Into the last ten days of the year!
Peter’s second letter: Adding to our faith
2 Peter 1:1-11
Peter confirms the truth of the gospel
2 Peter 1:12-21
Signs of the coming apostasy
2 Peter 2:1-22
Apostasy in the end times
2 Peter 3:1-10
Exhortation to godly living
2 Peter 3:11-18
Letter of Jude: History of apostasy
Jude 1-7
Apostate teachers described
Jude 8-19
Encouragement to believers
Jude 20-23
Doxology
Jude 24-25
Peter’s second letter has a list of virtues, climaxing in love. It’s the sort of list that Paul would have written, but only after he’d spent several chapters deep in theology first. Peter comes straight out with it.
In chapter 2 he has nothing good to say about false teachers. It’s a diatribe against wicked people who have turned away from the faith. Chapter 3 focuses on what might have been one of their stronger arguments: “You’ve heard these apostles say that Jesus is coming back soon. Well, where is he?”
Hang in there, says Peter, he’s on his way. His timescale is different to ours. 2,000 years later, this argument has lost its sting. Yes obviously his timescale is different. If Jesus says “I’m coming back soon,” and we still believe it, then his timescale must be different to ours. Peter reasserts the belief that God will one day wrap up this world in judgement,m and that we should be patient until that day comes. He commends Paul’s letters to his hearers, even though he confesses he doesn’t always know what dear old Paul was on about (Does that tell us more about Paul, or Peter??)
Then Jude steps up and says much the same. The early church leaders were obviously seriously worried about false teaching, and felt it necessary to put pen to paper frequently in defence of the true gospel. Jude makes some allusions to very late Jewish writings that mention certain legends about Moses and Enoch. A little confusing to me - it he intending us to take those ideas at face value, or is he talking in code that his hearers would understand but which I don’t? I’ll have to pass on that. There’ll be more on talking in code when we get to Revelation!
Peter’s second letter: Adding to our faith
2 Peter 1:1-11
Peter confirms the truth of the gospel
2 Peter 1:12-21
Signs of the coming apostasy
2 Peter 2:1-22
Apostasy in the end times
2 Peter 3:1-10
Exhortation to godly living
2 Peter 3:11-18
Letter of Jude: History of apostasy
Jude 1-7
Apostate teachers described
Jude 8-19
Encouragement to believers
Jude 20-23
Doxology
Jude 24-25
Peter’s second letter has a list of virtues, climaxing in love. It’s the sort of list that Paul would have written, but only after he’d spent several chapters deep in theology first. Peter comes straight out with it.
In chapter 2 he has nothing good to say about false teachers. It’s a diatribe against wicked people who have turned away from the faith. Chapter 3 focuses on what might have been one of their stronger arguments: “You’ve heard these apostles say that Jesus is coming back soon. Well, where is he?”
Hang in there, says Peter, he’s on his way. His timescale is different to ours. 2,000 years later, this argument has lost its sting. Yes obviously his timescale is different. If Jesus says “I’m coming back soon,” and we still believe it, then his timescale must be different to ours. Peter reasserts the belief that God will one day wrap up this world in judgement,m and that we should be patient until that day comes. He commends Paul’s letters to his hearers, even though he confesses he doesn’t always know what dear old Paul was on about (Does that tell us more about Paul, or Peter??)
Then Jude steps up and says much the same. The early church leaders were obviously seriously worried about false teaching, and felt it necessary to put pen to paper frequently in defence of the true gospel. Jude makes some allusions to very late Jewish writings that mention certain legends about Moses and Enoch. A little confusing to me - it he intending us to take those ideas at face value, or is he talking in code that his hearers would understand but which I don’t? I’ll have to pass on that. There’ll be more on talking in code when we get to Revelation!
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