Chris R. Quinlan

2 Peter 3:17-18 (NIV) 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this ( since I'm warning you ahead of time ), be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless ( unprincipled, wicked ) men and fall from your secure position ( steadfastness ). 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. Today I want to finish my devotional study of 2 Peter. These are Peter's final words to us. I can't help but stop and think about the life of Peter as we finish out this, his last letter to us. The more I learn and study the life of Peter the more I look up to him as a hero of the faith. Today we look at Peter's last two commands. The first, "be on guard for false teachers"... The main theme for this entire letter and others in the New Testament, is warning us about false teachers. This is not just a side note, these are Peters final words! Much care and effort ...

Recently I responded to a question, "What is church?" This person suggested that perhaps church would be better if it were smaller. I got a little carried away with my answer, so I thought I'd blog it. Church is where imperfect people congregate to worship a perfect God. Christian worship takes many forms as you know, but I just wanted to remind you (and anyone that will read) that church first and foremost is the "body" of Christ. It's an organism that has many God-intended purposes, the least of which is being entertained. The "body" has to have all its parts to function properly. It's very tempting to think that a small group of people would be ideal for "doing church", but this simply isn't true. Is there a perfect size for a church? I don't know. Maybe. But the book of Acts certainly doesn't give us specific instruction on this nor does it intend to. Many have erred trying to pull "church normatives" f...

Some may think that I have some sort of irrational distaste for movies. I can assure you, this distaste does not come from trying to make myself pious or “holier than thou.” In my ten year journey as a Christian, I have slowly come to realize the larger picture regarding the movies that we all love to consume. I'd like to share some personal thoughts with you. In my pre-Christian days, I was just like everyone else; I went to see just about every movie that came out that was worth seeing. I didn’t much concern myself with the content. In 1997, I surrendered my life to Christ, and my conscience gave immediate testimony to the things I was doing that were wrong. One of those things was watching movies that contained content that was sinful according to the bible. Every now and then I would go see a movie, defying my conscience, but felt terrible after doing it. As I grew in my Christian walk, I more and more treasured the scriptures and less and less cared about entertaining myself...

2 Peter 3:15-16 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation ; just as also our beloved brother Paul , according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters , speaking in them of these things , in which are some things hard to understand , which the untaught and unstable distort , as they do also the rest of the Scriptures , to their own destruction . What is the first thing that comes to mind when you read the first sentence? Here is how my thought process goes when I read something like this: - OK, this is a command, so I'm very interested in what it has to say to me, knowing that knowing and obeying scriptural commands is an act of love and joy as I follow after Christ. - It starts with the word "and", so I need to remind myself of the previous section. 2 Peter 3:14 Therefore , beloved , since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace , spotless a...

2 Peter 3:14 Therefore , beloved , since you look for these things ( ...new heavens and a new earth*) , be diligent to be found by Him in peace , spotless and blameless , * added for clarity Today's passage is one of those verses in scripture that you don't have to work very hard to get to the application, because it IS an application, plain and simply given to us. There are a couple of things I wanted to point out so that we can all be encouraged and challenged by this verse. The first thing to notice is the "Therefore" at the beginning of the verse. This should always cause us to look to the previous verses to see what it is that Peter is talking about (of course this isn't a problem if you are reading the letter straight through). I provided a parenthetical reminder of what "these things" are. Peter writes as thought it's expected that Christians are anticipating the return of Christ, as he writes... "since you look for these things....

2 Peter 3:5-13 5 For they (the scoffers) deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to b...

2 Peter 3:3-4 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." Today's passage is a very specific prophecy that helps us as we determine how we interact with the ungodly people that we are bound to come across. Let's get to the meaning of some of the words that Peter uses here so we can see just what it is that he is warning us about. In verse three: Scoffers are simply people who mock. If you let people know your beliefs on sensitive topics like religion and politics, you are bound to get mocked for those beliefs. Just think about the things the bible teaches and how different those are to the modern way of thinking. For example, The bible teaches that the universe was created in seven days. If you stood up in a college biology class a...

2 Peter 3:1-2 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through you r apostles, As we continue in the book of second Peter, we come to the beginning of the third chapter. Peter begins this final segment by repeating a statement made back in chapter one. 1 Peter 1:12-13 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, These passages are similar but there are some major differences that we should look at. In the passage in chapter 1, we see that Peter wants to remind Christians about the "qualities" of a true believer. Peter here emphasizes the importance of "stir(ring...

In my last post (link) I made this statement: “Every true Christian has been born again. And if you've been born again, you know it!” I would like to explain what I mean by this so there isn’t any confusion. We’ve all heard people say, “So and so is a ‘born again’ Christian.” Is there a difference between a ‘born again’ Christian and normal, everyday Christian? To be as simple as possible with my explanation, I will say that there are people who claim to be Christians, but are not; and there are true Christians. True Christians are ‘born again’ according to scripture. So saying that you are a ‘born again’ believer is the same thing as saying that you are a true Christian believer. I’m not suggesting that Christians use the phrase all the time, but it is biblical as I intend to show. Here is the main passage of scripture that introduces this idea to us. John 3:3-8 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by nigh...

