“as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” II Peter 3:16 NKJV
This verse paints a very graphic picture of what the ignorant do to the holy Scriptures. The word “twist” here means to torture, or put to the rack, describing what happens to limbs of people stretched upon this kind of torture device. With regards to written texts, it means to twist the original meaning into something different than the author intended. Far too often, I see people who neither know God or His word proclaiming what they believe the Bible says to be true. From false teachers and false prophets to the wicked who simply mock God and His ways, they twist and undermine the truth of God to fit their own truth, the end of which will be their destruction.
Carnal minds will always seek to twist the truth to fit their selfish desires, or they will simply deny the truth altogether. So what does this mean for those of us who believe? Those of us who know the truth, who love and seek God? Are we to be quiet when those of the world twist the words of God? Are we to shy away from correction and confrontation out of fear of what others may think? If someone spoke wrongly of your spouse, would you simply keep quiet? If someone spoke wrongly about your pastor, friend, or neighbor, things you knew to be false, would you hold your tongue? Jesus did not shy away from confronting lies and false doctrine, but He did so in a proper manner. Go and do likewise.
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all LONGSUFFERING and teaching.” II Timothy 4:2 NKJV #CalledtoBattle
