Why Do So Many Christians Stumble?

Over recent years we have witnessed the fall of a significant number of church leaders from many different backgrounds. The reasons have varied from one case to another, but often there have been issues of illicit sexuality, mishandling of finances, abuse of power and authority, and substance abuse, among a few others.

Every single case has been sad and painful. Yes, painful is the right word.

These leaders have been looked up to by many as examples of godliness and gifting. When they fall away so catastrophically, we wonder what is going on. What happened to them? How did they start drifting?

Many of these leaders were running the Christian race well at some point in their lives; but then they stumbled and fell. And this is something that could happen to any one of us—church leaders and church members alike—however well we are running today.

The Help of the Spirit

In the first chapter of 2 Peter, Peter begins by helping us see how to run the race of the Christian life well. He argues, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

We no longer simply have “God with us,” but, even better, God within us. 

Since we do not possess in ourselves the power to grow in holiness, God sends his Spirit—the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9)—to dwell within us. We no longer simply have “God with us,” but, even better, God within us. 

This is the Spirit who empowers all of us as believers to live a life worthy of our calling—a life in which we turn away from sin and draw nearer to God. We were called from worldliness to godliness—that is, to a moral life that honors God. 

Why Do So Many Christians Stumble?

God has given promises to those who believe in him, and these promises have the power to aid us in our walk with him. Our God “has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4).

We can see two reasons why believers compromise their Christian walk earlier in 2 Peter:

·   They stop growing in the knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:3).

·   They forget the powerful promises Peter alludes to (2 Peter 1:4).

The more we know God in Christ, the more we become like him. God has provided everything we need to live a victorious life to the very end as we follow the Spirit’s leading. The power to live in such a distinctive manner has been received “through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).

But if our growth in the knowledge of God stagnates, we return to the practices we had before we were redeemed. The Christian who does not live a life of moral excellence is resisting the power of the Spirit dwelling within them. This is the main cause of our failures.

How Can I Keep from Stumbling?

The final words of this first section read, “If you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11).

God knows very well the effect on us of the knowledge of himself and the understanding of his ways. To know God better is to grow in Christ-likeness.

So we must each ask ourselves: Am I growing? Or am I stagnating? How real are the promises of God to me?

Remember, through the power and the promises of God we have become partakers of God’s divine nature and can escape “the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4). That reality makes the entire difference.

This is an extract from 2 Peter and Jude For You By Miguel Núñez, an applied expository Bible-study guide to 2 Peter and Jude—two short letters written to help us stand firm in our faith.