And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our dear brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of these things in all his letters. Some things in these letters are hard to understand, things the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard that you do not get led astray by the error of these unprincipled men and fall from your firm grasp on the truth.
2 Peter 3:15-17 NET
Peter confirms in this passage what many of us have discovered for ourselves. Paul can be hard to understand. But he also affirms something that many reject, to their own hurt. Paul spoke with the wisdom of God. He was not making stuff up, nor was his teaching at odds with what Jesus taught. Their words came from the same source. And Peter, who sometimes was at odds with Paul, acknowledged that Paul’s writings were Scripture.
What do you do with Scripture that is, like Paul’s writings, hard to understand? Unfortunately, many just ignore it. But others study it and seek understanding. While not everyone who earnestly studies the Scriptures will come to the same understanding, we can trust that the Spirit will not lead us into error.
Some, however, twist the Scriptures to make them say what they want. And, Peter says, they do this to their own destruction. And that would apply to those who follow their twisted teachings as well.
So, Peter warns us about false teachers. Be on your guard against those unprincipled men who are proclaiming a different gospel. Don’t let them lead you astray from the truth.
How do you keep from being led astray? Don’t just accept what others tell you, regardless of who it is. Be like the Berean believers who examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul told them was true (Acts 17:11). And, as you do, seek the leading of the Holy Spirit, who will never lead you astray (John 14:26; 16:13). Hold onto what is true, and turn away from what some falsely claim to be knowledge (1 Tim. 6:20-21).
