Sunday: The Line of Authority
Peter warned his readers about the kind of dangerous teachings the church would face. He cautioned against those who, while promising liberty, would lead people back into the bondage of sin, the opposite of the freedom that we have been promised in Christ.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only false teaching that would confront the church. Another dangerous one would come. However, before Peter gets to this specific warning, he says something else first.
“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour” (2 Pet. 3:1-2). What point is Peter making here about why his readers should listen to what he is writing? See also John 21:15-17.
In 2 Peter 3:1-2, Peter reminds them of the inspired words that had come before in the “holy prophets.” Thus, he was again pointing them back to the Bible, to the Old Testament. He was reminding them that they had the “sure word of prophecy” (2 Pet. 1:19). He wanted to be clear that their beliefs were grounded in the Word of God. Nothing in the New Testament justifies the idea that the Old Testament was no longer valid or of little importance. On the contrary, it is the testimony of the Old Testament that helps establish the validity of the New and the claims that Peter was making about Jesus.
But there’s more. Peter then asserts a clear line from the “holy prophets” of the Old Testament to his own authority as one of the “apostles of the Lord and Saviour.” He was clear about the calling that he received from the Lord to do what he was doing. No wonder he spoke with such conviction and certainty. He knew the source of his message.
| Why must the Word of God, and not culture or our own judgment or reason, be the ultimate authority in our lives? (After all, why else would we keep the Seventh-day Sabbath other than because of the Word of God?) |
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In response to the discussion question, another reason we would keep the Sabbath or do anything according to the Word of God is through the work of the Holy Spirit in motivating us righteously.
In fact, if the Holy Spirit is not motivating us, our "righteousness" is like filthy rags and not good enough for salvation of the soul. Jesus said that even the Righteousness of the Pharisees was not good enough to enter Heaven and eternal life.
The word of God must be the only authority in our lives because It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12-13).
The Word is all about the Lord, hence our lives should be all about the Lord.
The problem is that modern day culture is taking over and the bible is discounted.
Kareen, I think that the Word (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit work together. The Holy Scriptures testify of Jesus and call Him "the Word." We can read about Him in the Bible and we can receive Him (the Word) and His promises in our hearts by allowing His Spirit of Love to motivate us in our thoughts and feelings which motivate our decisions that motivate our actions.
These are they which testify of Me
The answer to the question is two fold at least. Yes the word of God is the guidance for all that we do, but this is not specific to the question regarding a well worn subject, the Seventh day Sabbath. There is at least over 200 tears of history to answer this question.
If the Bible then is the authority of our lives but not culture, then, I think the church should go back and take a look at certain decisions left on the ground of culture. Such as women wearing of men's trousers, wigs, rings, makeup, etc. Our church is now full of false teachings. These are the creeping compromises. We are behaving exactly like the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14-19. Each should be zealous as Phinehas in times like these. Maranatha!
I think the real problem is that we get caught up in judging one another about some of these issues while ignoring the greater issues of being more Christ-like, showing mercy, being tolerant and understanding, bearing one another's burdens. It is easy to fire off a missive about what is wrong with the church, but being part of the solution takes courage, grace and a willingness to listen to the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was so gentle on people who were willing to learn. He reserved is harshest criticism for those who were hypocrites. Remember it was the religious people of the day that accused Mary of being found in adultery, but Jesus quickly made her religious accusers uncomfortable in their smugness, then told Mary that he did not condemn her.
Leave the condemnation to others. Offer support and encouragement to other growing Christians sharing the pathway with you.
I think that the discussion question was referring to foundations of our beliefs found in the Bible - The Bible should guide our lives in a way that brings us closer to Christ. By scrutinizing things like women wearing pants/trousers, are we really focusing a foundation of our beliefs? Is women wearing things like wigs really effecting our walk with God? I believe that the Holy Spirit guides us to look at the bigger picture and leads us to concentrate on what the Bible is asking us to do, what actions and effects of those actions have on our lives and those around us. Women wearing pants doesn't seem like it an action that would have a detrimental effect on another person's walk with God. But teaching false doctrine like Sunday worship could have a very big effect on someone's spiritual life.
We cannot fully understand Jesus if we decide to ignore the old testament 2 Peter 1:19 (NKJV) And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
for example we can only know that Jesus is the Messiah if we ready about him in Isaiah the prophet. So we cannot accept what is written in the new testament in isolation of the old testament
If Jesus said that the scriptures testified of him, and he also said that the Holy Spirit would dwell in his followers and be in his followers, then the same scriptures and Holy Spirit should be what should guide his followers now in keeping the right day holy and every thing else that goes with living and testifying about Jesus and living for Jesus regarding all believers in this day and age.
