2 Peter 2:1-3
Outside a grocery store one evening, I watched two young men confronting shoppers with an erroneous statement about scriptural teaching. Anyone who seemed vague about the Christian faith was invited to learn “what God really said” at a Bible study. I was not invited. In fact, the men abandoned me quickly when I used Scripture to defend my beliefs.
False teachers want to create uncertainty in their listeners. In order to gain followers, these deceivers claim to possess knowledge that their audience lacks. The people who accept this misleading information as absolute truth will usually return to the false teacher for more. Having followers, in turn, strokes the misguided leader’s ego and provides “proof” that he’s right.
Those who have a sound doctrine won’t be led astray. That’s why it is so important for our faith to rest on biblical truth—for example, the fact that Jesus Christ died for the sins of mankind, the Holy Spirit dwells in believers, and Christians will one day be resurrected bodily. Defeating false teachers takes more than “my pastor says ... ” When confronted, we must defend our faith with Scripture that we ourselves have studied. By regularly reading and applying God’s Word, we will be better prepared to defend our beliefs when presented with untruth.
Building a sound doctrine protects believers from misleading messages and arms them to defend the faith. Do not be caught unprepared. If you haven’t already started, begin to study the Bible today. Should you need help, ask your pastor or a godly mentor for guidance.
New Testament writers warned about false teachings that sounded good but defied truth (2 Tim. 4:3; 1 John 4:1). Believers today must still heed these warnings! Ungodly leaders subtly twist truth with such conviction that unprepared Christians can be charmed by their lies. That’s why the Bible instructs us to evaluate the message of whoever desires to lead us (Matt. 7:20).
False teachers are deceptive. Verse 15 of today’s passage describes them as wolves in sheep’s clothing. They appear to want people to know the “real” truth about God, but their interpretation of Scripture may contain outright lies or a distorted mix of fact and error. Wise believers study God’s Word, so they can detect a “sheepskin” starting to slip. The wolves are further exposed by their personal lives, which won’t be consistent with righteousness (Matt. 7:16). A close study of their decisions, actions, and words will reveal that they do not follow the Lord’s will or biblical principles.
False teachers’ lives and messages are self-indulgent. Their enticing ideas appeal to their listeners’ fleshly nature. In fact, false teachers will often permit activities prohibited in Scripture. Some deceivers describe God’s grace as a license to live without restraint (Jude 1:4). Paul clearly denounces this lie, teaching that believers have died to sin and shouldn’t live in it (Rom. 6:1-2).
The body of Christ is expected to use Scripture as the standard against which to measure our leaders’ lifestyle and words. When we seek divine truth, we are given the discernment to differentiate between a holy message and a misleading one.
Sometimes it’s hard to understand God’s purposes for adversity. In the midst of a personal tragedy, the Lord’s sovereignty may seem like impractical and unrealistic theology. But the truth is, God works all things together for the believer’s good (Rom. 8:28).
David’s writings illustrate the importance of trusting that the Lord is in control, no matter how difficult the situation. Sometimes it’s easy to think of the biblical writers as perfect, almost Christlike figures. But David’s life was full of adversity, temptation, sin, and forgiveness.
When he was running for his life from King Saul, God spared him. When he yielded to temptation with Bathsheba, God spared him. When his son attempted to take David’s throne, God spared him and kept him as king.
Through all of these unfortunate circumstances, David discovered God was protecting and guiding him every step of the way—and using him for extraordinary purposes, despite his human failings. These experiences taught David to trust wholeheartedly in the Lord’s sovereignty.
For those of us in similar situations, the question is, Do we believe God is in control? If He’s not, then who is? In other words, if life events are random and without purpose, then to whom do we turn in trials?
In 1 Chronicles 29:12, David says that God rules over everything and His hand strengthens everyone. Have faith in the Lord’s ability to strengthen you with His sovereign hand. Though you may not always understand His reasons, you can surely trust His purposes.
Matthew 3:1-17
Christ began his public ministry with baptism. At the time, John the Baptist was calling people to confess their sins and demonstrate repentance through immersion in the river. So why did Jesus, the sinless One, ask to be baptized?
At first, John actually refused, knowing that Jesus Christ was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But Jesus wasn’t just demonstrating repentance; He was sacrificially identifying with sinful humankind.
As Christians, we’re called to follow His example in all things, becoming more like Him as we grow in our faith. That’s why baptism is so important in following Jesus. As He was willing to identify Himself with us, we publicly identify with Him when we are baptized, which is a symbolic way of declaring, “I have trusted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and believe that the debt of my sin is fully paid through His sacrificial death on the cross. I believe that as He rose from the dead, I will also be resurrected through Him. I look forward to walking in accordance with the Lord’s will while I’m on the earth and living with Him throughout eternity. Since He loved me enough to identify Himself with me in my sin, I will show my love for Him by following His example right now, and for the rest of my days.”
Baptism demonstrates our connection not only with the Lord but also with our spiritual brothers and sisters—past, present, and future. Joining everyone who’s walked before us in faith, we are saying that we’re members of one body, redeemed and brought to life by the same Lord.
Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples, "baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). As the early church spread the gospel message, baptism would follow a new believer’s response of faith. It publicly signified that the individual was now a follower of Jesus.
Metaphors often communicate on a level that words cannot. Baptism is a powerful picture of our salvation experience. Through this act, we proclaim the good news that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again—and testify that we’ve welcomed His transforming power into our lives.
The Greek word for "baptize" in Scripture is the same term used to describe a cloth dipped in dye—it refers to total change. So by being plunged into the water, we declare that we’re choosing to die to our old way of life and are uniting with Christ. Our sin is buried with Him, and its power is conquered through His atoning death on the cross (Rom. 6:14). When we’re raised up out of the water, we affirm His resurrection. Baptism is a symbolic way of expressing that just as the Lord conquered death and rose again, we are spiritually resurrected from death into new life. We are born again and irrevocably transformed through the power of His Holy Spirit.
In the Bible, the word believe isn’t a conceptual word describing intellectual agreement alone. It is a word of action. Our belief should never be hidden like a light placed under a basket (Luke 11:33)—when unbelieving family and friends look at our lives, they need to see the gospel in action.
