The Truth That Makes Us One: 2 Peter 1:16—2:2, 15-19 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Saddleback
Church was founded in the early 1980’s by Rick Warren, whose books
Purpose-Driven Church and Purpose-Driven Life have sold tens of millions of
copies worldwide.
The
consensus was that Saddleback had violated biblical authority and “had no right to remain in the Southern Baptist
Convention.”
As
the spouse of an ordained female minister, I take issue with the denomination’s
argument of biblical authority, given that the women at the tomb were the first
apostles, sent by Jesus, to proclaim the news of his resurrection. I know the
Apostle Paul argued otherwise, but this is one of many controversies we know
existed in the early church. Other controversies included requiring
circumcision of male Gentile converts and prohibitions against eating food someone
else sacrificed to idols. Like it or not, there will be disagreements in the church
over “what the bible teaches” until the day of Jesus’s return.
In
the decades that the American church has been in decline, I fear we have accelerated
that decline by our how we deal with out conflicts: not with love or listening,
but with spite and finger pointing. We flat out refuse to be in fellowship with
those who do not agree with us. Then we create smaller, weaker bodies which
agree on certain principles for now—until another controversy
comes along which will break that body apart all the same.
We
all want to be on the side of the truth. We want to believe the right things
and do the right things. But as sinners, we will never be right about
everything, and we are easily led astray by our selfishness and pride.
Early
Christians were especially easy prey for false teachers because they didn’t own
bibles. The Nicene Creed wasn’t established until the year 325. The New
Testament we have today wasn’t established until the year 397. First-person
testimonies and letters, like the New Testament Epistles, were all that the
Christians had to keep them in the truth. With so many charismatic teachers and
compelling teachings about Jesus coming from all directions, God’s people were
anxious to know the truth. And with persecutions breaking out against
Christians, nobody wanted to die for a lie.
Here
in America, Christians are not persecuted. Bibles are cheap and plentiful. Here
in the Kiski Valley, churches outnumber dollar stores (for now). Thanks to
television, the book publishing industry, and the internet, you have access to
millions of voices who claim to speak for Christ. Sadly, not all of them do.
Do
you know which false teachers are most likely to deceive you? I’ll give you a
hint: it’s not the ones you’ve already judged to be false!
Peter
writes it in the final verse of today’s reading: “people are slaves of whatever
controls them.” In other words, you are most vulnerable to those false teachers
who tell you exactly what you want to hear.
They
promise you wealth and prosperity if you send them money. They prey upon your
fears and insecurities about a chaotic world so that you’ll buy their books.
They march you to the front lines of the culture wars and lead you in battle against
the God’s enemies. They proclaim themselves to be the exclusive arbiter of
truth—and paint a picture of God being more vindictive than they are.
If
anyone tells you that you’re right and “those people” wrong, or that God will
give you everything your heart desires if you have enough faith, if they tell
you that only a small few will be saved, be suspicious. To be a Christian is
not all about you. Jesus gave his disciples three things: a cross, a
commandment, and a promise.
Jesus
said, “if you wish to become my follower you must deny yourself, take up your
cross, and follow me.” You cannot live as a new creation unless you die to your
old self. The truth cannot set you free before it breaks your hard heart and
shatters your illusions and delusions. Far from telling you what you want to
hear, God’s Word reveals the evil thoughts and desires that hide within your
heart and harm you commit against the neighbor and God’s creation. God’s Word
challenges you and pushes you out of your comfort zone. It makes you the person
God created you to be.
Jesus
said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love
for one another” (John 13:35). In other words, believing the right
things isn’t as important as doing the right things. Putting your faith
into action. If you are not walking in love, you are not walking in truth.
Finally,
God’s Word has nothing to do with you getting what you want, but receiving
what God wants for you: God’s Kingdom and its righteousness. Your life’s
greatest treasures are not the things you buy or achieve but the blessings you
give and the gifts you receive. No matter what happens, Jesus has promised
never to leave you or forsake you.
If
I or anyone else claims to be in the truth, it’s not because of our wisdom,
intelligence, or right choices. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us and keeps us
in truth.
Our
belonging to each other has less to do with what we believe than it does with who
we belong to; whose blood sets us free to be people of God. whose resurrection
gives us hope in this world so full of death, who leads us in the way of love.
These
are the truths that make us one.
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| Mildred B. Cooper Chapel interior By EEJCC - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133034024 |
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