…they seduce the unstable …
Summary: Being wobbly in the Word is not only annoying to others, it is dangerous to the Body of Christ.
Have you ever gone into a coffee shop, ordered a hot cup of Joe, and sat down only to hear… “CLUMP – CLUMP”? You pick up your coffee drink (or tea for those of you with a more refined taste) and again, you hear “CLUMP – CLUMP.”
The table is wobbly. It leans one direction until you set your drink on it, then it leans the other. If you put your elbow on the table, “CLUMP,” it leans back again. The wobbly table is more than annoying. It is almost as maddening as the drip-drip-drip of Chinese water torture.
An unstable table and the subject of today’s passage have a lot in common.
False teachers introduce destructive heresies (2 Peter 2: 1) while bringing the truth into disrepute by the way they act (2 Peter 2:3). They exploit their victims with “fabricated stories” (2 Peter 2: 3).
If they will fabricate stories, then seducing the unstable is easy to do.
With a wobbly table, if you want it to lean in one direction, you put your elbow on that side of the table or set your coffee there. If you want it to lean the other way, just move the coffee. An unstable person is similar. If you know people, if you can “read” which way a person leans, you can fabricate a story that makes them wobble the direction you want them to go.
Some people, while unstable, are harder to rock. They have to be seduced. This requires an entirely different level of manipulation.
The word “seduce” comes from a Latin root meaning “to lead astray.” My first reaction to the word is that it describes a man’s sexual pursuit of a woman. But that is too narrow of a definition. Any effort to lead someone astray, male or female, is an act of seduction.
In the context of Peter’s letter, he appears to be thinking of people who pervert the Gospel in hopes of personal gain. Personal gain, of course, is relative. Something you could not imagine wanting could seem very important to someone else.
In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he writes about material compensation for those who manage “the affairs of the church” (1 Timothy 5: 17). He says:
“For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.’” (1 Timothy 5:18)
However, in the next chapter, he warns against false teachers “who think that godliness is a means to financial gain” (1 Timothy 6: 18). This is the same danger that Peter is talking about.
I have full confidence that God can keep track of every single one of his sheep. He will not lose track of you or me because of a false teacher. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans:
“And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)
False teachers harm the Body of Christ, cause untold suffering, and sow confusion in the minds of believers. This should not be.
Our job is to help bring stability to our fellow believers. We do that by pointing to God’s Word as the source of our knowledge about God.
I was in a coffee shop the other day and noticed that the table I was sitting at had a napkin folded up and tucked under one of the table legs. I knew what it was for. When they sat down, the table wobbled. When they left, they left behind a table that was stable. May all of our encounters with believers have the same effect.
Application: The tools for becoming stable in the Lord are all in His Word. Read the Bible every day.
Food for Thought: How do you recognize someone who is “unstable?”
But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, UNSTABLE in all his ways.
James 1:6-8
Much like Jeff’s table this passage compares the unstable with waves. Every wind moves them. Their understanding, beliefs, and convictions may change so frequently that you can’t keep track. But this passage also gives a source. Doubt.
These unstable people are never one hundred percent ‘in’. They leave room to be convinced another way because they still don’t believe or at least understand the truth. These people still need the gospel given to them, in greater detail, the whole context not the quick version. Answer all the W’s and an H. Truth is the antidote for instability.
A –
Answering the W’s and H as you put it can be a life-long task for some. Yet at the same time, by the grace of God, we are still given the faith needed for the day. The difference between the curious and the doubter is the difference between wonder and doubt.
The James 1 passage is a great reference! Thank you.
Thank you brother. Great verse reference A. I can’t think of a better one. If someone is unstable their actions and doctrine do not align with God’s word. Know the truth and the lie is easier to decipher.
Rich,
Amen! “Know the truth and the lie is easier to decipher,” could be the motto for this blog. 🙂
11-14-2021, 2 Peter 2:14b, How do you recognize someone who is “unstable?”
I once became acquainted with a man who was attending our church, and was very proud of identifying himself as a christian. I recall speaking with him one Sunday and inviting him to Monday night bible studies. His response was “But that’s my bowling night”, and he became irritated with me for suggesting he even try bible study. My wife knew his wife and we were invited to several gatherings at their home. Some would bring alcohol and he would become quite drunk. We stopped accepting invites to their home which created tension, I did not think of myself as being better, I simply do not drink myself, and do not approve of drunkenness. In time he left for another church.
Jesus tells us we would know them by their fruit, or lack of fruit such as anyone who hears His words and does not act on them.
Matthew 7:16, Matthew 7:26-27
So Ron…
Are you saying he would get a little “wobbly” when he drank, or was he wobbly before he drank? 🙂
Definitely wobbly before he drank, drinking was only a symptom of the problem. I was most sorry for his wife who wanted me to stay with him and be a positive influence for him. I tried but that only seemed to irritate him. We can only be available and hold out our hand to others. We can’t make their choices for them.
Thank you, Ron.
I apologize for making light of the situation. It sounds rather sad. You are right, of course. We cannot choose for others what they should do. Each of us has to learn for himself.
You could recognize if he is with Christ, and Christ is in him. In other words, Fruit of the Spirit……… or is he Fruitful…………. is Heleabing on what he thinks he has accomplished or is he glorifying The Lord in all that happens around him.
He leaning *
Well said, T!
What you are pointing us to is a simple thing, but it is oh – so critical to keep in mind! Everything in history is all about Jesus! If we look through that lens, we will always be looking at it the right way.