A Dog and Its Vomit

2 Peter 2:19-22 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.  (20)  If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  (21)  It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.  (22)  Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

Peter now expresses his concern about the danger of following these false teachers. He says that those who follow them are actually "worse off at the end than they were at the beginning". In other words, it is better for a person to have never known a thing in the world about Jesus than to hear some truth, hold to it, and later reject it. Greater revelation has a greater accountability. The more one knows the more God holds them accountable for.

Peter goes on to say that "it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them". Some see this passage as describing a man who has lost his salvation and there is no doubt that we all know plenty of people who appear to have done just that. However, I'm not convinced that they were ever saved to begin with.

Peter then describes them as a dogs who have returned to its own vomit and pigs who returned to the mire. So is the man who hears, tastes and sees the good things of God and turns right back into his sin.

A Compelling Reminder

Peter says in 2 Peter 1:12, So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.

 

In lieu of the choice that we have in what manner we are going to enter Heaven, Peter feels compelled to remind his readers. We all need gentile reminders of how the choices we make in this life will affect us not only in this one but also the next.

There's much truth in saying that every man is the architect of his own fate. Your choices affect your destiny. Out of a rough block of stone one man may make a beautiful statue, and another, gravel. Both products are good and useful under certain conditions. But a statue can be immoral in conception, and gravel can be the grudging and punitive work of a criminal condemned to a rock pile.

The point is, whether you are a gifted artist or a competent gravel maker, you can choose whether to use your abilities worthily or unworthily. In building a Christian life you also have the same choice.

New Chapel Message

Just posted a new chapel message under the Audio Topical Studies called. "How to Hear God".

Patience is Still a Virtue

The story was once told of a woman driver whose car stalled in traffic and she was unable to get it restarted. The fellow who was behind her, and thus unable to move, thought it necessary to constantly show his impatience by honking his horn every few seconds. Finally, the woman walked back to his car and said, "If you will go try to start my car, I'll stay here and honk your horn for you."

In the Image of God

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;

People are created in the image of God. That fact gives our students worth, value, and dignity. It is important that our theology of human beings filters into our teaching ministry. We must see each and every student as a distinct individual worthy of respect. Great teachers see students in this way. Great teachers come to understand that ministry goes beyond just passing on information or stimulating thought. Great teachers give their students the respect due a fellow human being. And students detect it and are changed by it.

Richards, Lawrence O.; Bredfeldt, Gary J. (1998-03-01). Creative Bible Teaching (Kindle Locations 4038-4042). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.