II Peter 3:3 warns about “scoffers, walking after their own lust” who would come and question whether or not the Lord would return because “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (v. 4). What are “scoffers”? What is their work? Why was the Holy Spirit, through Peter, warning Christians about them?

            According to Mr. Strong, the word “scoffer” means, “a derider, by implication a false teacher, mocker.” For further clarification, to “deride” someone is “to laugh at in scorn or contempt” (Dictionary.com). In the text, Peter warns of those who will laugh or mock at the idea of the Lord’s second coming. They don’t think it is real and scoff, make fun of, or mock those who speak the truth.

            Let’s make this a little more general for our article. Have you ever had someone scoff at you (make fun of, mock) for merely speaking the truth of God’s word? How did that make you feel? One way the devil works is to scoff or make fun of us when we know we are right. This affects our senses and causes us to either question our beliefs or simply be scared to express them. Through scoffing, people can be made to stop speaking the truth. This was the intention of scoffers in the first century, and it is the intention of scoffers today.

            When I speak the truth from God’s word (I Pet. 4:11; II Tim. 4:2), and people call me a “Pharisee,” “legalist,” “literalist,” and the like, this is scoffing. When they say that I am “too narrow,” or am too bold, this is scoffing as well. It should be apparent that scoffing occurs when people curse and say wicked things to insult me. Please note that when people do such things and call names, make fun of, sneer, and the like, they have done NOTHING to prove their point! This is a lesson I had to learn quickly in preaching. Having added my work on the internet, and coming in contact with “internet trolls,” the scoffing has reached new levels! In almost 30 years of preaching, though, I have come to terms with the fact that just because someone screams at you or knows how to make cutting remarks does not mean he has the truth on his side! It is usually the opposite.

            Being mocked and ridiculed does not feel good, but for those who respect God’s authority (Col. 3:17), speak His truth (II Tim. 4:2), and are determined to live it (I Tim. 4:12, 16; Phil. 4:9; I Cor. 15:58), this is a way of life! The darkness hates the light and hates those who are in the light (Jn. 3:19-21). Why should I be surprised at these people’s actions when I speak the truth that brings light to the world (Ps. 119:105)? Scoffers were there to unjustly criticize my Lord (Jn. 7:7). Why should I expect different treatment (Jn. 15:18-20; II Tim. 3:12)?

            Let these words encourage the hurt, and those who have been unjustly criticized, to keep on keeping on. “Preach the Word” (II Tim. 4:2)! Stand “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10)! Stand firm on the Lord’s word and do not waver! Scoffers will come and go, but “the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (I Pet. 1:25). We can make it! We can be faithful to God (Rev. 2:10), and look forward to God’s reward when this life is over (II Tim. 4:6-8)!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

            I can remember not long after I started in my first “full-time” work, I encountered a few brethren who took the position that the “red letters” in the Bible were more important than the “black letters.” In other words, we ought to give greater emphasis to the words Christ spoke on earth than to anything else in the New Testament. To them, the epistles, etc., were of lesser value than Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Perhaps you have heard of people who have taken such a position. Until that time, I had not heard of such a belief. This may seem to have a noble aspect because people wish to place greater emphasis on Christ’s words, but the noble intention has many glaring errors.

First of all, it is a strange position to hold because red-letter Bibles were not published until 1901! What about the people from the 1800s and back to the second century? Were they unable to determine the “important words” because their Bibles weren’t typed with red letters? Second, if the words of Christ (in red letters) have a greater impact than what the apostles said, what about the fact that Christ told them He was not able to tell them everything because they weren’t ready? He then promised the Holy Spirit to come and “guide” them into “all truth” (Jn. 16:12-13)? So, the apostles didn’t have all the truth when Christ was on earth, speaking in “red letters”! They did get all of it later (Acts 2:1-5; Gal. 1:12; etc.), yet somehow their words are not as important as what Christ said? This is a strange doctrine, indeed.

            Not only is it a strange doctrine, but it also contradicts passages like II Peter 3:2. Peter told his readers that he wanted them to “be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” He would also later condemn people for twisting Paul’s words and put Paul’s words on an equal plain with “the other Scriptures,” i.e., the Old Testament Scriptures (II Pet. 3:16). This sounds nothing like what I was told about the importance of the “red letters”! Based on the truth Peter taught, let me ask a few questions.

• Jesus said the words He spoke were the words given to Him by the Father (Jn. 12:49-50). Do we now discount the words of Christ as “lesser” than the Father’s?
• The job of the apostles was to speak the words of Christ to the world (Matt. 28:19; Mk. 16:15; Jn. 14:26). When they did so, how were these words of lesser importance than Christ’s? They were Christ’s!
• Since the words of the apostles are equated with the words of the prophets of God (II Pet. 3:2), how can we say they are of lesser value or lesser importance than Christ’s?
• Please supply book, chapter, and verse where Jesus (while on earth) gave us: instructions on how to worship, instructions on the organization of the church, instructions on the work of the church, instructions on matters of faith vs. matters of opinion, insight into the conflict between the Jews and the Gentiles and how to be at peace, the meaning of His cross, etc. (Maybe I am seeing some people’s motivation for dismissing the “black-letters”! When we dismiss them, we dismiss all of these things as well!)
• Since Deity is actually behind the entire Bible (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21), shouldn’t the whole Bible be “red-letter”?

