2 Peter 2:20 - We Must Keep Focused On Jesus Or Sin Will Certainly Ensnare Us.
2 Peter 2:20 (NIV) 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.
INTRODUCTION
Some point to this passage as clear proof
that a genuinely saved person may lose his
salvation. He knows the Lord; he escapes the world's
corruption; he knows the way of righteousness. Then he
turns away from the message and goes back to his
old way of life. His knowledge is said to have
been genuine; his change of life was real; and
his return to his old way of life was not
superficial. Others insist that the knowledge of the Lord
and of the way of righteousness could not have
been genuine. If the person had been truly
regenerated, he would have persevered in his faith. It is
argued that the teaching of Jn 10:27-30 (especially
v. 28) and Ro 8:28-39 makes it clear that no
genuinely saved person can be lost. Thus, according to
this view, the persons described here could not
have been genuinely saved. [NIV SB]
A similar situation is found in Mat.
12:43-45 were the garnished house represents the
self-righteous soul. Satan is driven out by Christ. But he
returned, in the hope of finding entrance. He finds
the house empty, swept, and garnished. Only
self-righteousness is abiding there Self-righteousness is a
curse, a human embellishment, which Satan uses for
his glory. Those who garnish the soul with
self-praise and flattery prepare the way for the seven
other spirits more wicked than the first. In their
very reception of the truth these souls deceive
themselves. They are building upon a foundation of
self-righteousness. 5BC1093
It is not enough to be emptied of evil; we
must then be filled with the power of the Holy
Spirit to accomplish God's new purpose in our
lives. [Life Application SB]
Like a person sinking in quicksand who
refuses to grab the rope thrown to him or her, the
one who turns away from Christ casts aside his
or her only means of escape. [Life Application
SB]
How dreadful is the state here described!
Yet though such a case is deplorable, it is not
utterly hopeless; the leper may be made clean, and
even the dead may be raised. Is thy backsliding a
grief to thee? Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou
shalt be saved. [Matthew Henry Commentary]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Worse Than Before
When were sharing the gospel with our
friends and family, we must always remember to pray,
because a spiritual battle is raging.
Once Satan has taken hold of a life, he
does not want to let go. So when he sees people
making advances toward Jesus Christ, he will do
everything in his power to stop them. And hes always
on duty.
The Bible warns, Stay alert! Watch out
for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls
around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to
devour (1 Peter 5:8 NLT).
In the parable of the sower, Jesus
described the seed of Gods Word being scattered on
the ground, which represented human hearts. He
said, The seed that fell on the footpath
represents those who hear the message, only to have
Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on
the rocky soil represents those who hear the
message and immediately receive it with joy. But
since they dont have deep roots, they dont
last long (Mark 4:15-17 NLT).
Sometimes people say they have become
Christians, but in a month or two, they return to their
old ways. They claim they tried
Christianity but it didnt work for them.
No, they never really found Christ.
Because if they really knew Him, they wouldnt go
back to their former way of life. They went
through the motions, but Christ never really became
part of their lives.
It just may be that many of the people
who claim to have been converted never have been
converted at all. And often they end up worse than
they were before.
Jesus said, When a strong man is fully
armed and guards his palace, his possessions are
safe - until someone even stronger attacks and
overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries
off his belongings (Luke 11:21-22 NLT).
The strong man Jesus was speaking of is
Satan. He gets a foothold in a persons life, and
he wants to guard his investment. And all the
religion and rituals in the world wont drive out a
demon power.
There is only one hope, and that is when
someone even stronger comes in, according to
Lukes Gospel. That Someone, of course, is Jesus
Christ. We need His help.
When people make a few moral changes,
they start to feel better about themselves. They
begin to trust in their own morality and the
changes theyve made. And in their smugness, they
dont think they need God. In essence, the devil
has them right where he wants them. And in the
end, he has a firmer foothold in their lives than
he originally had.
The Bible says, And when people escape
from the wickedness of the world by knowing our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled
up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse
off than before (2 Peter 2:20 NLT).
We must have Jesus Christ take residence
in our hearts and lives, changing us from the
inside out. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Prodigal or Pig?
My granddaughters have a pet pig, and
they named him Sunday. He sounds like a pig, he
looks like a pig, and if he were given the choice,
he would like to be back in the mud like a pig.
Thats because a pig is a pig.
Jesus told a story in the gospel of Luke
about a son who ran away from his father, went to
a far country, and made a mess out of his
life. But then he came to his senses and returned
home, and his father welcomed him and forgave him.
We call him the prodigal son. And a prodigal
always will come back home to the Father.
So, are you a prodigal son or daughter,
or are you a pig? I dont mean that as an
insult. You decide which one you will be.
The Bible tells us, It would be better
if they had never known the way to
righteousness than to know it and then reject the command
they were given to live a holy life. They prove
the truth of this proverb: A dog returns to
its vomit. And another says, A washed pig
returns to the mud (2 Peter 2:21-22 NLT).
When people make professions of faith and
then fall away, the question is not whether they
lost their salvation. The question is this: Were
they Christians to begin with?
You know whether youre a believer by
where you end up. If you end up returning to your
commitment to Christ, it shows that youre merely a
prodigal. If youre a prodigal, then you will want
to come back to God.
But if youre a pig, then you will go
back to the way you were living before because
you never believed.
You see, not everyone wants to change.
God offers us forgiveness, but we have to be
willing to do our part. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Matthew 12:43-45 - Lasting Change.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230919-1056.html
Proverbs 26:11 (NKJV) As a dog returns to
his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.
[devotional pending]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
