2 Peter 3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort,as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Peter continues to refer to Paul’s letters. It is remarkable that Peter knows about these letters. Some scholars dispute the Petrine authorship of this letter. If Peter indeed wrote this, then Paul’s letters were already making an impact. These letters were written to second generation Christians, those who heard about Jesus second hand from the apostles and other eye witnesses. Paul’s letters had the important job of bringing theological unity to the church. What Peter writes agrees with Paul’s writing. This shows further unity among the church. Peter has been writing in this chapter about Jesus’ second coming. Peter devotes quite a bit of his letters to this topic. Peter recognizes that Paul’s letters are not easy to understand. They take careful study and consideration. Even by the early 60s, there is evidence that people were distorting Paul’s teaching. Second Corinthians and Galatians shows how false teachers were distorting Paul’s teaching. False teachers followed Paul to many places. Many of his letters, such as 1, 2 Timothy and Titus, give direction about how to deal with false teachers. The problem is that people were ignorant and unstable. They were not firmly grounded in the gospel but distorted the gospel for their own purposes. It is also significant that Peter calls Paul’s letters “Scripture.” This literally means writing or book, but it can take on the meaning of sacred writing. By ignoring the true meaning of Paul’s letters, people were headed for destruction. The message for us today is clear. We must study Paul’s letters and the rest of the Bible and make careful interpretation. We must know the key ideas and not distort them through ignorant or poor method.
For older posts, click here.