1 John 1 -- "If"

One of the things that causes me to believe that the Biblical account of the life of Jesus is accurate comes from the writing of people like Peter and John, who walked with Jesus and would have known whether His resurrection happened or not.

From 1 John 1:1-3:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.


In the second part of this short chapter, we see the word "if" five times.  Reading what someone says after the word "if" is a great way to know what they believe to be true.  And since we're talking about a close associate, friend and eyewitness of Jesus, I especially want to know what he thinks.

1 John 1:6-10:

If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

2 Peter 3 -- 1000 Years is Like a Day

Jesus is coming and we don't know when....the reason He hasn't come yet is that He desires that all would come to Him.

But have no doubt -- He is coming and when He does nothing will ever be the same.  In the meantime, we are to "make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him."

2 Peter 2 -- False Teachers...Don't Be One

We are assured in this chapter that false teachers will be among us, introducing destructive heresies.  The challenge is to know when those false teachers and their destructive heresies are around.  Certainly Peter warns us so that we can be on guard against the false teaching, not following the false teachers into their "depraved conduct".  Reading the rest of the chapter, this is not a path one would want to travel.

Those who follow the evil false teachers will receive severe punishment.  There's no getting around this, and verses 13-22 are pretty uncomfortable to read.  The best defense against all this ugliness is undoubtedly found in the person of Jesus Christ.  We are safe in Him.  We are welcomed into His arms when we come with sincerity of heart.  There is no condemnation for those in who are in Christ.  For those who willingly pretend to be but are not, it apparently isn't pretty.

2 Peter 1 -- Everything We Need

Sometimes it feels like I'm so poorly equipped to live the life God calls me to.  Without Him, I am.  I can't win. In Him, I can't lose.

Verse 3: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."

The power isn't mine.  It is God's.  And yet, I tap into that power that resides inside me by putting forth effort.  I have to work and train at it.  It doesn't happen magically.

Verse 5: "For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness; knowledge;"...and the list goes on from there.

But I have to make the effort.  However, the effort I put forth comes not from my own resources but from the divine power within me through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who enables me to put forth the effort directed toward growing in godliness in the first place.

Walking through the process described in this chapter is a big deal with very tangible results.  We are assured that we will avoid being ineffective and unproductive (v. 8) as members of His family. 

Verse 10b-11: "For if you doe these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Lastly, there are plenty of people in the world who question the historical accuracy of the Bible.  It's certainly impossible to prove to someone who doesn't want to believe that the Bible is believable.  At the same time, historians have little argument that Peter was an early leader of the church.  And Peter himself was there with Jesus and was executed for his role in the spread of Christianity. 

He writes in verse 16 about how he was an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus.  If he didn't buy into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, why in the world would he waste his life building the church?  Why would he be willing to die for something he knew to be untrue?  That stance makes no sense.