" He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other scriptures, to their own destruction." (NIV)
When Peter wrote this letter to the Believers, he wrote it to warn them of false teachers who were distorting the writings of Paul. Peter pointed out that Paul wrote with wisdom inspired by the Holy Spirit. Peter pointed out to his fellow-Believers that while Paul's writings are not always EASY to understand, they were God-inspired truth. The false teachers against whom Peter wrote were purposely misquoting Paul's teachings, attempting to use scriptures to make themselves seem impressive. They were purposely creating confusion. Worse yet, false teachers are often subtly deceitful. This letter from Peter gives us clues to help detect false teaching. Believers today must remain vigilant against falling into false doctrine.
One of my favorite scriptures is I Corinthians 1:33, which states, :For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." Okay... if God is NOT the author of confusion, then who IS? (Hint: Don't you think confusion goes hand-in-hand with evil? Have you ever noticed that movie scenes of hell are always chaotic? Hmmm...)
So, here is the gist of Peters' letter: Avoid false teachings. How? By knowing the truth. We really must read and study on our own; not depend upon someone else to tell us what the scriptures say. Many believers want the peace and grace of God, but are not willing to exert the effort to get to know Him better. To enjoy God's abundance, we need knowledge. First-hand knowledge, obtainable only through Bible study and prayer. We must remain diligent in seeking God.
And, what did Jesus have to say about teaching and truth? "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,
'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (John 8:31,32)
AND,
..." I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
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