2 Peter 3:3-4
"First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 2 Peter 3:3-4
Have you ever felt ridiculed for believing in the Lord Jesus? Being scoffed at is the norm in our society for those who follow the Lord. People don't understand your faith, and many simply refuse to believe in anything supernatural. To be fair, it is hard for people to believe something that they cannot see or feel, and belief in a written record is a little stretch because... "how can you trust it, after all its 'old'". The essence of faith is believing without the tangible. But we have the promises of God to hang our hats on. The most tangible promise we have is the return of Christ, yet that promise has not come to be. Peter prepares the reader for the inevitable reality of scoffing by those who don't believe. In their world, nothing has seemed to change since the creation of the world. Life just goes on as normal! Another reason people scoff is because they want to follow their own evil desires. Think about it, if there is a God who relates to His creation, and provides salvation for people who will be held accountable for their sin, then guilt would follow sinful actions. However, if you convince yourself that there is no God, thus no sin nor accountability, then you can do what ever they want with a relativly guilt free conscience. They can follow their own evil desires. I believe these people scoff at us because we are reminders of what they are trying to deny. I read a shirt while waiting in line at Cedar Point that said "Christianity: 2000 years of oppression". I asked the guy if he really believed that and he said "absolutely". Oppression how? Because it brings guilt on those who want to do whatever they want? Yes, that is exactly the reason. So for this gentleman it is easier to scoff at Christianity to clear his guilty conscience, than to surrender to the truth and really have his conscience cleared. God has always kept His promises, and He will keep the promise of the return of Jesus too! Hold on to your faith in God's promises even when scoffers come, and they will.
Have you ever felt ridiculed for believing in the Lord Jesus? Being scoffed at is the norm in our society for those who follow the Lord. People don't understand your faith, and many simply refuse to believe in anything supernatural. To be fair, it is hard for people to believe something that they cannot see or feel, and belief in a written record is a little stretch because... "how can you trust it, after all its 'old'". The essence of faith is believing without the tangible. But we have the promises of God to hang our hats on. The most tangible promise we have is the return of Christ, yet that promise has not come to be. Peter prepares the reader for the inevitable reality of scoffing by those who don't believe. In their world, nothing has seemed to change since the creation of the world. Life just goes on as normal! Another reason people scoff is because they want to follow their own evil desires. Think about it, if there is a God who relates to His creation, and provides salvation for people who will be held accountable for their sin, then guilt would follow sinful actions. However, if you convince yourself that there is no God, thus no sin nor accountability, then you can do what ever they want with a relativly guilt free conscience. They can follow their own evil desires. I believe these people scoff at us because we are reminders of what they are trying to deny. I read a shirt while waiting in line at Cedar Point that said "Christianity: 2000 years of oppression". I asked the guy if he really believed that and he said "absolutely". Oppression how? Because it brings guilt on those who want to do whatever they want? Yes, that is exactly the reason. So for this gentleman it is easier to scoff at Christianity to clear his guilty conscience, than to surrender to the truth and really have his conscience cleared. God has always kept His promises, and He will keep the promise of the return of Jesus too! Hold on to your faith in God's promises even when scoffers come, and they will.
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