Author: Charlie Garrett

Saturday, 1 February 2020

… then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 2 Peter 2:9

The words here tie all the way back to verse 4, For if God…then the Lord knows. Everything between the two has been an explanation of the first part. This verse now shows the contrast. God does know how to deal with all things – both sinner and saint included. A logical progression of Peter’s thoughts is –

* If God didn’t spare the angels which sinned, but rather cast them to hell and delivered them into chains as they await judgment, and

* If He didn’t spare the entire ancient world (the pre-flood world) with the exception of Noah and his family, but instead took away the breath of their lives, and

* If He didn’t spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness, but instead turned them into ashes (ashes to ashes, dust to dust we say…), condemning them to destruction for their ungodliness, but

* He spared Lot, a righteous man whose soul was tormented by the ungodliness and oppressive wickedness around him as he dwelt among them, then

* The Lord also knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and

* The Lord knows how to reserve the unjust under punishment for that great day of judgment.

With this understood, Peter’s words which begin the verse are, “then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.”

It is interesting that he began with “God,” and then says, “the Lord.” The last time the term “the Lord” was mentioned, it was clearly speaking of Christ Jesus who is said to have “bought them,” meaning that He died for their sins. This same Lord, who is God, is fully capable of doing what needs to be done for those who seek after Him, meaning “the godly.” The word signifies one who is devout.

Peter was speaking of the ungodly, those who are not devout, and the consequences for their unholy attitude and choices. However, there are those who are devout and who truly desire to pursue God. God knows this and is able to deliver them from the same temptations that those who are not godly pursue with reckless abandon. It is a note of grace in the midst of many verses which speak openly about God’s wrath against unholiness in the world in which we live.

For those who are ungodly, of them Peter says that God knows how “to reserve the unjust under punishment.” It is a present participle, meaning that they are already under the sentence and punishment. When their lives ended (such as those in the Flood of Noah and those at Sodom and Gomorrah), their punishment was just beginning, and it is ongoing at this time, even as they await “the day of judgment.”

The idea of being punished before the day of judgment may seem unfair on the surface, but these people have already been judged. Their wickedness was evident, and they died in their sins. The day of judgment is not something that is necessary for God to determine guilt or innocence, but it is rather something for all to understand God’s holiness.

Until they stand before the Source of all goodness, righteousness, and holiness, they only have themselves and their twisted sense of morality by which to evaluate their actions. But someday, all will come before God and will see what the standard of holiness is. At that time, all of the punishment they received, or will ever receive, will be realized as being wholly deserved.

Life application: A good way of looking at Peter’s words is to know that we are living in a fallen world and surrounded by moral decay and perversion – even the influence of demons. Despite this, the Lord can keep us from falling into the same pattern as those around us, just as He did for Noah and for Lot. More than that, when we mourn over the perversion of our society, we have the assurance that our faithfulness is not in vain. God will judge the unrighteous and vindicate our steadfast and heartily maintained attitude of righteousness in Christ.

You, O Lord, are a Rescuer of Your people and a Defender of the weak. You look away from the proud, but give grace to the humble. May You be with us as we walk the difficult path of righteousness in this troubled and fallen world. We look to You for guidance, and so be our Guide all the days of our lives. Amen.

Friday, 31 January 2020

(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 2 Peter 2:8

The Greek here reads, “for the righteous, dwelling among them.” It is showing a complete contrast between Lot and those he dwelt amongst. Despite dwelling among these people who were filled with perversion, he maintained his righteousness. Though chided by some, this is perfectly in line with numerous other verses which imply that there is nothing wrong with this. For example, Paul says –

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰ Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” 1 Corinthians 5:9, 10 

Jesus was said to eat with tax collectors and sinners. Noah remained a preacher of righteousness in a world full of sin. One cannot be a preacher without someone to preach to. Lot was a human who lived among humans, and he maintained his righteousness as he conducted his daily affairs.

The word used to describe his “dwelling” is found only here in Scripture, and it is rare even in secular writings. It signifies to settle down in a place. It was his home and there is no reason one would expect him to simply pull up and depart. He dwelt among them and yet maintained his character as he did. Despite this, Peter notes that the conduct of those around him “tormented his righteous soul from day to day.”

This is now the third time in just two verses that Peter calls him righteous, stressing that he was without fault despite his surroundings. When Peter says “tormented,” he uses a word which signifies torture. It was as if his soul was severely harassed and beaten as he saw the conduct of those around him. What appears to be the case is that he loved where he was, and wanted those with him to see the good, and then have them give God the glory for what they had.

