S) "15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."
2 Peter 3:15-16 (NASB)
O) There are a few things going on with this passage. For one thing, context is showing us that Peter is again warning against false teaching. This time, he's addressing concerns about when exactly Jess will return. He advises us in the previous verse, that if we're looking forward to a reconciliation with Christ, and the new heavens and new earth, then we should be living a holy life. There is no delay with God, only His patience with humanity, for the sake of salvation (that's where we come in with thee passage above). Next, we see Peter affirming the teachings of Paul, while also warning against those who distort his teaching because it is apparently too difficult for them. This is then, both a warning about those who might deceive us (see also v.17), and a warning not to be one of the untaught and unstable. Part 2b of this, if we could call it that, is the possibility that Peter is even asserting that the letters Paul wrote are themselves Scripture. That is, that they have the same weight, status, or authority as the Old Testament, itself being God-breathed (see 2 Timothy 3:16). This last point could certainly be contested, but it is certainly a notable possibility.
A) The last observation might have the least application. It's no hill to die on. For years, I simply took it for granted that the Nee Testament was as God-breathed as the Old Testament, although the term "Scripture" used in the NT is never self-referential. Because the NT carries the authority of the apostles of Jesus, who themselves carry His authority, they are no less authoritative. This is really a semantic argument, and because of my personality, I must be careful not to be too distracted by such a thing. The much more important part, is that Peter is warning me to be holy as I wait for the return of my Lord (just as Jesus taught). He is warning me that some of the Bible is difficult to understand, and I must gain education about it (although it doesn't need to be of a formal type), and I must not be an unstable man. That term, "unstable," only appears a few places in the Bible. James warned that a man who doubts is double-minded and unstable, being tossed about by winds. That calls to mind the warning Jesus gave, that He must be my foundation, if I am to withstand the storms of life. The more I am standing firmly on Him as my foundation, the stronger my faith, the better I will understand Scripture (both OT and NT). This is really another example of the wholistic nature of my faith in Christ. It really must encompass every part of my life, of my thinking, of my practices. The more I am completely His, the more I am found in Him, the more strength and security I have.
P) Father, thank You for the Scriptures. Thank You for preserving and providing the recorded words of the prophets and apostles of Jesus. Thank You for confirming for us, Your will and words, that I may know You better. Thank You for Your Spirit, to increase my understanding of who You are, and who I am to be in Christ. Help me to be careful with Your word, God. Let me approach it humbly. Help me to not be distracted by petty arguments or debates about semantics. Let Your word feed my soul. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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