Beyond the Brutish

Beyond the Brutish

Words of Faith 3-12-2020

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2020

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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2 Peter 2

    Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; [11] yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. [12] But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

         So, what is so bad about a difference of opinion?  The false teachers that concerned Peter were bold and arrogant in ways that are hard to imagine. Brutish.  While the apostles and teachers of early Christianity emphasized purity and cleanliness before God, the false teachers in the church denied these standards. They demonstrated their desire to be indulging the flesh by following the corrupt "polluting and defiling" desire of the sinful nature.  Much like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, they did so in a spirit that held authority in contempt.

        This rebelliousness was not just against earthly authorities.  They were slanderous against angelic powers and the authority of the Lord Himself.   They were bold and arrogant or "self-willed.”  The arrogance led to slander, deliberately speaking untruth about celestial beings.  They may have taught that lustful indulgence is angelic and that God wills man to live under no restraints.  The false teachers were doing things even angels would not do, namely, slander such beings.

       So great was the pride of these slanderers that it knew no bounds in their attack on all who disagreed with their teachings. Even so, they were totally ignorant of the very things they blasphemed.

        The false teachers of the first century were like brute beasts. They operated from instinct, which was locked into their sin nature, rather than from rational choice. They followed their natural desires. Like animals in a jungle, their only value was in being caught and destroyed.  This harsh language from Peter is an indication of how serious he considered these heresies to be. Like beasts, they too will perish.

        We do not typically think of arrogance and boldness like this today, but it does exist.  There are those who write books and make movies that blaspheme and slander celestial beings.  There are denominations that carry debauchery into the place of worship and bless it with the highest of ecclesiastical offices. There are those who dismiss God's Word and the divinity of Christ on a regular basis through the media in name of "modern scholarship.”  Brutishness is not dead.

        What can we do?  Peter really does not offer a solution other than not to listen to such teachers and messages and draw near to Jesus in a connected walk with Him.  God will take care of the judgments.  We can focus on the Truth of Christ and the central call of the Gospel which is to carry the Good News to those who need to hear.

        God help me in the midst of a culture that fails to listen to You.  Keep my ear tuned to You and to the Word of God.  Teach me the joy of salvation that is infectious to others.  In Jesus' Name.

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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