“as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (v16)
Have you ever been talking with folks about a topic when you suddenly realize you’re in WAY over your head? The conversation suddenly headed into the deep end of the pool. You have absolutely no clue about what’s going on. Do you knowingly nod and pretend to understand? Or do you come clean and ask, “What in the wide world of sports are you all talking about?” Well, the Apostle Peter tells the world that some of the stuff that his old pal Paul has written is hard to wrap his brain around.
Pete loves his old buddy Paul but admits that sometimes he just doesn’t understand what he’s talking about. By the time the former fisherman wrote his sequel, Paul had gone home to the Lord. He says that the letters from his friend can be “hard to understand” (v16). This is the Greek word dusnoetos. It’s a compound term that literally means “hard thinking.” Some of the stuff that comes from Paul’s pen makes Pete’s head hurt. But let’s be clear, Peter doesn’t say he simply blows it off and doesn’t try to figure it out. It’s “hard to understand” but not impossible. Just because you can’t figure out what a certain verse or passage means doesn’t mean you should simply shrug your shoulders and ignore it. Dig deeper. Be a Berean. New believers in the town of Berea heard Paul teach in person. They took what the apostle said in his sermons “with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Don’t just punt. Be a Berean.
Even Paul apparently knew that his discussions of the Gospel could get a little thick. He asked his friends in Colossae to pray that he “may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Col 4:4). A couple of great reminders here for us. We should all do whatever we can to make the Good News of Jesus clear. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t use big theological words or ideas. We simply need to explain them. We also need to remember that while God handpicks human authors like Peter and Paul, the Holy Spirit is the one really writing every word of Scripture. The Spirit inspires every bit of your Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Some will say that’s everything from Table of Contents to Maps. Not sure I would go THAT far!
Pete makes it clear that he certainly sees what Paul writes as Scripture. He may have had his issues with the former Pharisee, including a nasty but necessary confrontation back in Antioch (Gal 2:11-14), but Pete admits that God has used his old friend as a human author of His Word. Remember, what we know as the New Testament hasn’t been assemble yet as Pete writes. It’s around 67-68 AD. When the apostle refers to “the other Scriptures” (v16), he’s talking about the Old Testament. That’s the Hebrew Bible or as the Jews still call it, the Torah or Tanakh.
When folks like Pete and Paul taught, these were the Scriptures they used. They opened the scrolls of the OT and proved that Jesus is the Hero of the entire story. Jesus Himself said so before His crucifixion (Jn 5:39, 46) and after His resurrection (Lk 24:27). While the OT has some incredible stories about some amazing people, the coming Christ is the point of the ancient pages. And now Peter pulls no punches by letting us know that God has used Paul just as he did heavy hitters like Moses, David, Solomon, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Paul wrote a huge chunk of the NT. His fingerprints are on thirteen books. How would you like to have THAT on your resume!
Just because you can’t wrap your head around particular passages, don’t let some spiritual huckster use scriptural smoke and mirrors to fool you. Remember that Jesus is the Hero of the Bible. Don’t forget that the core of the Gospel is trusting in who He is and what He’s done. There are folks out there that intentionally misuse and mangle God’s Word. Pete tells us not to fall victim to their biblical hocus pocus. God will handle them. These snake oil salesmen are headed “to their own destruction” (v16). Just because we can’t wrap our brain around something doesn’t mean it’s not true. Be transparent. Don't be afraid to let folks know when you don't have a clue what you're reading in Scripture. Do what Pete does and admit what you don’t know. Let that motivate you discover more about Jesus and dive deeper into Gospel.
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