a-t-t-i-t-u-D-e-s

D – Do the job right the first time

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

2 Peter 2:20

People suck.  Did I just write that out loud?  Let me rephrase, people are challenging.  Whether someone is saying something behind your back or someone refuses to do their job or someone ignores you, people seem to always disappoint.  This can be very discouraging especially if that someone professes to be a Christian.  We expect the “people of the lie” (meaning Satan’s lie) to do us wrong, but a professing Christian.  Now, that hurts.  So, we should get back at them (revenge), right?  We need to take our toys and go home, right?  We should make a veiled post on Facebook slandering them, right?  We should go to their boss and complain, right?  Wait, if we do that, what have we just done?

There is a theme that repeats almost to ignausiam in my book.  The fictional teachers keep on telling the children, “If you put your trust and faith in men, you will always be disappointed.”  I’m not trying to convey that we are all corrupt.  I’m only saying that we should only put our trust and faith in Christ.  Men are fallible.  Whether we are professing Christians or not, we all fall.  Let me repeat, we all fall and we all will disappoint.

I’ve been going through the acrostic, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E-S, along with the Biblical references for it.  Now, how does 2 Peter 2:20, “D – Do the job right the first time,” and my ranting above fit?  Let’s go through the WORD to find out.

2 Peter is a letter written by Simon Peter to the church.  As the shepherd of the church, Peter instructs the flock in this letter to promote development of Christian discipleship and faith, combat false teaching, and encourage watchfulness for the Lord’s return.  Our passage tonight speaks to false teachers and their destruction.  Let’s read from 2 Peter 2:17-22, NIV.

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 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. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

“These people” are the false teachers who are a spring without water.  This gives a sense of a weary traveler desperate and dry for a drink and finds nothing.  The traveler thirsts for the things of the Lord but these people give him boastful words and lusts of the flesh.  We all know that pleasure is fleeting and empty.  Let’s look at the Amplified Bible version of verse 19.

They promise them liberty, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity and defilement--for by whatever anyone is made inferior or worse or is overcome, to that [person or thing] he is enslaved.

Why is it that wealthy rock stars, TV stars, and movie stars seem to have miserable lives?  They have everything, fame, fortune, notoriety.  What could be wrong with them?  What about the professing Christian entertainment stars that get divorced, loose their kids, get depressed, etc.?  In that Hollywood world, they become slaves to its depravity and defilement, or from the Greek phthorá for destruction from internal corruption (deterioration, decay), rottenness, perishableness, corruption, decay, decomposition.  There is no true liberty or freedom in that.

Peter then writes that if these people have escaped this world’s pollution or corruption and then re-enter its snares (pattern of the old sinful life), these people are worse off than before they knew the way of righteousness.  In this passage, people have suggested that this shows that a genuinely saved person could loose their salvation.  However, Paul in Romans 8:28-30 clearly argues that no genuinely saved person can be lost.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Therefore, these people were never genuinely saved at all.  They were masquerading perhaps for their own ego.  A person’s salvation is between that person and God.  It’s really not our place to speculate, we need to be concerned with ourselves and our walk with God.

At the end of verse 20, Peter states that “they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.”  All the work that they have done is for naught.  It means nothing.  They have to start all over, because they never really believed in the beginning.  This is the parallel for the acrostic.  They should have believed when they first understood and not rushed into the Christian life without believing, be unprepared to understand by not believing, not giving Christ their attention, and leaving the task of believing undone.  Do it right the first time by surrendering to Jesus.

When I talked about the “Plank (Sty) in the Eye” and Matthew 7:1-5 at the start of this Blog series, Jesus instructs us to understand and deal with our own sin before we start pointing out others’ sins.  What is important is your walk with Christ not others.  There will be stumbling blocks in your way, but don’t let them stop you from the good fight of faith.  Persevere.  So even if people discourage you and you don’t want to do your best for them, not “doing it right the first time” is not good for anyone especially you and your walk with Christ.  So not only do it right the first time, do it with class, do it for Jesus.  Never let other people’s attitudes or behaviors distract you from a Christ filled life.  Do not fall into that trap!

Most importantly, if you are a masquerading Christian, do business with Jesus right now.  Admit that you are a sinner in need of a Savior; Believe in the work Christ did on the cross for you; and confess your sins and turn away from your old sinful ways by the help of Jesus.