Royal Humor

Queen Elizabeth II had a great sense of humor. One day, she was walking in her holiday home, Balmoral Castle in Scotland, with her protection officer, Richard Griffin. Two American hikers walked by. The Queen stopped them and talked with them. They told her where they were from and all the places they had seen and asked her where she was from. (They didn’t recognize her.) She told them that she lived in London and had a holiday home in Scotland. Then they asked her if she had met the queen. She said, “Well, I haven’t, but Dick here meets her regularly.” The hikers were excited and wanted a picture with Griffin. They gave the camera to the Queen and asked her to take their photo, which she did. Then Griffin took a picture of them with the Queen. As they walked away, the Queen said, “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they show those photographs to their friends in America — and hopefully, someone will tell them who I am.”

Peter called Paul to his witness and gave him credit like the Queen to Richard Griffin.

“Beloved, while you are waiting, hasten to be found spotless and blameless in peace, and the patience of our Lord will lead you to salvation, as our beloved brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him, as he spoke about this in all his letters – in which are some difficult to understand thoughts – which the uneducated and unstable twist, as they do to the rest of the writings for their ruin.” (2 Pet 3:14–16)

Paul had written at least four letters to the churches in Asia Minor – Ephesians, Colossians, Laodiceans (this letter is lost), and Philemon – churches in the same region whom Peter was addressing. In all of them, Paul exhorted the believers to live a spotless and blameless life in peace with God and people as they waited for the Lord’s return. Peter called Paul to be his witness as the Law demanded the witnesses of two or three for a matter to be accurate (Deut 19:15; cp. 2 Cor 13:1).

Peter must have read Paul’s letters and found some teachings difficult to understand (from dis “difficult” and noitos“understand” – from “mind” nus). Similarly, others found Paul’s teachings difficult. Instead of asking Paul for clarification, they – whom Peter called uneducated and unstable people (further descriptions of false teachers) – twisted them and used them for their advantage. For example, Paul taught freedom in Christ while stressing that freedom shouldn’t be used for licentiousness. The false teachers took freedom as a license to sin. They misread Paul as they did all other writings, including the Old Testament and the Lord’s command.

Instead of following their ways, Peter’s audience must hasten to be found spotless and blameless in peace. Knowing they have peace with God, in Christ, should drive them to have peace with people. As they did, the Lord’s patience would lead them to salvation.

My teacher often asked, “What’s more dangerous – a cup of arsenic with the sign ‘Arsenic’ or a cup of milk with a few drops of arsenic with the sign ‘milk’?” No one would dare drink the arsenic, but they might accidentally drink the poisoned milk and poison themselves. False teaching is like that – a little error, like promoting licentious or sensual lifestyles, is more dangerous than total blasphemy. That’s why we must watch our lifestyles and teachings.