Digital Logos Edition
The apostles Peter and Jude wouldn’t have made good postmodernists. They insist that there is such a thing as absolute, non-negotiable truth, as well as error and deception. They speak of false doctrines and those who teach them as if they actually believe that eternity hangs in the balance and that God, far from shrugging his shoulders like a good relativist, takes the matters of truth and spiritual authority very seriously.
Today the fiery, unapologetic language of 2 Peter and Jude can open our eyes to stark spiritual realities. Like few other apostolic writings, these two letters shake us awake to the vital necessity of embracing the true gospel and transmitting it undistorted. The message is as countercultural as possible, and profoundly timely.
“Peter’s point is clear: Spiritual growth is not a matter that Christians can treat lightly; it is a goal to which we need to give ourselves body and soul, every day of our lives.” (Page 44)
“While God gives us the ability to become godly, it is our responsibility to use the power he has made available to us and actually work at becoming people who please God in every phase of life.” (Page 46)
“Too many Christians are content simply with being Christians, happy simply to know they won’t go to hell. But the true Christian never rests content with such a minimal (albeit important!) level of Christian experience. True ‘knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (end of v. 8) should always spark the unquenchable desire to know him better and better and to seek to use that knowledge in the service of others. Indeed, as Peter will suggest in this letter, one cannot be a true Christian without showing the effects of one’s relationship with Christ in a renewed lifestyle.” (Page 47)
“For them, self-control, an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23), enables believers to avoid falling prey to the temptations—especially sexual—that are so unavoidable in the world we live in.” (Page 45)
“Love is not only the last and greatest Christian virtue; it is also the ‘glue’ that holds all the rest of them together, the quality without which all the others will be less than they should be.” (Page 47)
It is encouraging to find a commentary that is not only biblically trustworthy but also contemporary in its application. The NIV Application Commentary will prove to be a helpful tool in the pastor’s sermon preparation. I use it and recommend it.
—Charles F. Stanley, pastor, First Baptist Church of Atlanta
The NIV Application Commentary series doesn’t fool around. It gets right down to business, bringing this ancient and powerful Word of God into the present so that it can be heard and delivered with all the freshness of a new day, with all the immediacy of a friend’s embrace.
The NIV Application Commentary series promises to be of very great service to all who preach and teach the Word of God.
—J. I. Packer, Regent College
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