And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him has written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:15-18
Peter is writing to brethren whom Paul had previously written to.
He says that those who twist what Paul wrote also twist the rest of the scriptures, and that all such are heading for destruction. If you meet a person who twists the scriptures you are a meeting a person who is heading for destruction.
They are called unlearned and unstable – that is, not really interested in learning the truth, but they know some truth, and this is just enough truth to make them dangerous, as they mix truth with error, and the resultant confusion results in instability – an unstable person – someone you cannot rely on.
Why are they heading for destruction? Bcos when people twist scripture they always do it for a reason and that is to justify their sin – to justify things they know the scripture denounces as sin.
And this is what Peter refers to here as the error of the wicked, and he warns us not to be led away with this same error of twisting the scriptures, of being unbelieving, and thus falling from our steadfast position.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Ian Vincent 
August 12, 2012 at 12:00 am
Someone wrote on FB:
I replied:
……….which is all sin – pride, dogma, position, man-made traditions usurping the Holy Spirit and the rule of Christ etc…
Of course, such people don’t think they are twisting the scriptures and they also don’t think they are justifying their sin. But anyone who uses the Bible to justify themselves, their pride, and for their egotistical self-satisfaction, and to put their knowledge on show, is twisting the scriptures to justify their sin, their pride.
Sin is the cause of all scripture-twisting. A righteous person does not twist the scriptures. If he doesn’t understand anything he just leaves it at that, or asks the LORD, but he doesn’t pretend that he does or concoct an answer.
How people handle the scriptures has always been a MORAL issue and never solely an INTELLECTUAL one. Doctrinal error is always a MORAL issue springing from moral error.
“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but
his that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaks of himself seeks his own glory: but he that seeks his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.”
(John 7:16-18)
If a man’s heart is right with God and he sincerely wants to do God’s will then he will know whether Jesus doctrine is from God and he will understand. Every time the Pharisees used scripture it was to justify their sin.
August 13, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Yep.Very true!