Thursday Devo
Scripture:
2 Peter 2
17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. 18 They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. 19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.
17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. 18 They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. 19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.
Commentary:
2:17 The false teachers are waterless springs (they promise refreshment and bring none) and mists driven by the wind (they sow confusion wherever they go), devoid of any inherent value. The gloom of utter darkness has been reserved (Gk. tēreō, “keep, guard, hold, preserve”) for them, as for the evil angels (“kept,” v. 4) and the unrighteous (“keep,” v. 9).
2:18 The false teachers entice by sensual passions … those who are barely escaping from the clutches of sin. They prey on newly professed Christians, teaching that they can do whatever they wish sexually and no harm will come of it.
2:19 The false teachers operate under the guise of freedom, but in actuality they entice others to become as they are, slaves of corruption, once again overcome by evil.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2421.
2:18 The false teachers entice by sensual passions … those who are barely escaping from the clutches of sin. They prey on newly professed Christians, teaching that they can do whatever they wish sexually and no harm will come of it.
2:19 The false teachers operate under the guise of freedom, but in actuality they entice others to become as they are, slaves of corruption, once again overcome by evil.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2421.
Questions:
- In verse 17, Peter compares these false teachings to a useless, dried-up spring. It's a mirage. It promised to bring sustenance, but is empty and dry. These kinds of teachers have shallow, incomplete teaching. You will never find these kinds of teachers (like the Joel Osteens of the world) teaching verse by verse through the Bible because they are allergic to speaking hard truths. They want to keep things soft, fluffy and encouraging. They would never talk about repentance of sin, God's judgement or suffering, which is a constant theme in the Bible. Which kinds of teaching do you tend to gravitate towards? Do you find yourself gravitating towards hard truths or encouraging words? Or a balance of the two?
- The reason there are so many empty teachers out there that only want to tickle our ears is because that is what we seek out! The soft, encouraging teaching, Paul would say, is exactly what our itching ears want to hear. So the problem begins with us! We need to seek out biblically sound teaching, exegetical study in context. What are the dangers of teaching that is too affirming and too grace-focused? What kind of disciple do you think this would produce?
Pray:
- That God would speak to you through His Word.
- That you would develop a hunger for sound teaching.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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