            Personally, I find the “red letter” Bibles distracting. I mainly preach out of Bibles that have only black letters. Friends, let us not ignore the words of the apostles, but realize that since these men were Christ’s ambassadors (II Cor. 5:20; Eph. 6:20), their words are as authoritative as Christ’s when it comes to doctrine and truth! Peter said we need to be listening to the commands of the apostles, and so let’s do that and be blessed (II Pet. 3:2)!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

            Peter’s motivation to keep the saved saved is apparent in this book. He determined to remind them of the present truth so long as he lived in order to protect them from the false teachers (ch. 1-2). As chapter three begins, Peter repeats his theme. In this case, he said he wanted to “stir up (their) pure minds by way of remembrance” (II Pet. 3:1).

            The word “pure” in this text means what we think it means -- “unmixed, unsullied, sincere” (Arndt and Gingrich; Strong’s). Having a “pure mind” stands in contrast with the false teachers whose minds were wicked, and had “exercised” themselves to act in a covetous manner (II Pet. 2:14). The pure minds of the people needed to be preserved and the only way to do this was to make sure their minds were focused on God’s word (II Pet. 3:1-2). These people had not been stained or sullied by the false doctrines referred to in chapter two, and Peter was trying hard to keep it that way!

            It gives me pause to read that these folks had pure minds because they, like all of us, have sinned (Rom. 3:23). Their minds had been corrupted with sin and wickedness. How could they have pure minds, now? If I know how these people who lived in sin developed pure minds, then I will know how I can develop a pure mind! The answer is that though they had acted in wicked ways, things changed when they heard the truth, believed in Christ, repented of their sins, confessed Christ, and were baptized (Acts 2:36-38, 8:35-38, 16:30-34). Having followed the Lord’s plan of salvation, and as they continued to learn the truth and be reminded of what they knew, Peter said they had “pure minds.”

            How can we who have sinned keep our minds pure now, i.e., unmixed with error and sin? We now know the answer. In order to have pure minds, we need to cleanse them (Ps. 119:9), and keep them pure! We need to follow the Lord’s plan of salvation (Jn. 8:24; Lk. 13:3; Rom. 10:10; Mk. 16:16). As saved people, we must also keep our noses in the Book (Eph. 3:4; II Tim. 2:15; II Pet. 3:2)! Only when we know what God has said can we then apply it to our lives to make the right decisions. To keep our minds pure, we need to avoid those doctrines and practices that will corrupt us (I Thess. 5:21-22)! How will we know what corrupts, though, if we don’t remember the truth (Jn. 17:17)?

            How much time do you spend in God’s word? How do you expect to have a pure mind otherwise? Peter said there was no other way to be pure except to spend time learning and especially being reminded of the truth that we know (II Pet. 3:1-2)! Let’s make sure and listen to the story the never grows old and apply it to our lives daily so we can have pure minds!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

The last three verses of II Peter 2 are perhaps more well-known than other parts of this chapter. This section of Scripture is used to show (correctly) that a Christian may fall away from God and be lost (also II Pet. 3:17). “Once-saved-always-saved” or the impossibility of apostasy is not a teaching found in Scripture. Therefore, let us take a look at this section and see what lessons we can learn.

First, II Peter 2:20 is talking about the people who had been fooled by false teachers (v. 19). The reason why Peter wanted to make sure that the Christians were grounded in “the present truth” (II Pet. 1:12-15) is that it was possible for one who had “escaped the pollutions of the world” to be “again entangled and overcome”! To be “again entangled” implies that these folks had, at one point, been “untangled!” Yes, false teachers can tempt us to return to error if we are not vigilant (II Pet. 3:17)! Therefore, if people become entangled once more, then “the latter end is worse than the beginning.”

I find this statement fascinating because if the impossibility of apostasy doctrine is true, then Peter’s last statement is not true. According to those who believe in “once-saved-always-saved,” a man who is “again entangled” never really was saved anyway! In that case, the latter end couldn’t be worse than the beginning for this person, because, from the beginning, this man was doomed and damned to Hell! At the same time, if the impossibility of apostasy doctrine is true for the saved person, then Peter’s last statement is still not true! This is because if a man is saved and bound for Heaven, then he stays saved regardless of what he does while on earth. So, from the beginning, this man was going to Heaven, and how could his destiny be any better? Can we see now how the “once-saved-always-saved” teaching contradicts plain truth? Let’s stop reading the Bible through a “filter,” and let’s accept the Bible for what it says!

