What does 2 Peter 3:17 mean?
AUDIO What does 2 Peter 3:17 mean? Christians must sense our responsibility to continually check the content of what our teachers tell us ( Acts 17:11 ). We must compare what others say, or proclaim, against the truth of God's Word. We are responsible not to be carried away or misled by false teaching, no matter how good and reasonable it sounds on the surface ( Colossians 2:8 ). Otherwise, Peter writes, we will "lose your own stability." This phrase is also translated as "fall from your secure position," or "fall from your own steadfastness." The Greek phrase uses the word ekpesÄ“te, which literally means, "to fall," but this phrase is not indicative of salvation. The potential loss Peter has in mind is not that of eternal damnation, if we allow ourselves to be misled by false teachers. Peter, however, has written in 1 Peter 1:4–5 that a Christian's place in eternity is shielded by God's power and cannot be lost. Others suggest that...