… as to a light shining in a dark place,
Summary: Peter leans on an illustration that would have been common in his day, but is not so common today.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:19d — Two Kinds of Light”2 Peter 1:19d — Two Kinds of Light
2 Peter 1:16b — Power Trip
… when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power …
Summary: What is power? That is the question posed by Peter’s claim. The power of the Lord Jesus Christ extends beyond any comfort or threat this world has to offer.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:16b — Power Trip”2 Peter 1:16a — In Search of Truth
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories …
Summary: Satan has been around for a long time and is the originator of the “cleverly devised” story.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:16a — In Search of Truth”2 Peter 1:7a — A Tale of Two Pyramids
… and to godliness, mutual affection …
Summary: The humanist approach to life is very different that the direction we get from God.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:7a — A Tale of Two Pyramids”2 Peter 1:6a — Self-Control
… and to knowledge, self-control;
Summary: Without knowledge, we have no reason to use self-control. Without faith, we cannot know what knowledge to believe and use.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:6a — Self-Control”2 Peter 1:5c — The Bridge
… to add to your faith goodness …
Summary: Faith is that precious gift of knowing Jesus Christ personally. Goodness is what we do with it.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:5c — The Bridge”Titus 3:11 — Not Titus
You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned.
Summary: How we see God’s Word has a big impact on what we see in His Word. It is very helpful to keep in mind that we are not Titus. Paul and Titus had a very close relationship, so Titus would have had a much better understanding of Paul’s intent behind his words than we can ever hope to have.
Continue reading “Titus 3:11 — Not Titus”Titus 3:9 (a) — Foolish and Sensible
But avoid foolish controversies …
Summary: The concept of a “foolish controversy” is one that opens the door to a lot of discussion. Understanding the difference between what is foolish and what is sensible requires wisdom.
Continue reading “Titus 3:9 (a) — Foolish and Sensible”Titus 3:7 (a) — Arrived
… so that, having been justified by his grace …
Summary: Paul’s description of being saved arrives at the concept of justification. Do we need more than we already have? It turns out we do. We need to be justified before God.
Continue reading “Titus 3:7 (a) — Arrived”Titus 3:5 (b) — The Laugh Test
He saved us … not because of righteous things we had done …
Summary: Knowing why God saves us is important. Knowing why he should not save us is also important.
Continue reading “Titus 3:5 (b) — The Laugh Test”