… by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…
Summary: In the midst of his rant about false teachers, Peter points us to the elegant simplicity of salvation.
Chapter two of Peter’s letter is the heart of his message to us. It is about “false teachers.” He has been telling us about them; what they do, who they are, what motivates them, and what the consequences of their actions will be.
Jesus is not a pill that we take for a headache and then forget about when the headache is gone. Far from it! Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists. He is both our Lord and Savior. He is our king. One does not simply forget who the king is.
In today’s passage, Peter points to the path of our hope: Jesus. In eight little words, he summarizes the main message of the entire Bible.
How are we saved from the judgment that comes upon those who reject God? How do we escape the punishment that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah? The answer is quite simple: By knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself affirms this truth when he instructs Nicodemus about salvation. Three times he repeats the same thing! In John 3:15 he says, “everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” In the next verse, he says, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Then, verse 18 quotes Jesus saying, “whoever believes is not condemned.”
What do you think? Is salvation complicated? Some people seem to think so.
Some people want to add conditions to Jesus’ offer. According to these people, you need to use certain words, dress a certain way, act like they do, and believe what they tell you to believe. Only then will they judge you or me as fit for heaven. If we do not conform, then **POOF**, we are told that we are no longer saved.
The false teacher does not care if you believe in Jesus or not. What is important to the false teacher is whether or not you believe in them.
Fortunately for you and me, Jesus is not restricted by what the false teacher says or does. Do you believe in him? You have eternal life!
Application: Do not fall into the trap of being a false teacher!
Food for Thought: How does knowing Jesus help us escape the corruption of the world?
To know Christ means to know of the sin in your life, both inside you and outside in the world. We ourselves cannot escape sin, but we can pray for strength to resist it.
Galatians 6:8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Chris,
You make a very interesting point: We have to know what sin is before we can avoid it, and in particular we have to know the sin in our life before we can avoid it.
If we refuse to acknowledge sin as “sin” we are not going to change.
Of course, if we refuse to acknowledge sin as sin, we are also refusing to submit to God’s authority.
Excellent reference verses, too! Thank you!
11-24-2021, 2 Peter 2:20b, How does knowing Jesus help us escape the corruption of the world?
Believers are no longer of this world which no longer has power over us. We have been set free from the law, power of sin and death. We are born again from above, spiritually transformed and set apart for His purposes. We have escaped the corruption of this world and we now live by the law of the spirit of life in Jesus Christ.
John 17:14, Romans 8:2, 1 Peter 1:23
Ron,
Thank you! Our spiritual transformation through the power of Jesus is essential to our redemption. The world does not see this part of the process nor do they acknowledge it.
Thanks!
Excellent devotion and comments as usual. To know Jesus is to know God. To know Jesus is to know truth. John 14: 6 – 9. To Know Jesus is to have eternal life. John 17: 3. 1 John 5: 11 – 13. Philippians 3: 7 – 11. The corruption of the world is death. Jesus is life and resurrection. John 14: 6; John 11: 25 – 26. It sounds like it is important to know Jesus and trust in Him and His provision for eternal life.
(Minor edit per Rich’s request – je)
Rich,
Thank you! I love that you point out what is both obvious and obscure: “To know Jesus is to know God.” It is obvious because Jesus tells us over and over again that he and the Father are one (John 10: 30). It is obscure because …. well, because Jesus is human, and humans are not God.
The truth is that most humans are not God. One is and was. Jesus. Amen!!
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13
This seemed like it tied together the last few days here. On our own we are evil not good, yet by God’s mercy we understand good gifts. How do we get out of evil and corruption? We ask God. How can we do good? How can we see who is preaching in truth and who is not? How can we love our neighbor? How can we be free? By the power of His Holy Spirit that enables us to live God’s way in this fallen world.
Why can we ask and receive? Because of Jesus. That’s how knowing Him helps us. He is the Way, He is the atoning Sacrifice, He sent the Helper (the Spirit). (John 11:25-26, John 14:6, 13, 16, John 16:7)
A,
I really appreciate that you make the point about today’s post tying together several days. The frustration of “drilling down” as far as we do here is that we risk losing sight of the 30,000 Ft view, the big picture. I am glad you are seeing the larger connections.
As you point out, the answer to all of the questions and paradoxes that we have in life is Jesus. He created everything. He sustains us moment to moment. Without Him there is nothing.
I just finished reading a book by Michael Guillion called, “Believing is Seeing.” He is a scientist, and the book looks at Creation through a scientific lens. It is interesting to think that at the end of the day, after scientists have drilled down to the smallest nuclear particle imaginable and they come to the end of everything; when they pull back the curtain on the secrets of the universe, there will be Jesus smiling at them from the other side. 🙂