It was a disappointing moment as the two disciples walked the dusty road trying to put the pain of Jerusalem far behind them. They would talk things out and decide the course for the rest of their lives as they moved slowly to Emmaus. Seemingly out of nowhere a stranger walks up on them and begins to question them as to their sadness. For the next few hours, the stranger convinced them from all the prophets and other books of the Tanakh that Jesus was their fulfillment. It was then, as they saw Jesus in both the teaching of the stranger and literally that evening, that revival occurred. Later that day, Jesus would give the others back in Jerusalem, also disappointed, a Bible study after appearing to them. Let us never forget, we live by more a sure word of prophecy (Tanakh) and the testimony of those who were with Jesus (New Testament). It is all about Him and not about rigid tradition, religion, nor ourselves. Go and tell the world of Jesus! They are waiting to hear the whole story!
AMEN! Eddie Armstrong, and it also is not about BECOMING PERFECTLY FLAWLESS AND SINLESS either, at least not this side of JESUS' SECOND COMING. But it is to WALK BY FAITH in what JESUS did and is doing and will do and has PROMISED TO DO. And one thing that I know he will do is to accept into HIS KINGDOM all who, like THE THEIF ON THE CROSS, exercise their faith in HIS SAVING GRACE now, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, year by year, and until HE APPEARS IN ALL HIS GLORY AND THE GLORY OF HIS FATHER.
Yes, Jesus can give us Victory over all our sin and sinning. This is the good news which is added to the pardon He offers. He does give us autonomy over our will so we have to choose to let Him in to our hearts with His Grace in every instance we have a need. He is infinitely powerful to give us the power over our selfishness if we allow Him into our hearts.
Yes, Jesus is very able to give us victory over sin. But there is also the very real reality of our sinful natures and selfishness that will take a lifetime of repentance, day by day with Jesus to eventually give us the total victory over sin and selfishness after his second coming. But in the meantime we can have and he will give us his peace and his joy etc.
YES. Our sin is not infinite, however, and it can come to an end if we continue in Christ. Enoch is a prime example.
Does anywhere in the bible say that Enoch became perfect or sinless?
Yes, in Genesis 5:22 the record says that Enoch walked with God after his son, Methuselah, was born for 300 years. Hebrews 11:5 says that, by faith, Enoch was translated without seeing death because he "pleased God." Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation to anyone who is in Christ and walks not after the flesh but after the Spirit.
Walking after the Spirit is the opposite of sinning. Walking after the Spirit of Christ Jesus produces the life of Christ's Righteousness in us. We don't sin in this experience. The Character of God develops in our life. Old things are done away in our life and the newness of the Righteousness of Christ is our walk as long as we walk this way--consenting to the work of the Holy Spirit in us as Enoch did.
Praise God! Which way will we choose to walk NOW--in self or in Christ?
There is no place in the Bible (That I know of) that says Enoch was sinless. But, is it possible to sin if you are walking with God?
Enoch, must have focused on his walk rather than his works....
Eddie, His walk was His works. He focused on God and walked where He focused.
As believers what is our obligation towards God? It is to obey God's law. Somehow satan devised a plan to take us away from our obligation to the Lord. Culture/ tradition has over time intervened to blind us to what God expects of us. Culture is defined as: "the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations" or "the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group" (Webster).
Tradition is that which is handed down from one generation to the next as opposed to what God has commanded. God gave man His Commandment but Jews over time began to try to protect God's law. They started adding laws to God's law until people could not see the law of God. The tradition of elders obscured the law. One day the Pharisees and scribes confronted Jesus (Matthew 15) and asked: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” ... In Colossians 2:8 ESV we are warned: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."
We all know that Jesus is not interested in tradition, or people who draw near with their mouth and honour with the lip, but whose heart is far from God in empty pretense of worship.
May our worship be true as what God wants it to be. We must examine our hearts, and look deeply within it to examine whether we love Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Do you long to be with Him, in His presence, like Him, to obey Him from the heart?
Amen, Bulumko V. Msengana Dr. We don't know the evil of our hearts and the distance we have traveled from God and His Righteousness. We must not let the world set the standard for our lives. Our standards must be the highest and we need perfect honesty of heart. Only The Spirit of Jesus can produce this in us. We are deceived through our selfish thoughts and traditions.
I think it is important to compare every issue in our lives to the character of God with His Love as our motivation. We have issues such as our appearance, relationships, lifestyle, business dealings, educational experience, finances, etc. All issues need to be brought to the foot of the cross of Jesus and viewed in the light of His perfect Love and law.
The question of a line of authority is one of control in an hierarchical organization. This was clearly not Peter’s concern as his stated objective is to stir up our pure minds by way of reminder of the words spoken by God through his prophets. Instead of a line of authority, it is a line of communication from the I AM of eternity past, present and future to his children in every part of the continuum of time, and that means to us in our present.
And what is this word of prophecy? It is the Spirit of prophecy, the testimony (words) of Jesus, who is the I AM. It is this Word that speaks creation into existence, and whose power is fully capable of recreating us back into the image of God. It is this Word which we receive by faith into our hearts that recreates us, and it is our privilege (as those who bear the name of Christ) to let him live out his life within us through the Spirit which comes from our Father and our God.
Without this Word and this Spirit from the living God, we are less than nothing. But with this Word and this Spirit in us, we are one with the Father and his Son. Our striving should not be to keep commandments (the fourth included)—it should instead be to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. From this, all else will follow.