2 Peter, chapter 2

It is hard to like this world. When I read the news every day I see how sin is not only condoned, but encouraged. Stupid rules are enforced, while age-old family values are swept under the rug with the guise of “being progressive”. For me, it is hard to understand why the world has gone this way and still maintain my faith. I admit that it has not been easy of late.

2 Peter 2 addresses with a scathing commentary against false teachers and their commentary. The world today is full of false teachers. There are obvious ones, such as the infamous Fred Phelps at the Westboro Baptist Church. His message is one of pure, unadulterated hatred instead of the true love that God wants us to show people. Other false teachers are more subtle, and those are the ones that lure us away from the path God has planned for us.

⁷and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men ⁸(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. – 2 Peter 2:7-9

I feel like Lot today. I feel like I am lost in a world where I don’t belong. Another great job opportunity fell through for me yesterday, so I am openly questioning what my place in this world is. Peter left a promise in this passage though. If we remain faithful, we will be delivered. There are days when I openly wonder if I will ever feels peace this side of heaven. I just pray daily that I can do my part to earn this reward.

2 Peter, chapter 1

I am back. It is no secret that I have been searching for a purpose for some time. Those feelings get stronger every day, mostly because I know I am upon a precipice where things are going to drastically change in my life. Soon we will need to get a bigger place to live, likely trade in cars, have a family member move in with us, and we would like to start a family. Right now, it looks impossible to do even one of those things. That leads to tension, as I know all must happen soon. How can I trust God in this when I feel I don’t have a purpose?

That is why I am glad I decided to return to Veritas today. In looking through the archives, I saw that I had written about 1 Peter, but I hadn’t continued on to 2 Peter. It took me mere seconds today to see that there is a calling laid out for us, and that one of the keys virtues in seeing that calling is patience. Patience is something that I have lacked my entire life, but it is what God tries to teach us in these moments.

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. – 2 Peter 1:5-9

Peter then delivers advice for us to make our calling and election sure. It is fascinating to see this come from Peter. He was one that was once sure in his faith, yet denied Christ on the night of his arrest three times. To me, that is proof that we need all of the things listed here in order to make our calling sure. I even believe that we need all of these virtues to even see our calling. As Peter states, if we lack just one of these, we become nearsighted and blind.

So how do we seek these in our daily lives? It is easy to have perseverance without some of the others. I have persevered to write this even though I haven’t felt Godly. I have lacked self-control even in times of knowledge. Right now this feels like an overwhelming puzzle in front of me that I cannot figure out. We are promised, however, that we are given everything we need in order to fulfill the calling we have been made for. That is where patience comes in, so I will be patient.

Seeking Reader input

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone. I've been really busy lately, plus I have been suffering from a bit of writer's block in this area. in that, I would appreciate your help. For those of you that do read this blog, what book would you like to see me write about next? I have just finished covering the four gospels, and int he archives you can see that I have done most of the New Testament. So I open it up to you the reader. Where do I go next?

John, chapter 21

We come to the end of the book of John today. With that, we also come to the end of our study of the gospels. As always, Jesus sends us away with a message of great hope. In this chapter, we see Jesus give us a lesson in what we are supposed to do with our lives. He also re-establishes Peter as the head of His very young church. Over the span of a few days, the disciples go from despair to triumph because if the Resurrection.

4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
6He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. –John 21:4-6

Even when the situation looks hopeless we still must look to see what good God can bring from the situation. In this case, the disciples had been fishing all night, yet they hadn’t caught anything. Here, Jesus advises just a slight change of tactics and it pays off. A negative situation becomes an overwhelming positive. It is also foreshadowing what the disciples will do for mankind. From this point forward, they would go out and spread the word of Christ around the globe. They would reap a great catch, and that is still going on today.

I am currently trying to relate this lesson to my own life. For the next two weeks, I am going to be in a place work-wise that I seriously do not want to be. The job is undesirable. The hours are even worse, yet I know that God has placed me here for a reason. The last three mornings (including this morning) as I have prepared to go to my three days of training for this job, I have had a very negative mindset. I admit that I must take a different look at things and see what good I can do in this capacity. Right now, I am dreading every hours and just wishing it is over. With a slight change of attitude, however, I know God can accomplish something wonderful even in a place where I don’t want to be.

John, chapter 20

The empty tomb. As I mentioned yesterday, without it, our faith is nothing. Without it, we have no mediator between us and God. The empty tomb symbolizes our sole hope in this world that there is something more. It is the promise of eternal life if we believe in Christ. Even now, when I am racked with anxiety so badly that I cannot sit still, I think of the promise of the empty tomb and it gives me a measure of peace.

²⁴Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

²⁶A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" – John 20:24-28

Don’t we all feel a bit like Thomas when times are tough? In this moment, Thomas was likely very upset because of Jesus’ death. As one of the Twelve, Thomas was one of Jesus’ most loyal followers. He had to be questioning why he had followed Christ and what he was going to do now. He may even been angry and a little bitter, thinking he had wasted the last few years of his life following Jesus.

I think this is how we all feel when life doesn’t work out the way we have it planned. Though Jesus has a great plan in store for us, sometimes we don’t see it. I know I can vouch for this. It has been four and a half years since I last had a permanent job, and many temporary positions I have taken seem like a waste of time. Sometimes I wonder if God is even listening, and I have my “until I see the marks in His hands” moments. This is where we need Jesus’ peace even more than normal. He has promised never to forsake us or turn away from us if we believe in Him. That promise is as good as the empty tomb.

John, chapter 19 part 2

My apologies for being a bit distracted this morning. I am having a second straight morning where I am very foggy-headed. It makes for a distracting morning as I deal with some outside issues. Today we will deal with John’s account of the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus. I have called this the lowest point in human history before, and I stand by that statement now.

Crucifixion is a particularly brutal and painful way to die. In the Roman world, it would sometimes take a matter of days for a person to do this way. Often the cause of death was asphyxiation because the person couldn’t lift their body up any longer in order to breathe. It is also important to remember that Jesus went through this after receiving a severe beating, so physically, he already wasn’t in the best shape.

28Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. – John 19:28-30

This seems like such a final moment here. If it were not for the Resurrection a few days later, it would have been a final moment. We are cleansed because Jesus died for our sins as the ultimate sacrifice, but that sacrifice has no meaning without the Resurrection. Since Jesus did rise from the dead and still lives, he took the keys of death and can now act as mediator between us and God. Because of that, we can live forever if we believe in Him.

John, chapter 19 part 1

Pilate is an interesting character in Scripture. It is clear that he showed much regret in his role in Jesus’ crucifixion, yet he did not use his authority to stop the event from happening. It wasn’t like he was powerless, either. As a member of the Roman government in charge of Israel at the time, he could have ended the whole mess with a word. Instead, he served a role that was foretold in Scripture.

⁷The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

⁸When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

¹¹Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

¹²From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." – John 19:7-12

I have long been confused by Pilate’s fate after this. Someone had to give the order it crucify Jesus. Unlike Judas, Pilate was a person that, as I read this, looks more like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He comes off as a reluctant villain if there eve was one. He even tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews wouldn’t have it. Their thirst for blood was up, and they would have it.

So how should we look on Pilate? I even wonder how Jesus viewed Pilate after these events. I think Jesus had a more sympathetic view of him because He knew that He still had to face His death regardless of what the local authorities said. As Jesus says, Pilate did not have any real power over Him except from above. Since God had decided the sacrifice was necessary, Pilate had to play that role.