2nd Peter and Deconstruction, Part 1.
By the end of our lives, probably the majority of us have had a tragic event that has caused us to question the Lord, to ask why, or maybe even to quit pursuing Him for a time. It happened to me when a series of tragedies knocked us flat in the 1990s, leaving me with many unanswered questions, forcing me to re-evaluate my faith. Eventually this led to my realization that I hadn’t talked to God in weeks.
Now, we would call this the beginning of “deconstruction,” but at that time, we called it “a crisis of faith.”
The process of deconstruction that so many pursue has been around since Elijah ran away from God after facing the prophets of Baal. Elijah tore across the desert, trying to escape this God who asked him to do terrifying life-threatening tasks. Deconstruction may even have begun with Adam and Eve when they hid in the Garden after they sinned. In short, it’s nothing new.
People of faith periodically have crises of faith, going through a period of time when God seems to be far away, though in actuality, He is not. During this time, the trustworthiness of His Word is also evaluated.
During my faith crisis, a series of Bible studies by Kay Arthur turned me around, moving me away from the rigid and legalistic faith practices that I had imitated for years. My crisis moved me toward a faith that was based upon Christ, a faith that understand the verity of the Scriptures (see comment by Apologist Lisa Quintana, below), not relying upon the so-called Biblical interpretations of highly reactionary, ultraconservative, self-appointed leaders.
People of faith periodically have crises of faith, going through a period of time when God seems to be far away, though in actuality, He is not. #bgbg2 #KnowingGod Click To Tweet
This separation in 1994-1995 brought me into a faith that is based on Christ and God’s Word found in the Scriptures, rather than on the ideas of a powerful human leader. My confidence was in the Lord then as it is now. My doubting, questioning, learning, and rebuilding moved me through my faith crisis / deconstruction and into solid confidence in the Word of God and in God Himself.
Judaism is one of the most ancient religions in the world. Christianity is an ancient offshoot of Judaism. Having already read all of the apologetics proving the Scriptures, I had/have a solid understanding of why we can trust the words of the Bible implicitly. So many eye-witnesses, so many copies of the earlier inspired words, such careful preservation, so much affirmation by the Holy Spirit Himself.
The realization of the truthfulness of the Bible is imperative for the one seeking and doubting. Research how we came to have the Bible. The evidence is solid.
And then, there’s Peter.
Peter, the first New Testament heretic questioner of our faith, denied Christ, and yet he was forgiven.
This event laid the groundwork for every sinner who ever walked away and denied Christ. All are given the opportunity to turn away from our doubt and return to Christ, no matter what we’ve done. His arms are opened wide, ready to welcome us home. Seek, and you will find.
The prodigal son is another deconstructor who returned to the open arms of the Father. His elder brother did not. Rather, he remained a hardened sinner, never openly questioning, and yet exploding with bitter acrimony upon his father at the end.
Peter, the first New Testament heretic questioner of our faith, denied Christ, and yet he was forgiven, thus laying the groundwork for everyone who ever walked away and denied Christ to be forgiven. #bgbg2 #KnowingGod Click To Tweet
Therefore, when Peter writes about how precious our faith in Christ is, we should definitely listen.
“1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (1 Peter 1:1-2 NIV).
Never skip the greetings and salutations of a Biblical letter. In this greeting, we discover that our faith in our Savior Jesus Christ is as precious and as valuable as the faith of the apostles. We are not second class citizens of God’s kingdom. Nope. We are precious, valued, seen, in equal standing with the faith of the apostles, who also questioned and doubted. We also learn that grace and peace can be ours in abundance through our knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
What type of knowledge are we talking about in v. 2?
This knowledge is epignosis in Koine Greek, a significant definition that governs most of this chapter. This is knowledge that has been acquired by thorough and active participation in knowing Christ and behaving as a follower of His. We are and have been personally involved in knowing God and Jesus our Lord, thus changing our daily behavior and our religious life to conform to Him. Our faith isn’t merely about head knowledge. It is about our transformation.
In what ways have our lives changed as we have come to know the Savior?
What can be done to obtain this grace and peace?
How can it be ours in abundance? What does verse two tell us?
In real life behavior, what type of knowledge are we talking about in v. 2?
How can we obtain this life-changing knowledge?
Continued next week. . . .