II Peter 2:21-22 continues to describe this one who has fallen back into his old ways of sin. Included in this is Peter’s quotation of Proverbs 26:11. God looks upon the saved person who reverts to a life of sin like a dog that vomits and then laps it back up! If this is a disgusting description to you, then you got the point! The actions of a Christian who goes back into sin and the world are as repulsive to God as watching a dog eat puke! Similarly, it reminds God of a freshly-washed sow who rolls in the mire. For those reading who have not been around hogs, please understand that “mire” is not merely “mud.” There is something else in the mud that she is rolling in in order to stay cool! If we think that it is disgusting for a hog (or anything) to root and roll in their own waste, then you get the point! When God sees Christians leave Him and go back into sin, they are rolling in the filth once more!

God does not teach the “once-saved-always-saved” doctrine. The old dodge that says, “a man that falls back into sin never really was saved in the first place” can’t be correct. First, it is not correct because the statement is illogical. Someone who “never really was saved” was just that -- not saved! You can’t fall back into the mire if you never left! Second, we know that old dodge can’t be right because the text says the sow was “washed”! If she was washed, she was clean. She was free from the filth! Then she went back to the “wallowing.” She was out of the mire, washed and clean, and then went back. This is a picture of a person who was taught the truth, saved, cleansed from sin (I Cor. 6:11; Acts 22:16), and then went back to his life in sin. A living example of II Peter 2:20-22 is Simon (Acts 8:13-22). Peter witnessed that event.

Let the words from II Peter 2:20-22 stand as a warning to us. Christians can sin so as to be lost! What can saved people do to prevent this? Get our minds saturated in God’s word (II Pet. 1:12-15) and live it! Don’t listen to false teachers, those who lie to us about our souls (II Pet. 2:19), but listen to the truth of God and be faithful all of our lives (I Cor. 15:58)!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

            “Having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin” is a vivid description of false teachers (II Pet. 2:14). It reminds me of the description of the people before the Flood when “every imagination of the thoughts of (man’s) heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). To have one’s eyes “full of adultery” is a poetic way of saying these people see the perverse in everything. Purity and innocence are gone from them. Sin has perverted their minds.

            This statement, “cannot cease from sin,” doesn’t meant they physically couldn’t stop sinning. They could change if they desired (II Pet. 3:9). It means that these folks won’t stop. They have “exercised” their hearts to where they think of only the wicked, the ugly, the sinful, the impure, the dishonest, and the godless. It has become such a habit for them that it is like “second-nature.” It’s like breathing to them. Paul similarly described the Gentiles in Romans 1:18-32. Do you know people like this? Have you seen people like this in the mirror? I pray not!

            It is these people that Peter says promise folks “liberty” though “they themselves are the servants (slaves) of corruption” (II Pet. 2:19)! These people are in bondage to their sin and wickedness, and they want others to go with them down the same road! This is the nature of those in bondage to sin. They don’t want people “judging” them, but joining them! They don’t want people to instruct them in the way that is right and cannot be wrong (Rom. 1:16-17; Jn. 8:31-32). They want consequences ignored as they think about all the “freedom” and all the “fun” they are having in sin!

            As an example, this is the practice of any alcohol ad. The commercials focus on the “fun-times,” or the “sophistication,” or just quiet introspection as one thoughtfully drinks alcohol. At the end, we read the disclaimer to “Think when you drink” or a reminder to have a designated driver, or there is the fine print where a toll-free number for “A.A.” is offered. Why the disclaimers? I thought alcohol brings good times and sophistication! Why a designated driver? Doesn’t alcohol make you smart? Apparently, alcohol promises one thing (liberty) but brings something else (bondage). If you are not sure about this, ask why it is that alcohol commercials never include winos or the people whose marriages were destroyed because of alcohol. Why do we never see ads showing the people having “DT’s” when coming off of a weekend bender? “When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (Prov. 23:25). This is the mantra of the addicted person, i.e., the one who is fooled into thinking he is free when he is actually in bondage.

            Other examples of spiritual bondage abound, but the point is that a man can sin so much until it is “second-nature.” He can lie so frequently that he no longer knows what the truth is! Someone who cannot cease from sin is in slavery and needs to get out! The only One who can free us from the bondage of sin is Christ (Jn. 8:31-32, 36). He makes it possible for us to “escape the pollutions of this world (II Pet. 2:20). The question is, will we accept His cure? He sacrificed His life for all (Matt. 20:28), but not everyone accepts it (Matt. 7:13-14, Acts 17:30-34).

            What will you do? Will you continue in bondage, or will you accept freedom in Christ? When we believe on Christ (Jn. 8:32), repent of our sins (Lk. 13:3, 5), confess our faith (Rom. 10:10), and are baptized, we can be made “free from sin” (Rom. 6:17-18; Acts 22:16). The sin that was once “second-nature” we can drop and can accept true freedom in Christ! Why are you waiting?

- Jarrod M. Jacobs