I feel the need to write a little something about the subject of getting drunk. I was probably seventeen the first time I got drunk. I drank three or four beers at a friends house. It was quite a memorable experience. I'm not going to describe the experience, mainly because I don't want to glorify the act. I went on to get drunk many more times in high school and college. I never really thought it was a big deal. Is it a big deal? When I first began to drink, I was spiritually confused. I honestly thought that I was a Christian because I attended church and had Christian parents. It wasn't until 1997, at age 27, that I surrendered my life to Christ and was spiritually reborn. That's when I became a Christian! Every true Christian has been born again. And if you've been born again, You KNOW IT! I could go on here to list about fifty bible verses that deal with the subject of getti...

2 Peter 2:17-22 17 These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness. 18 They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. 19 They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you. 20 And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. 21 It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. 22 They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.” We definitely get the point that Peter does not have much good to say about t...

2 Peter 2:12-16 NLT 12 These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed. 13 Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals. 14 They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse. 15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice. If you think the last post was harsh, Peter has only begun. Todays passage is a bit long, but it is still only about half o...

2 Peter 2:10-11 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. This verse is a continuation of the verse in the previous post. It is the second part of a very long run-on sentence that describes the qualities and behaviors of the false teachers that were on the scene in Peter's day. This article is entitled Part 1 because this where he begins to describe the false teachers. This section of scripture is not full of warm fuzzy feel-good bible quotes. Peter is just as concerned about exposing false teachers as he is comforting Christians suffering persecution. It is an extremely important subject, being mentioned in at least ten books of the bible. We should be equally concerned about this subject because there are just as many false teachers today ...

2 Peter 2:7-9 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, Here's a quick paraphrase: "If God rescued Lot, who grieved in his heart for the unrighteousness that he saw all around him, then God will rescue the godly from their trials, and will keep His promise to punish the unrighteous at the time of judgment." It's been awhile since my last post, so we need to remember that the context here is false teachers. After we deal with that, we can then see if we can make application for ourselves regarding these verses. Remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? God dispatched two human-form angels to destroy these and the surrounding cities. Why? In Genes...

2 Peter 2:3 3 In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. This verse was part of the last post, but it needs to be mentioned again here because it sets up the subject for the rest of chapter 2. This verse is saying that God is fully aware of false teachers and has plans to execute severe judgement on them. If that is true, then why do these people seem to get away with what they are doing. Why does God allow them to continue to spew thier deceptions? I look around and see them prospering, not being destroyed! Doesn't God care that there are so many people being duped by these clever snakes? What could be the purpose of allowing so many false teachers to have influence on so many people? These are the questions that I can imagine that the apostles were getting from the true believers of his day. Chapter 2 is Peter's (and God's) answer to the apparent inaction on God's ...

Hello readers. I hope you are enjoying this devotional study of 2 Peter. It is my pleasure to bring you a small bit of God's word with some application and encouragement. There is power in the truth that we read in scripture. So, with a combination of Romans 1:16 boldness and 1 Peter 5:5 humility, let's continue our study of 2 Peter. 2 Peter 2:1-3 NLT 1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. The preservation of the truth was a huge priority for all the apostles . As I read and study the bible,...

2 Peter 1:19-21 19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, Remember last time that Peter just established his legitimacy as an apostle bearing the true gospel, by explaining to the readers of this letter that he was an eye-witness to a dramatic display that we know as the "transfiguration". The transfiguration was pretty convincing evidence that Jesus was who he said he was... the Messiah. Those who witnessed that event were utterly convinced that Jesus was God's son. Peter never hesitated to make that claim when asked. He did, however, wimp-out when Jesus was on trail with the Pharisees. He never lost the belief that Jesus was God, he just wasn't ready to die for that belief...yet. The Peter we read about in this letter is quite different. He is ready to die and is martyred soon after this letter was written. In verse 19, we have some more evidence offered up by Peter that he carries the true message of salvation, which is only found in Jesus Christ; That bein...

1 Peter 1:16-18 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"-- 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Peter has just been saying that his martyrdom was imminent and that his goal was to remind Christians of the things he thought were important. From what I can tell, Peter thought that it was important to live in a manner worthy of Christ. The other item, that was very important to all the original apostles, was the preservation of the gospel message as given by Jesus. The passage today begins the emphasis on this subject that carries through as the main theme of this entire book. In today's passage Peter sets the foun...

2 Peter 1:10b-15 "For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these thing s This verse needs to be understood with care. If one isn't careful, a conclusion could be drawn that would be in opposition to the truth that the verse is proclaiming. Verse 11 is key, but I included the end of verse 10 so that the entire thought could be seen. The reason this is so critical to understand is because what we see here in verse 10-11 is what, at first glance, looks like a...