II Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
The Truth
Is it just me, or are you amazed at how many good people are misled? It’s amazing how much falsehood is out there and how many good people fall for it. Of course, we are confronted with falsehood on a daily basis; it’s everywhere. How do we combat falsehood and have the strength to be steadfast in what we know?
II Peter 3:17 says, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” Peter is warning believers about being led away from their steadfastness of mind. He instead wants them to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
The more truth you know the more easily you can recognize falsehood. Let me give you three keys to help you to be steadfast in the truth. The first key is that the Bible is our authority. If truth helps you recognize falsehood, then from whence do you get the truth? The answer is, “The Bible.”
Secondly, we grow spiritually by thinking on the Bible. II Peter 3:1 says, “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and by the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.”
What you know won’t help if you won’t remember what you know. It is one thing to know something; it is something again to actually live in light of it. Knowing the truth does me no good if I’m not using or exercising it. Whatever you exercise will grow. Am I exercising my ways or God’s Word?
Lastly, the only Scripture that helps us is that part to which we submit ourselves. Verse 16 talks about “unlearned and unstable” people who misuse the Scriptures to “their own destruction.” The Bible only helps me if I am obeying it. The Bible is not magical; it is supernatural. It works, but it works as I read it, remember it, and submit to it, thereby growing in my faith.