Study and remind yourself of God’s promises in His word to avoid false teaching and being entangled in the world’s corruption after escaping it. Repent and understand His word to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
Study God’s Promises and Add Character to Your Faith
God’s divine power gave everything needed for life and godliness through knowing Him. He called them to His glory and goodness through His precious promises to participate in the divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by evil desires. They made every effort to add to their faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. Having these qualities in increasing measure kept them effective and productive in their knowledge of Christ, proved their cleansing from past sins and made their calling and election sure without falling. They received a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:1-11). Study God’s promises and add character to your faith for participating in the divine nature.
Allow a Mentor to Remind You of God’s Love and His Word
Peter refreshed their memory to never forget these things after being firmly established in the truth. He was an eyewitness of Christ’s majesty when he heard God say, “This is my Son, whom I love: with Him I am well pleased.” They must pay attention to the prophets until the morning star arose in their hearts. No prophecy of Scripture came from the prophet’s will or interpretation, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Pet. 1:12-21). Allow a mentor to remind you of God’s love and His word.
Avoid False Teaching to Remind Yourself of God’s Judgment
False prophets and teachers secretly introduced destructive heresies denying the Lord who brought swift destruction upon them. False teachers disregarded truth and exploited believers with made-up stories. God sent sinning angels to hell for judgment, brought the flood upon the ungodly and burned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to make them an example. He protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with his family; and rescued Lot, a righteous man, distressed by the lawless deeds he saw and heard. God knew how to rescue godly men from trials and punish the unrighteous in the day of judgment (2 Pet. 2:1-9). Avoid false teaching to remind yourself of God’s judgment of sin in Scripture.
Reject Entanglement in World’s Corruption After Escaping It
Those with corrupt sinful natures who despised authority and slandered heavenly beings were paid back with harm. As experts in greed, they caroused in daylight filled with adultery, sinned continually and seduced the unstable. They followed the way of Balaam who loved the wages of wickedness being rebuked by a donkey that restrained the prophet’s madness. These slaves of depravity mouthed empty and boastful words, appealed to the lust of sinful human nature and enticed those who just escaped from people living in error by promising freedom. They were worse off if they became entangled again and defeated after escaping the world’s corruption by knowing Christ. It was better not to know the way of righteousness than to know and turn their backs on the sacred commandment like a dog returning to its vomit (2 Pet. 2:10-22). Reject entanglement in the world’s corruption after escaping it by knowing Christ.
Repent Before Christ Comes Back Like a Thief
Peter stimulated them to wholesome thinking through the prophets and apostles. In the last days, scoffers followed their evil desires doubting Christ’s second coming. They forgot that God’s word created the heavens and earth and He destroyed the world with water. In the future, He would destroy the heavens and earth and judged ungodly men. The Lord was patient in keeping His promise not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone come to repentance. The day of the Lord would come like a thief when the heavens disappeared with a roar, elements destroyed by fire and the earth laid bare (2 Pet. 3:1-10). Repent before Christ comes back like a thief when the earth will be destroyed.
Understand Bible Accurately to Grow in Grace and Knowledge of Christ
They should live holy and godly lives since the world would be laid bare while looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness. They should be spotless, blameless and at peace with God. The Lord’s patience meant salvation as Paul wrote. His letters contained some things hard to understand that ignorant and unstable people distorted like other Scriptures to their own destruction. Therefore, being on guard and not carried away by the error of lawless men to fall from their secure position, they were to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ for His glory (2 Pet. 3:11-18). Understand the Bible accurately so you can grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
Study God’s promises daily to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
