Commercials fascinate me in so many ways. They have somewhere between 15 and 60 seconds to tell you,

a. There’s a problem.

b. There’s a solution to your problem.

c. This is the answer.

It doesn’t take a prophet to recognize there is a lot of division in our country and our world. And it’s not just varying ways of seeing things - it’s not matters of perspective. It seems that we used to argue over the “why’s” of world history - Why did this or that happen. Now though it seem we argue over the “what” of history. We argue over what is real and what isn’t. We must be smart consumers of media of all kinds, because there is a lot of misinformation out there.

Sadly the same has become true in terms of Christianity in our country. According to Pew Research Center in the 1990’s 90% of Americans said they identified as Christian. Today that number has dropped to 63% of Americans identifying as Christian.

At the same time biblical literacy is hitting an all time low. In 2021 according to the American Bible Society about 50% of Americans said they read something from the Bible 3 to 4 times per year. That percentage had remained the same since about 2011. However in 2022 that number dropped to 39%, 11 points, the steepest decline on record.

The number of Christians who have actually read their entire Bible is less than 10%. That’s of Christians. So when we speak of having a post-Christian culture can there be a question as to why? As church attendance continues to drop so will biblical literacy and one could even claim our understanding of literature. Literature professors will tell you if you are not at least familiar with the stories of the Bible you will miss out on much of the intricacies of the story line they are writing about. There is nothing that promotes reading your Bible as much as being around others who are reading their Bibles.

I want to encourage you to be biblically literate. Why?

As Christians we profess to believe the Bible.

We ought to know what it is that we say we believe.

Lifting Scripture out of context leads to wild conclusions

Our media is full of quotes from the Bible and of Jesus. But is that really what is said? Too often we don’t know, and even worse we don’t go look.

3. Biblical literacy will increase your faith.

So many religions have heroes that never fail, never make mistakes, never lack in faith. Not so of our Scriptures. If ever there was a book of failures, people who made blunders, etc. they are the heroes of our faith. Moses, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob.

4. Biblical literacy will help you identify the false teachers.

It is interesting to note that in the Gospel story, when you look at the temptations of Jesus by Satan, every one of them came directly from Scripture. And every one of Jesus’ answers came directly from Scripture.

Beware of Imitations

Peter began this section or as we have, this chapter with the word “But...”

Whenever you see the word “but”, remember what follows will be in contradiction to what came before. What was Peter just talking about in this letter? He’s been talking to the recipients about their election, that they were chosen by God for salvation. He’s been talking about the prophetic word of Jesus, and as Steve shared with you all so well a couple weeks ago, Christ’s glory. Imagine what it would have been like to have been there at the transfiguration. Christ’s glory was on display.

2 Peter 2:1 ESV

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Now here’s the things about these false prophets and false teachers, they make promises they cannot fulfill. And we have to examine their claims as to whether they are true or not. Yet in order to examine their claims we have to have an objective standard of truth.

Objective vs. Subjective

As we do this we need to know what the difference between objective and subjective is:

Objective - think object

Subjective - think subject

An object is something physical, tangible, present. You can see, hear, touch, taste or smell it. A Subject is a category, they can be broad categories and can be based upon opinion, and feelings.

So where do we go to for an objective truth? Jesus says,

John 14:6 (ESV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I hear all the time, there are multiple truths. Really?

In our culture where multiple religions clamor for attention and to be called the truth, we need to consider what is the truth? We need to honestly examine and test the Spirits to see what is true. And our own Scriptures tell us to:

1 John 4:1 ESV

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We’re invited to actually weigh our own Scriptures and test them for truth. Yet that truth cannot simply be what ever tickles our fancy. Peter warns us:

2 Peter 2:18 ESV

For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.

and

2 Peter 2:19 ESV

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

Church, we profess to believe God’s Word. I want you to be in the Word. We have opportunities in our weekly Bible Study which meets on Monday nights, and I encourage you to be a part of that.

You all should have access to LOGOS Bible software online, if you’re not sure what that is, please come see me I want to avail you of this incredible resource with devotionals and God’s Word and it’s all cross referenced, it’s amazing!

And finally, coming this January I’m issuing a church wide challenge for all of us to read the Bible cover to cover in 90 days. That will mean reading about 12 pages of the Bible every day, and you will complete the entire Bible by Easter!

So what do we take away for today?

Let’s be grounded in God’s Word, and to do that we need to read it. Read it as a church, and as individuals.

Talk about what you’re reading with others. Both believers and non-believers. I’ve led friends to Christ simply by asking them what they thought of what I was reading. I had questions so I asked.

Pray. Continue to pray that God would reveal himself to you in the Word.

As we commit ourselves to follow Christ, we commit ourselves to be students of the Old Testament as He was and to follow him as the Word, and as a church we seek to grow together.

Growing closer to God, closer to one another, and closer to our community. Let me pray for you.