Berry

Q1. (Jude 3) Why must we "contend for the faith"? What is the danger in not challenging the doctrines of false teachers? What is the danger inherent in challenging them? How can we keep the correct balance? This topic reminds me of the end of The Manhattan Declaration which states: Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's. The danger in not challenging false doctrine is that we become complicit in leading others astray. The danger inherent in challenging false teachers is that we could become involved in unprofitable arguments. To maintain the correct balance we have to learn to maintain an attitude of love.

The image of a ship being moved by the wind in its sails is a very good one. Human beings consist of spirit, soul(includes mind) and body. The Holy Spirit speaks into our spirit; our spirit governs our mind, and our mind governs our body. In this way, I would suggest, God's words can filter down from our spirit to our minds and be reflected in what we say.

Our culture doesn't have the same sense of God and of Christian belief that previous generations had. The emphasis is on being "young" being "successful" being "rich". I think that this leads to a fear of death and so someone who has died is said to have "passed away". Describing our body as a "tent" implies the idea that it isn't a permanent dwelling place.It acknowledges that it can be quickly dismantled to allow the occupant to move on and fits in with the Israelites' experience in the wilderness, when they had to be ready to move as soon as the pillar of fire moved on

Jesus Christ is the person can rid us of the fascination of the world's evil desires and who can cleanse and purify us by His presence and His power. To walk with Christ is to walk in safety from the world's taint. This is from a quotation from "The Letters of Peter and Jude" by The Rev. William Barclay, which I think encapsulates the answer to the question.

Q3. (2 Peter 1:3) What does it mean for you personally to be called "by his own glory and goodness"? How does God's glory and awesome Presence affect you? How does his goodness and moral excellence affect you? Appreciating God's call described in these terms has been a growing experience for me. When I first became a Christian my understanding was limited to salvation being a legal transaction. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit changed that. It was like finding out that a fairy tale was, in fact, true! The handsome prince (Jesus) was really there to make a difference. From then on, the Holy Spirit has been able to take me further. Studies such as this one makes one stop and do some real thinking.

Q2. (2 Peter 1:3) Meditate on this verse for a few minutes. It is a verse about provision. What is the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"? No limitation on what we need for both physical and spiritual life is indicated. God's provision is for "everything" we need. What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise? We have to know what it is that God has promised to give us, so that we can appropriate His provision. This involves searching the Scriptures to find out what He has promised, and it also involves getting to know Him, that is, His character, so that we know we can confidently trust Him to do what He says.

Q1. (2 Peter 1:1) What does "received a faith as precious as ours" mean in this verse? How does our faith compare to St. Peter's faith? Is our faith equal to his? Why or why not? How do you explain the discrepancy? "Like precious faith" I think it means that God is righteous to save those who put their trust in Jesus and it does not refer to the amount of faith an individual has