One could think of someone living in a frontier town surrounded by beautiful mountains and large pastures. And yet, the people of the town brawled, drank the night away, and caroused through the streets doing the shameful things humans do. The one who maintained his righteousness would not want to move. Instead, he would want those who were misdirected to see the good, become productive people of the town, and build a better future.

Like such a person, Lot was tortured in his soul either by, or for, those around him “by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds.” The word translated as “seeing” is found only here in the Bible. It signifies “to glance.” Lot didn’t look and keep looking, as if perversely drawn to their wickedness. He simply saw it in a glance, and it tortured him. What they did was lawless, and it demonstrated the high level of their perversion. It is instinctively known – both in human minds and in nature – that there is a proper “law” or order to sexual conduct. But what they did violated those very laws of nature. The perversion took over, and they did what was unnatural.

Life application: Failings of character don’t exclude someone from being known as righteous. If they did, King David and the other noted heroes of the Bible could never be considered as such. We as well, with all of our idiosyncrasies and our propensities to foul up at the drop of a dime, could never possess the righteousness demanded by God.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” What God demands is a righteousness we simply cannot attain on our own. This is the glorious purpose of God’s “imputed righteousness.” Jesus came and fulfilled the Law on our behalf. He then went to the cross and now offers us an exchange – our sins, judged at the cross, for His righteousness. It is – without a doubt – the greatest offer in the world.

All we need is to accept it, by faith, and God is faithful and just to forgive. Thank You, O God, for the cross of Jesus!

Heavenly Father, we know our unworthy state. Without Jesus we could not stand in Your presence. But, Heavenly Father, we thank You for His perfection, given to us by grace. We thank You for the cross, and we thank You for Your perfect plan which has reconciled us to You. Amen.

Thursday, 30 January 2020

…and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked… 2 Peter 2:7

Peter went from the example of the flood to that of Sodom and Gomorrah, where he noted that it was turned into ashes and the people were condemned to destruction. This was recorded as “an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.” However, the Lord stands watch over all people, and in the case of Sodom, it says He “delivered righteous Lot.”

Lot is set in contrast to those who were condemned to destruction. Instead, he was delivered. Further, it is his conduct which brought that about. He is called here, “righteous.” It is a word Peter will use three times in verses 2:7 and 2:8 when speaking of Lot. Some scholars note this and then qualify the statement by saying that this only applied to his time in Sodom, but later when he lived in the cave with his daughters it was not so. The Bible does not make this leap, and the account of Lot’s time in the cave is recorded for a specific purpose which has less to do with Lot than it has to do with the character and hopes of his two daughters.

Despite this, while in Sodom, Peter says that Lot was “oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.” The word translated as “oppressed” gives the sense of being overwhelmed by labor or suffering. Lot must have trudged through the streets of Sodom and felt the burden of fallen humanity, seeing their conduct and mourning over it. The question in his mind was probably not unlike the question of many moral Christians today, concerning both the state of the world and the state of the church, “How could we have fallen into such a state of depravity?”

This is then highlighted by the use of the word translated as “conduct.” It signifies something that is not in the proper or acceptable order, meaning it is out of place. Thus, it is conduct which is morally lawless and at variance with the nature of God. Paul speaks of such a state in Romans 1:18-32. As noted, any moral Christian need look no further than the church itself.

There are pedophiles who fill the halls of Roman Catholicism. There are perverts in the pulpits of many major denominations. There are sexually abusive people whose shameless acts are uncovered and then applauded in church after church. If this is the state of the church, how can the world ever be brought to see their own sin and mourn over it?

Life application: It may seem strange to read the term “righteous Lot” when comparing him with other noted figures in the Bible. Even figures who were fault-filled still seem to exceed Lot in righteousness. However, making comparisons to others is a fundamental flaw of people looking for personal justification rather than that which comes from God.

In other words, if you ask a person, “Why should God accept you into heaven?” the answer quite often is, “Well, I’m a good person…I’m not like Adolph Hitler.” The fact of the matter, though, is that neither Adolph Hitler nor any other person is the subject of the question. To answer in this way is a diversion brought in to move the question away from the main point.

A more direct and appropriate question would be, “Why do you think you deserve eternal life.” The question demands a direct answer, and the answer must be precise – “I have accepted Jesus Christ. He is my Lord and Savior.” Any answer which fails to include the merit of Jesus Christ alone then fails the test of righteousness. One cannot say, “I have led a good life,” “I paid tithes to my church,” “I did this,” or “I did that.” Such answers exclude the righteousness demanded by God – that of appropriately placed faith.

