Click here to open the Video Devotional
2 Peter 1:4c
All of what we have been studying in this first 4 verses of 2 Peter chapter 1 has a very important purpose for all of us: “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” that we learn from the apostle Peter in today’s passage of 2 Peter 1:4c.
This world is corrupt, and we learn of this all throughout the Scriptures, Old Testament and New Testament. Satan is the ruler of this sinful world; of the ways of this world; of the sinful nature that is at work in us all trying to pull us away, and keep us away from believing in God and His one and only Son Jesus. No one is exempt from the fiery darts of Satan (Ephesians 6:16), and no one is exempt from facing the trials and temptations of this sinful world in which we live. But God has provided for us a way of escape; that we can escape, “the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4c). And Peter uses the word “lust” to describe how we fall to the corruption of this world. Lust is not just used here as in a sexual context, but to show how deeply the sinful nature is rooted within each of us as we lust after the things in which Satan puts in our paths to block us from seeing God’s love for us. The lust described here is the way in which we go about seeking the sinful ways of this world that Satan uses to blind us from Jesus; to lust after something such as with a passionate desire for it, whatever the “it” is. Satan wants to be higher in authority than God, but he can only mimic God in a false way of trickery and lies. Satan does not and cannot show love. He disguises himself in his trickery of “lust” as being love. Love is from God and is sincere and given as a gift; lust is from Satan and is self-centered and arrogant. But through Jesus – the gift of God, we can escape the corruption that is in the world along with the sinful, arrogant, lustful ways of Satan.
This is the result of receiving the gift of God: to escape the corruption that is in the world.
The battle of our physical life on this earth is to escape the corruption that is in it, and by so doing, receive the blessing of eternal spiritual life. The unfolding story of God’s great plan of salvation is the whole of the teaching of the Bible – The Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Old Testament, we can see how man is shown the way to righteousness by keeping the Law. But we find out that man is incapable of keeping all the requirements of the Law and is left hopeless in sin. But we learn in the New Testament that God provides a way to overcome the sinful nature that is at work in us all. God sent a gift to the world because of His great love for us that by receiving the gift, sent by God’s grace and not to be received as a gift that was earned but because we are lost in sin with no way out, we may by receiving the gift have our sins forgiven and escape the corruption that is in this world. The gift is Jesus who paid for our sins by dying a sinless death which in itself overcomes the penalty for sin, which is death. But Jesus was sinless – and went to the grave for us with the authority to defeat sin, death, and Satan once for all (Romans 6:10), that through what He has done for us we might live through Him.
Dear LORD,
It is not hard to see the corruption that is in this world; it is all around us. But You have provided a way of escape from the corruption of this world through our Savior Jesus. Please help us to see the life that Jesus gives us that we would put our faith in Him and be saved – saved from the fiery darts of Satan that we would bring glory to You and seek Your will for our lives – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.