Please read *all* of Jude and II Peter (only four chapters total) and respond to *both* of the following prompts:1. In what ways are Jude and I Peter similar? How are they different? How do you account for these similarities and differences?
2. Pick out one verse from Jude and one verse from II Peter that you find particularly interesting, important, or hard to understand, and comment below on what you find interesting, difficult, or important in those verses.
The two books are similar in that their are people who are speaking heresies, and the writer is telling Peter and Jude to stay strong in the faith. There is a day coming in which the new earth will be here. Stay strong and save as many as you can. There are also similar stories of God's judgement in the two books. The story of Balaam and of Sodom and Gomorrah were a couple of these stories.
ReplyDeleteThe differences were a little harder to spot. Jude doesn't include a logical progression on what to do, but rather just a simple call to persevere in the love of Christ and to hope for the day when the new earth is here.
II Peter 1:5-7- "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness wither brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."
These verses were an awesome call to arms. It logically lays out the things that Christians need to be doing, but it ends in love. Something that 1 Corinthians pointed out as well.
Jude 1:17-19- "But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, 'In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.' It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit."
It appears that the Bible even warns that there will be divisions because of the worldly people that are claiming to know the truth. Maybe I am demolishing this verse, but it seems like a good warning to not get stuck on false prophecies.
I believe the two books are more similar than different. While Jude seems to rant about the false prophets more than Peter does, they both talk about being ready for the return of Christ.
ReplyDelete2 Peter 3:8, 10 states: "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day...But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."
These verses state that a relationship with God lasts forever and brings true happiness. However, if you are not ready for the return of Christ, "the day of the Lord will come like a thief" in the night, taking everything before you have a chance to react.
Jude 1:18-21 states, "They said to you, 'in the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.' These are the men who divide you, and follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life."
These verses tell us that there will be people, without the spirit, who will try to lead us away from God. To avoid this, we are to keep our faith in God strong until the day he returns. -Melinda Quade
Jude and II Peter both talk to readers about false teachers who have made their ways inside the church. Both books note how Sodom and Gomorrah, cities overrun with "sexual immorality and perversion", were burned to the ground to make "them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly". I found it interesting how the books use the same or similar wording throughout and touching on the same subjects.
ReplyDeleteI guess the differences I noticed was how short Jude was in warning people against bad men who were spreading false messages. II Peter was much longer and seemed to instruct people on how to deal with the false teachers.
Jude 1:5 "Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe." This passage stuck out to me since it is a very stern reminder. Jude is sending a very clear message to readers that just because you were saved once, you will still face judgement.
II Peter 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment."
I didn't really understand this particular passage and what it meant.
The two books are similar because they show a stark contrast between righteousness and wickedness/heresy. They talk of those who will be punished and try to lead others into destruction with them. Jude and Peter are basically saying that Christians needed to stay the course. They both remind the reader that Christ heaped sin upon himself and dealt with temptation just like every person does. They allude to the fact that God has always sought to put down the wicked like in the great flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. But even through those acts of judgment God was preserving his believers, Noah on the ark and Lot in Sodom. Both books say that a day of judgment is coming and believers need to stay on course and know that God will preserve them through that judgment and save them for the sake of Jesus Christ. -Zach Kuhlman
ReplyDeleteBoth Peter and Jude focus on the defilers of the church, those who engage in immorality. It teaches how these people can be so hidden within the church that it is impossible to see them. These are the snakes that will come out when their master returns and lead people astray down the wrong path. Peter and Jude would have wanted similar things in protecting believers. They wanted to be able to help believers understand and avoid any possible dangers. So that future followers can succeed and be the best Christians they can be.
ReplyDeleteJude 1: 21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” This is an important verse to remind us all that we need to be focusing on Christ. Some of us get caught up in the secular life of the world and forget Christ. Other do not forget they just choose to do things their own way and not follow him. All we have to do to stay in God’s love is follow his commandments to the best our abilities, to some people that is very difficult. We have to live in a correct manner and this verse is a reminder.
2 Peter 1:7, “And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” This is another important reminder that we need to be kind to everyone. We are all God’s children and we need to be nice to one another. We have to be willing to help those in need. We need to be charitable with what we have. It is not only just a good thing to help people, but it makes you feel good knowing you did. Kindness and charity are two great things for us all to have. -Kelly Longden
The two books II Peter and Jude are similar in the ways that they warn the people of false teachers that will enter their groups and preach the word wrong and go against God's word and teaching, they also warned to not follow these people because on judgement day they will be judged for the sins they have committed and suffer the punishment of their wrong doings.
