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Showing posts from March, 2025

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...

What does 2 Peter 3:16 mean?

AUDIO What does 2 Peter 3:16 mean? This leaves us in a tough spot: how should we handle difficult-to-understand passages? Peter doesn't answer that question directly. However, the implication is that we should not use an obscure or difficult passage to contradict the clear teaching of other Scriptures. Reasonable and honest Christians may disagree quite strongly over the meaning of some things in the Bible. However, we cross a dangerous line when we distort the meaning of any passage to try to support our position on some theological argument. The bottom line is that all of us must handle God's Word with respect, honesty, and a healthy dose of fear about getting it wrong—even when it's hard to understand.     https://www.bibleref.com/2-Peter/3/2-Peter-3-16.html  

What does Matthew 18:20 mean?

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What does Matthew 18:20 mean?   This is another one of Scripture's more famous and often-quoted statements. This simple promise from Jesus to His disciples follows a teaching about what God the Father would do for them when two or three of them agreed in prayer about a specific subject ( Matthew 18:15–19 ).     Now Jesus adds the reason the Father will do what these two or three disciples of Jesus ask. The key is not their personal power or merit. It is because when two or three of them gather in the name of Jesus, Jesus is there with them. This is a promis e for the days to come after Jesus returns to heaven. It is an assurance that He will, in some way, be present among them. It also explains why God the Father will grant these requests made by the disciples. It will be because Jesus is omnipresent—existing in all places—and therefore with them.     This must have been comforting to Jesus' disciples as they thought about carrying out these heavy responsibi...