The Bible says, “Abraham believed God and He credited it to him for righteousness.” Taking God at his word is the path to imputed righteousness. The often-veiled truths of the Old Testament are fulfilled, and sealed, in the New Testament. This full revelation of God tells us of the work of Jesus. Lot’s righteousness, like Abraham’s, didn’t come from works or a perfect life. If we try to find that in the telling of his life, we would be left scratching our head about God’s selection. Lot’s greatness isn’t what is important; God’s is. Lot, despite any perceived faults, received God’s imputed righteousness by faith, just as we must.

Lord God, you have made it both very difficult and yet supremely easy to be justified before You. It is so very hard to put away our personal attempts at righteousness and few truly do it. However, once we have left ourselves out of the equation, we have access to the greatest Gift of all – our Lord’s righteousness. And this, through a simple act of faith. Thank You for Jesus! Amen.

Wednesday, 29 January 2020

…and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 2 Peter 2:6

Peter now moves from the consequences of the Flood of Noah to another great time of God’s wrath and judgment being poured out on the wicked, that of Sodom and Gomorrah. In this, he begins with “and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes.” This continues the thought first presented in verse 2:4. Peter says, “For if God did not spare…”

He is showing that God is consistent in judgment, not sparing the angels who sinned, and then not sparing the ancient world which was filled with wickedness. Now he will speak of not sparing a city filled with perversion.

The world was destroyed by flood, but the wickedness of man continued on. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is noted as that of sexual immorality. More specifically, however, the account looks to the perverse and unnatural sin of homosexuality. The people of the town were deviants who purposed to violently rape the guests who had come under the roof of Lot.

It is assumed by some scholars that Ham, the son of Noah, committed a perverse homosexual act on his own father. The reason for this is that the word used there, and translated as “saw,” is also used in Leviticus 20:17 concerning seeing the nakedness of a close family member, but implying a sexual encounter with that person. Whether this is the case or not, it is something that carried on in the post-flood world, and which became so rampant in the area of Sodom that the Lord determined to destroy the city.

When the city of Sodom came against Lot and his guests, the final decision for destruction was made. The Lord made a way for Lot and his family to escape the destruction, and then it came, reducing the city to ashes. In this, He “condemned them to destruction.” The word Peter uses is katastrophé. One can see the source of our modern word catastrophe. In the New Testament, it was used by Paul in 2 Timothy 2:14, and then it is used here. However, it is also used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:29.

In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God was “making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.” It has become fashionable for homosexuals in the modern church to claim that God “is doing a new thing,” and that He has accepted their perverse lifestyle. However, they do not speak for God. He has spoken and His word is set. It is a reflection of His own eternal and unchanging nature.

The destruction of Sodom will be played out, once again, on a world scale as the world is destroyed by fire. Peter will explain that in Chapter 3. Until then, he will continue with his words concerning the false teachers and the consequences which will come upon them because of their unholiness.

The examples of the past have been given, and the warning that those examples set is there for all to see, even into the future. For such perverse people, they will eventually meet with their appointed, time and the reward for their actions will finally be meted out upon them. Though it may seem to tarry, the Lord’s judgment will come.

Life application: Sodom and Gomorrah stand as one of the premier examples of judgment in the Bible, mentioned more often than the Flood of Noah. Maybe this is because the sins of Sodom are specifically addressed, whereas the Bible only mentions that the “wickedness of man was great upon the earth” at the time of Noah.

Comparisons to Sodom are made almost 20 times elsewhere in the Old Testament and about 10 times in the New. To this day, a term for a specific type of perversion derives its name from Sodom – a perversion which is condemned as unnatural, unhealthy, and worthy of destruction. Because of this immorality and aberrant behavior, God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah – leveling them to ashes.

The prophet Jeremiah speaks in the same manner as Peter concerning the false prophets of his time –

“Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem:
They commit adultery and walk in lies;
They also strengthen the hands of evildoers,
So that no one turns back from his wickedness.
All of them are like Sodom to Me,
And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.” Jeremiah 23:14

The leaders and prophets steered the people away from God and towards their own twisted paths. Eventually, the people of Israel were conquered and exiled.

