The Refuge
“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:” 2 Peter 1:1 NASBS
In the midst of great persecution, Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes his second letter warning the followers of Jesus Christ about false teachers who come in as wolves, dressed in sheep’s clothing. These false converts are cunning, divisive, and are always scheming to gain approval through deceitfulness.
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, speaking in the same time frame, tells us these false teachers are like, “Clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.” They clothe themselves outwardly with moral righteousness, but on the inside they are filled with perversion. They seek only fleshly gain, and everything their hand touches is filled with contempt and tries to rival the majestic hand of God. As the Prophet Isaiah would say, “All their tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”
In a world where wolves creep into the church and prey upon the sheep, Peter exhorts all believers who profess faith in Jesus Christ to be all the more diligent to make their calling and election sure. A profession of faith must not rest merely upon words, outward religion, or association with the church. There must be evidence of a genuine work of God within the heart. Peter therefore calls believers to examine the fruit of their faith.
James’s letter supports this same truth by warning of a faith that bears no works. It is a faith that has no concern for orphans and widows, and sees a brother or sister without food or clothing yet does nothing to help. Such a faith is driven by selfish impulses and desires, with no true affection for the glory of God. James declares that this kind of faith is dead and cannot save. He even reminds us that the demons believe that God is one, and shudder. A mere profession of belief, without the transforming fruit of genuine faith, is therefore no evidence of salvation.
At Corinth, believers were in danger of blending with the world, so Paul warned, “What fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial?” Likewise, the Psalmist warns those who claim God’s covenant while rejecting His Word, “You hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you.” We are called to live in the world as disciples of Christ, but never to allow the world to live in us.
The Apostle John makes the same distinction. He warns, “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.” He then declares that the one born of God does not continue in the practice of sin, concluding, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious.” John is not teaching sinless perfection, but that regeneration produces a changed direction of life. The habitual practice of righteousness, rather than the habitual practice of sin, marks those who have truly been born of God.
The Apostle Peter understood the importance of the authenticity of saving faith. Therefore, he opens his second letter identifying those in whom saving faith exists. He writes, “To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Peter’s faith was not earned, but was granted to Him by God. His faith was that which sought the holiness of God through separating himself from worldly desires, for he also wrote, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
The eternal plan for salvation is only found in the infinite mind of God. And God, by His gracious mercy, has revealed this to the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son. Those who try to come into God’s kingdom apart from the righteousness of Jesus Christ will be cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Peter’s letter closes the door on antinomianism. This is a thought that rejects God’s moral law while on the basis of being saved by divine grace. This is simply an attempt for man to justify immorality with no accountability. Peter was at war with this heresy in his culture, and unfortunately, it has made its way into ours. It has moved into the very pews of our churches, and it has become a stumbling block for all the world to see. May the God of heaven, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, continue to make evident the distinction between the wheat and the tares in His church. May you be found in Jesus Christ on the day you stand before God.