Dear Faith Family,
Over the last several Sundays, through our time in Peter's second letter, we've talked a lot about false stories and teachers and the destructive and successful schools of thought which slyly slip into our lives even as we follow Jesus. Their destructiveness is subtle, for these have the appearance of what we are after--freedom--but in daily living, they keep us entangled in a cycle of fruitless, ineffective, and misery-ridden faith. Their deceptiveness is successful, for they offer reasonable models of how life works and how life with God plays out. But, as Peter and Proverbs 16:25 encourage us, we better take a closer look at these word-sculpted forgeries.
"There’s a way that looks harmless enough, reasonable enough;
look again—it is the ways of death."
While Peter's proverbial charge has hit home for us, the question remains, how do we root out these forgeries of the way?
Peter's answer throughout the letter is that the way you detect a fake is by an intimate and increasing familiarity with the original.
It's sort of like detecting art imposters. While it is helpful to know how the imitators work, their techniques, tendencies, and the like, the best way to uncover a forgery is by comparison to the true work of art.
It's the same with these obstacles of fruitful, effective, and joyous faith. The more familiar we become with Jesus, the easier it is to spot a forgery, seeing past the similarities and noticing the (often subtle) differences.
Peter knows we are sure to encounter forgeries in the stories within our culture and teachers within our family of faith; we can't escape the proliferation of these counterfeit models (2:1-3). But we are escaping the corrupted cycles of life and faith, which keep us trapped (1:4).
Peter doesn't want us to be "carried away with the error" of these fraudulent ways. And so he concludes his letter reminding us that the way to detect a fake is by intimate and increasing familiarity with the original,
"...beloved, knowing [the inevitability of forgeries] beforehand...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master and Savior Jesus Christ."
So, let's heed Peter's proverbial exhortation to take another look at the seemingly reasonable ways of life, even life with Jesus, being espoused around us. But, let's also be sure to spend even more time looking at Jesus, getting to know his life, teachings, promises, and power. Maybe consider starting here this week.
Love you, faith family! God bless.