ReplyDeleteThe differences are not as obvious; however, Jude is much shorter in his warning to the people of the false teachers and did not give all the details that II Peter gave of Jesus coming again and the Judgement Day.
These similarities show up because they are letters to believers of God against false teachings of the word, however little differences show up because they could be directed to different geographical people and where they come from.
II Peter 3:8 " But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: To the Lord one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day." I find this important because it addresses the return of the Lord and how some may have believed that it would be soon after the death of Jesus and now we are in the year 2013 and still he has not returns, but to the Lord thousands of years could be but a day.
Jude 1:24 " God is strong and can help you not to fall. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and can give you great joy." This is important because it states how though people may not be strong but through God help and his strength, he can bring you to great joy through his kingdom.
-Dylan Mickelson
Jude and 2 Peter are very similar books in the Bible because they both are dealing with heresies and about keeping the faith within the small people involved in the church. They both state the importance of keeping the faith even in the most difficult of times. Both warn that soon the kingdom of God will descend upon the world and that everyone must be prepared for it.
ReplyDeleteThe differences are not as easy to spot because the books have the same basic message, but the main difference is that in Jude they talk about just one mission, which is converting people towards the faith. The main plot in Paul isn’t just conversation.
2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Jude 1:24-25 “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
-Liz Matson
These books are indeed similar in many ways. The obvious being that both deal with heretical views on the teaching of Jesus speaking of false teachers in both of these books. They show that these false teachers are following a crooked road and would pay for their sins on judgement day.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between these two books is a bit trickier. Peter is much longer and goes into more detail. Jude relates them to Sodom and Gomorrah which is an interesting detail unique to his account.
II Peter 2:21 "For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment handed down to them." I think this is an interesting statement because Peter is describing the teachers preaching what they know to be false. They were shown the light in Peter's eyes and they turned away from it.
Jude 1:12 "These are blemishes on your love feasts,, as they carouse fearlessly and look after themselves."
I thought this was an important description Jude was trying to make as it serves as a warning to Christians not to trust these people. He warns that they have only one priority and it is not the salvation of others but the help themselves.
Zack Krage
The two books are similar in that both deal with the idea of false teachers and warns the readers against heretical teachings that can lead them astray. They both share a couple of good examples of what happens to these false teachers in referencing Sodom and Gomorrah. On the other hand, II Peter does a better job at telling the reader how they should deal with these false teachers and explains the ideas much more thoroughly than in Jude which is considerably shorter. I would say that the reason that there may be differences is because of who is writing. In II Peter it is presumed that the writer is Peter who was an Apostle and was with Jesus, whereas Jude is merely a servant of Jesus and wasn't with Jesus in life.
ReplyDeleteII Peter 2:13 "They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you."
This verse is interesting because it shows how low these people are considered and that they will receive the punishment that they deserve.
Jude 1:21 "Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
This is important because after talking about all the blasphemy and false teachers, the answer is simple, keep with God and you will be saved.
Both of the books speak largely of the issues of false prophecy, while reaffirming the importance of living a godly life.
ReplyDeleteAs for the differences aside from length, the book of peter takes time to encourage Christians, and then also at the end has a specific portion which prophecies the coming of the lord. These are small differences, but differences none the less.
II Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I really enjoy this verse just because it is such a commonly used verse in my own church when we dismiss, but in reading it has a commanding tone which leaves me with nothing less than chills.
Jude 1;22 "Have mercy on those who doubt." I find this a very convicting verse, as it can be very difficult to understand peoples struggles with doubt. However, if love is not shown to those who do doubt, it is very difficult and i would say borderline impossible in certain situations for those people to see through the situation and let God renew their minds.
-Greg Fred
both of these books make sure to make mention of the dangers of things that are said by the wicked, in particular those who use deceit to lure people away from God. in Jude, it is the sinners who try to persuade the faithful, in II Peter it is false teachers who deny the lord. in both instances, God smites these people and damns them. however II Peter has a bit more to say than Jude about how to save one's soul.
ReplyDeleteII Peter 3:12, "But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption," I found this verse interesting because i was curious as to who exactly he was referring to, either those who don't believe, or those who make themselves out to be God.
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” This was interesting because we get a brief look at the nature of archangels and by extension the nature of heaven itself. -Sean M.
They are both similar by both starting off by stating that each was a slave and an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. They both also talk about false teachers and what not to do and what not to listen to or follow when they are around.
ReplyDeleteThey are different due to using different examples from the Old Testament and other readings about some of the false prophets/teachers.
II Peter 1:5-7 "For this reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love."
Jude 1:21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life."
Both verses that I chose are ones about still keeping faith and that you should trust the Lord in what is to come, whatever may come.
-Cheryl Hansen