the faithful. There were many who went with “populist” thought and word until the first persecutions and jailing of Christians. It was then those that had no real faith became ‘entangled again” in the “pollutions” of the world. The truly faithful became the Church Fathers who preached the truth of Christ into personal martyrdom. There were many who had the personal knowledge of the truth of Christ, yet did not permit Christ to change their hearts to hearts of assured faith. “21For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:21-22) And this is Peter’s bottom line on the unfaithful. To know the truth and to reject it is worse than to never have experienced any part of the Gospel. The scriptural meaning of the “true Proverb” is known by Peter. It is the dog that returns to the spew and the washed sow that returns to its “mire”. The “dog” never stopped being a dog. The “sow” never stopped being a sow. The dog and the sow may have looked clean for a while but they did not become “a new creature” or “a new creation” created in Christ Jesus. That is the essence of a true change. That is the essence of true faith. ------------ Email Skip: skiptoomaloo@hotmail.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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