We just wrapped up our sermon series in 1 Peter, “Exiles With a Purpose,” and we will be going right into 2 Peter with a sermon series entitled “Counter Cultural.” It’s about “biblical Christianity in a counterfeit world.” The main theme of 2 Peter was polemic. The author writes against the counterfeit teachings that were pervasive in the church that day probably some early Gnostic writers. Gnostics of the early church are much like many who fight against the church today. They were writers and teachers who twisted and perverted the Gospel to make it mean what they wanted it to mean. They taught doctrines that denied the divinity of Jesus. They taught that it was okay for you to give into the lusts of the body doing what you felt was right.
They did this so much so that they were leading others astray because the teaching sounded good on the surface but had no biblical grounding.
Like the Gnostics of the first and second century, the church is still dealing with the same wars. Many have tried to redefine sin in light of the popularity of the culture. As Christians, we are called to be like Christ. Jesus sets the standard and the precedent, and our practice should reflect our Christianity.
Join us this Sunday as we begin the series “Counter Cultural!”