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The Jewish religion is one of the most ancient beliefs in history, as you mentioned. And it’s a miracle – bonafide – that the Jewish people still exist! They are the most ancient ones. That’s a great apologetic for the truth of what we believe – the tenacity of the Jews rests in the truth of Scripture. This knowledge should help us in times of testing, like you said, that we all go through at times in our spiritual journey.
Lisa, thank you for this thoughtful response. As always you bring great wisdom to the discussion. Thank you for fleshing out the importance of the roots of Christianity in Judaism, the most ancient faith tradition that worships Yahweh.
Through the years, when bad things happened in my life, I did question God but I quickly realized that without Him, I would be even worse off. Like Peter said “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
John 6:68 NIV
Exactly! Well said, Yvonne. From our earliest times of questioning, when we turn toward the Lord, we grow closer to Him. The more we come to know Him, the more we love Him and His words, such as these, and the more we come to rely upon Him.
I am thankful we can go to God with doubts. He knows our hearts already. Thank you for this insightful message.
We can go to God with doubts. Isn’t that wonderful! I think if we made that clear early in new Christian’s lives, they would feel more at ease taking those questions to God and to older believers who can help them sort it out. Like you said, “He knows our hearts already.”
This is going to be an interesting series, Melinda. It’s especially intriguing as I work through the transformation of Peter’s denial into boldness in my writing. I don’t know that I’ve undergone a major crisis yet, though we have had plenty of minor ones, and I’m glad to say we have been turning to God more and more over the years when crisis visits. We hope to model that to our kids and their families as well, to turn to God right away instead of noting it for sometime later. May we never be so challenged as to turn away from God, for in Him is the way of truth, peace, and victory.
Amen to all you said, brother! In the churches we had attended until that moment of extreme hardship and calamity, we had not received any solid Biblical teaching. The Kay Arthur Bible study series that I was invited to attend right in the middle of our worst family crises ever changed my life by teaching me how to study God’s Word. The same for my husband, who also participated in her training in inductive Bible Study. Our trials and losses broke us down, but then we began to seek God’s Word in ways we had never done before, so the trials were a blessing in disguise. God worked it all together for good, for we had sought Him.
Two things especially struck me from this article. First, I had never thought of a crisis of faith as “deconstruction.” So appropriate!
Second, I had never stopped to consider that Peter’s greeting includes us. This reminds me of Jesus’s “high priestly” prayer in John 17, when He prayed, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message” (v. 20, NIV).
So good!
The “little” details have so much significance, Ava. When we pause to discover them, it’s amazing to find the wonderful beauty of what the Holy Spirit has given us to discover here.
When people started going public about their “deconstruction,” I recognized that this was exactly what I had gone through in 1994-1995. The most important decision was to verify the claims of the Bible. The evidence is solid. And then, I fought with the Lord over so many things I learned as I went through the “Lord, Where Are You When Bad Things Happen” book, but it connected me to a deeper faith, a faith that was even more solidly anchored to the Lord and His Word, whereas previously I had been anchored to a prominent preacher’s words. As I studied 2 Peter, I realized that Peter had written a solid case, instructing his disciples in a way that would help them through any deconstruction period they might have. Deconstruction should end in Reconstruction.
Neeeded this today. Thank you, Melinda. God bless!
Thanks, Nancy!
I needed this! Our doubts do help our heads wrap around complex matters of faith and ultimately draw us even closer to the Lord. Thank you!
Yes, Jessica! Exactly! That is what this series will be focused on over the entire trip through ten posts.
Melinda, there is so much here to savor and let simmer deep in our souls. I’m not familiar with the terminology of deconstruction, yet it is further clarified by the examples you give, especially Peter and the Prodigal son. We lived in Cleveland TN, near Chattanooga on staff at a church for nearly 5 years. It’s Kay Arthur’s area and we were introduced to so many powerful and anointed teachings by Kay. And I learned so much about a the defense of the gospel and evidence of Christianity from Josh McDowell. Thank you, Melinda!
Yes, Karen! Thank you for mentioning Josh McDowell! He was the first theologian we heard defend the Scriptures, too. We read his books and attended his speaking engagements. We followed up with “How We Got The Bible” by Neil R. Lightfoot. Lee Strobel was also helpful. Then the ancient defenses by Eusebius explaining how we came to have the New Testament gave us even better awareness of how the Bible was compiled.