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Peter noted that Paul's letters included a lot of wisdom, but also things that were "hard to understand." What do you see here that someone like Peter might have considered particular wise? What things might he be referring to when he says that there are things "hard to understand?"
I think it's interesting and important to note that Peter mentions the "hard to understand" writings from Paul as being those "which ignorant and unstable people distort" (2 Peter 3:16). Perhaps some of the difficulty that Peter is referring to is coming from the simple fact that many spiritual teachings, regardless of whether it's Paul saying it or not, are that way because of the heart of the reader and may therefore be misconstrued to be what they want it to be. I do think there are many teachings that Paul gives which are wise and simple to understand, even for those back in the original audience, like generosity and giving (2 Corinthians 9:7) and love above everything (1 Corinthians 13:13). Some difficult and easily twisted writings might be Paul's speaking on resurrection, particularly the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 (at least I would have a hard time understanding this I believe) and suffering as means for boasting as Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.
ReplyDeleteIn First Corinthians and Second Corinthians, one thing that seems especially wise is the way Paul tried to keep the church united even though the Christians in Corinth disagreed about many things. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul compares the church to a body with many parts. He says that every person has a different role, but all are needed. That is wise because it teaches people not to be jealous or divided, but to work together.
ReplyDeleteAnother especially wise section is 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul says that love is more important than gifts, knowledge, or power. He explains that without love, even impressive actions mean very little. That is probably one reason why Peter respected Paul’s letters—they gave practical advice about how Christians should treat one another.
The things Peter may have thought were “hard to understand” are probably some of Paul’s more difficult ideas about law, grace, resurrection, and Christian freedom. For example, in 1 Corinthians 8–10, Paul says that Christians are free in Christ, but they should still limit their freedom if it harms someone else’s faith. That can be confusing because Paul says Christians are both free and responsible at the same time.
Paul’s teaching about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 may also have seemed hard to understand. He talks about believers receiving a different kind of body after death, a “spiritual body,” which is not easy to picture or explain. Peter may also have been thinking of Paul’s letters such as Romans, where Paul gives long and complicated arguments about how people are saved by faith rather than by obeying the law. Those ideas are very important, but they can also be difficult to follow.