Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter. Show all posts

Monday, February 17, 2014

“Paul was wrong about a lot of things so we don’t have to go by what he said.”

No


Peter, the one chosen by Jesus to be the lead apostle had this to say about Paul’s writings:
Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 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. 2 Peter 3;16,17

Peter calls Paul “our dear brother”, said that Paul wrote “with the wisdom that God gave him”.  He refers to Paul’s writings as “Scriptures,” saying that those who distort them are “ignorant and unstable people” who are headed for destruction by doing so.

Some protest that Peter’s “opinion” isn’t a good example because he was “always saying the wrong thing.”  The Bible is unique in not hiding people’s miss-steps, even sins.  However, none of the inappropriate things that Peter said (Matthew 16;22,23; 17:4) were for our instruction but only his reactions to the utterly new things he heard and saw. Even if Peter had instructed the wrong thing, that would give us no reason to doubt Paul.

Of course, Jesus is the better witness:

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. Acts 9:15

Jesus sought Saul of Tarsus/Paul out and appeared to him personally to call him to be his follower.  Jesus chose Paul to proclaim his name to us so we pick and choose what we observe of Paul’s teachings* at peril of rejecting Jesus’ commands.

*Perhaps a few things are only for their culture but probably not as many as people think—and everyone seems to have differing opinions on this.


Wednesday, September 1, 2010

“You’ve got to yell at the devil!”

“You’ve got to yell at the devil to let him know you’re mad so he’ll know you mean it!”

No. Man’s anger doesn’t serve God. (James 1:20) It’s the authority and name of Jesus that cast out the devil. Jesus “drove out the spirits with a word” (Matthew 8:16) Nothing fancy or loud, most likely “Out”. Some demons though, Jesus said, need extra prayer for a person to drive them out—not extra noise or anger. (Mark 9:28, 29) Simply “resist the devil and he will flee.”

Perhaps more importantly are some little known scriptures that emphasize our need to respect celestial beings—even the devil.

Jude said, “In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand…” Jude vs 8-10

Peter said, “Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand.” 2 Peter 2:10, 11

So, it’s not a good idea to teach children cute songs that mock the devil such as the one saying, he “can sit on a tack.”