They Shouldn’t Have Known This…

2 Peter 2:21
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.

Amplified Bible
For it would have been better for them not to have [personally] known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to have turned back from the holy commandment [verbally] handed on to them.

New Living Translation
It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.

Apostle Peter is coming towards the end of chapter two of his second letter to the church. He has heavily dwelt on identifying false religious leaders, teachers and preachers. He has explained the futility of taking the path recommended by these false people. He has narrated the fate that will meet them. Now he concludes this pointed letter.

He concludes by comparing false teachers, preachers and leaders to a dog or pig that goes back to what it came from, 2 Petet 2:22. A dog returns to its vomit and a pig goes back to wallow in the mud even after a nice wash. These wicked false teachers go back to falsehoods they had before becoming Christians. They go back to where they came from. They back slide.

In their former lives before Christianity they feared their human leaders. They became Christians and now had only Christ to fear. As they advance in falsehood, they start fearing and listening to a self proclaimed all knowing Bible teacher who becomes the sole interpreter of everything they want to know. They came from sole dependence on human beings now they are back to the same problem.

In their former lives they discriminated people based or race, gender, tribe etc. Now they have gone back to that nonesense. Now we have discrimination within church ranks. They are dogs who have gone back to their own vomit. The truth has not helped them.

In their former lives they were dangerous and untrustworthy politicians, now they are church politicians. They struggled to manage resources in their former lives with an aim to steal, now they do it in church. The pig that was cleaned is back in the mud wallowing.

Now the Apostle draws a conclusion about them. Apostle Peter tells the church, knowing clearly they are present and their sympathisers are present, that they should not have gotten converted into christianity in the first place. It is better if they had remained non-christians than to get converted and go back to the same sinful living. They should not have known the truth then turn their back on the truth.

Hebrews 6:4-6
(4) It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, (5) who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age (6) and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

The writer of Hebrews addresses the same problem of backsliding. The writer of Hebrews tells us that it is impossible to restore the person who has known the truth and then turned their back on the truth. It is better if the person never got to know the truth than know it and turn back from it. They shoild never have known the truth!

We should never have known that there are blessings in returning tithes and offerings and then we stop giving. We should never have known that we should love our enemies then continue hating. We should never have known that husbands should love their wives and wives submit to their husbands, yet continue with family endless wrangles. We should never have known the Sabbath is saturday and continue keeping a wrong day of worship. We should never have known the correct speaking in tongues, yet persist in the wrong. We should never have known!

We should never have known the church is sacred than continue treating it casually. We should never have known that church money is holy and taking some for yourself is a devastating curse, yet we still take church money. We should never have known that God will judge everything and yet live as if judgment is a none issue. This we should not have known!

Backsliding is a terrible thing. Backsliding rubishes all that we learnt and believed. Backsliding mocks the power of the Holy Spirit and the death of Jesus by which we are saved. May God save us from any aspect and degree of backsliding, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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