I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Peter 1-3

Peter writes here that God has given us everything we need to live a holy life.  He then goes on to instruct us in how to go about doing so.  I really like the way he gives us a step by step basis for living such a holy life.  Each step is necessary for the next one to build upon, but is incomplete without those which follow.  We cannot have real moral excellence without faith, and faith without moral excellence has no value.  The same thing goes all of the way up the chain.  You will not truly love others if you do not feel brotherly affection for them, and none of these things have any real value if you do not love others.  As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13, love is the capstone of all other gifts we receive from God, the gifts which Peter tells us that God has given us so that we can live a holy life.  And while love is the necessary capstone to make them all function, we also need knowledge and self control and endurance.

 

Peter goes on from writing about how God has given us what we need to be holy to contrasting the Gospel story with the stories told by false teachers.  The account of Jesus’ life upon which all of Peter’s teaching, and the teaching recorded in the New Testament, is based actually happened.  It was not a story cleverly composed to support the things they wished to teach.  On the other hand,, false teachers make up stories and cleverly retell stories to support whatever will allow them to exploit their listeners.  Peter even gives us guidance which helps us recognize these false stories.  These false teachers will will seek to become wealthy from their teachings and/or will lead sexually immoral lives.  Frequently, sexual immorality will be a key part of their teaching.  They will either use their supposed position of authority to gain sexual favors, or will use sexually immoral teachings to attract people to their system.