The same occurred again in Jesus’ time. In fact, Jesus said that Sodom and Gomorrah’s judgment wouldn’t be as severe as for those who rejected His offer of peace. Let us accept Jesus’ words, His ministry, and His work – accomplished on our behalf. Otherwise, a terrible fate awaits us too.

Surely You, O God, cannot tolerate sin. Because of our sins, we cannot stand before You. So, Lord, cover us with Jesus’ righteousness and grant us His protection from the storm of judgment which will again surely cover the earth. Purify our hearts and help us to live – from this day forward – lives that are holy and pleasing to You. Amen.

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

…and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; 2 Peter 2:5

Peter now turns to a second example of God’s punishment upon the wicked, speaking of it as a completely separate event than that of the previous verse. In this, he says, “and did not spare the ancient world.” This is speaking of the world at the time from Adam to the Flood of Noah. At that time, the world was in a completely different state than it is in today. That ancient world, as is learned in Genesis 6, had become completely wicked. There was no longer a remedy for the masses, and so the Lord took action –

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:5-8

As it says in Genesis, and as Peter confirms, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord,” and so God “saved Noah, one of eight people.” The word “saved” is not a good translation. The word is phulassó, and it signifies to be kept or spared. Someone is saved out of a disaster. Noah was spared from a disaster, having been kept safe by the Lord before it occurred. He was told to build an ark, and when the ark was built, the Lord shut the door. Thus, he was “preserved,” or “spared.”

The eight were Noah and his wife, and his three sons and their wives. But the highlight is on Noah because he was “a preacher of righteousness.” The word used by Peter signifies a herald, which is exactly what a preacher should do. They are to call out as a town-crier words of righteousness.

The amazing thing to consider is that Noah was such a herald, calling out for righteousness, and yet nobody was taken aboard the ship with him. None were found faithful enough to simply admit his defilement and asked to be kept from the judgment which Noah surely proclaimed was coming. But the use of the number eight is a beacon of hope all by itself. In the Bible, the number is consistently used to signify “new beginnings.”

Through this single family, a new world would appear. However, in order for this to occur, there must be judgment upon those left behind. And so, Peter ends with the fact that though Noah was spared, God was also “bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.” While Noah was spared, those who failed to heed were swept away. The entire earth, everything that had the breath of life, was brought to an end.

It must be considered here that the verse speaks of “the ancient world” as a separate event than the previous verse which spoke of the “angels who sinned.” The two are separate events. To tie them both together into one account in order to justify that Genesis 6 is speaking of angels sleeping with human women is untenable. The implication is that those angels fell before the establishment of the ancient world where man would dwell. And this is exactly what is seen in Genesis 3. The serpent, elsewhere noted as “Satan” and the “devil,” was already a fallen being. This verse in 2 Peter does not support the angel/human hybrid theory. Rather, it fully speaks against it.

Peter’s words of this verse are given to clearly show that God’s judgment can be expected. If He destroyed the entire world once, there is no reason at all to think that He will somehow tolerate our own unrighteous conduct, and rejection of the gospel which came at the high cost of Calvary’s cross.

Life application: As has been demonstrated several times in the New Testament – including by Jesus’ own words – the Flood of Noah is taken as a literal truth by Peter which we can rely on. It is not a myth which was invented to project a moral lesson. In fact, the entire flood account is considered trustworthy, not only that it occurred, but that there was a real ark, a real man named Noah, and seven people with him.

Nothing anywhere in Scripture or in the geologic record demonstrates that this was a myth. Rather, the evidence for a flood is found throughout the world –in the legends of every major people-group on earth, within the geologic record, within the mitochondrial DNA of humans, and even in the alphabet of the Chinese people – an alphabet which reaches back to antiquity, even to the time of Babel itself.

We have every reason to be sure that God’s judgment occurred exactly as Peter proclaims, and that his previous and coming analysis on the judgment of those who falsely portray the gospel will also be judged. Peter says that despite the righteous preaching of Noah, the people of the world rejected his words. Because of this, there was no remedy, and God destroyed the world of unrighteousness.

Likewise, man is again setting himself up for destruction. The world of today has a testimony far superior to that of Noah – the gift of God’s own Son. Despite this ultimate demonstration of love, the world is rejecting God’s offer and is ripe for His wrath.

O God, may our hearts break for the lost souls of the world. May Your glorious gospel go forth and snatch precious souls from the sure destruction to come. Use us, O God, use us as instruments of Your righteousness and for the sake of Your gospel of peace. May the nations be glad when they hear the good news of Jesus. Amen.