“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” 1 Peter 2:1-3
Devotional Thought For The Day
As Peter reminds us, the struggle and conflict between truth and error, between true servants of God’s Word and false prophets/teachers, has been going on from the very beginning of human being. Satan was the first false teacher, and he succeeded with Eve. Eve was the second false teacher, and she succeeded with Adam. In response to this fall into sin and darkness, God again instructed Adam and Eve with the truth, the promise of a Savior Who would destroy the devil and his hateful efforts to destroy mankind, God’s highest creation. He would do so by sending His own eternal and divine Son, Whom He has “begotten” from all eternity, and with Whom He is One – the Word Who is God, Who is “I AM,” the Master of the universe Who upholds all things by His powerful Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, our dear Savior and Lord – Who has bought us, redeeming us from all sin and guilt with the shedding of His precious blood which cleanses us from all sin, so that all who believe in Him have everlasting life.
Satan’s efforts didn’t cease – the entire Old Testament chronicles his nefarious efforts: idolatry, false religions, rejection of the teachings of God, denial of the mysteries and realities of His being and His love for us, grotesque as well as subtly insidious immoralities and perversions of the human spirit, hatred, violence, murder, and genocide. Throughout this time, God continued to give humanity His Word, caused it to be written down [in Holy Scripture, the Bible], and sent His servants to preach, teach, and proclaim His Word – which they have been doing faithfully. Satan has responded as Peter describes – sending his minions with “destructive heresies, even denying the Lord Who bought them,” rejecting the true and only Gospel of God’s free, gracious, merciful, forgiveness and salvation in Christ Jesus, following and promoting their sensuality even within the church so that “the way of truth” is blasphemed. Their earthly reward for this is the financial exploitation of the naive, gullible, and foolish with “false words” [the formation of new religions, the cults]; their reward from God for all of this, which they bring upon themselves, is swift destruction, eternal condemnation and destruction in the darkness of hell.
The warning of Peter, from the Holy Spirit of God, remains in force until the appearing of the glorious Lord Jesus Christ, His second coming on the Last Day. We should never lose sight of this warning, but understand the things that are going on in the world today, both within the “church” and with the various false religions and cults, as Peter describes them. Nothing has changed – it is all the same, the same struggle and conflict between the Word of God and the lies of the devil, between servants of God’s Word and the false prophets/teachers, between the “way of truth” and damnable destructive heresies. Those who bring these denials of God’s Word to us, rejection of His redemption and the introduction of heresies and sensuality, whether from outside of the church or inside, are not “green-eyed monsters,” but very nice people, very polite, seemingly reasonable, cultured, educated, sophisticated, wealthy, successful – at least on the outside. But remember how Jesus described them – “inwardly they are ravening wolves.” [Matt. 7:15] When we resist them, and expose them, and chastise them, their true nature inevitably emerges.
The bad news is that we will have this conflict until we die or until the Lord Jesus returns in glory. It will be part and parcel of our life as Christians, and our life within the “church.” The good news, which by far outweighs the bad, is that the Master has bought us, and has seen fit to bring us to faith in His gracious love, mercy, and forgiveness, and to eternal life and salvation, so that we shall not come into condemnation but have passed from death to life, through faith in Jesus Christ. The good news is that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” [Rom. 8:18] So let us beware, and understanding, alert against these evil forces and ready to repel them, willing to engage the conflict and spiritual warfare. Even more, let us continue to rejoice in the love of God and His wondrous gift of salvation, as we eagerly look forward to the coming of Jesus, our great Lord and Master!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, grant us wisdom and keen insight into the realities of the spiritual forces at work around us, and by the power of Your Word and Your Spirit, keep us firm in faith and trust in Your promises. Grant us also to keep Your Word, that we not succumb to sensuality, sin, and impenitence and thus blaspheme the way of truth. Preserves us from the jaws of the ravenous, and grant us success in exposing and repelling them. Amen.