Strike Three!

2 Peter 3:17 states, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.”

Why does baseball have the “three strikes and you’re out” rule? Why not allow only one pitch? “One strike and you are out” would certainly speed the game up. “One ball and you walk” could work. We could get the game over quicker and find out who the winner is. That sounds more like a review of the game, where only a few key plays make the news. 

People go to the game because they love baseball. The players are given three chances to hit the ball. Why not ten strikes and you are out? No one wants to watch that long. Believe it or not, baseball started out with unlimited time at the plate. It was not until 1889, after much trial and error, that the “three strikes, four balls” rule was adopted.

In life, we often get more than three strikes. At last the time comes when we strike out or not. When life here is over, we have had our chance at bat. Peter is warning us to beware of the error of the wicked. Satan is out to throw us a curve ball, a fast ball, a knuckle ball, a drop ball, etc. He has been at the mound for generations. Every day is a new game. However, the season will one day be over. 

Jesus certainly does the saving. Our part is to remain steadfast. Peter warns that we are in danger of falling from our “own steadfastness.” He uses the word “fall.” Adam fell, and we can fall if we follow him. The first Adam went to bat and struck out. The last Adam hit a home run! I Cor. 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Again we read in verse 45, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

So how do we strike out? Strike one is folderol. Webster describes it as, “a bit of nonsense.” This pitch is easy to swing at. We recognize it as not a true strike ball, yet hittable. Peter, in 2 Peter 2:1, warns us of false prophets “among” the people. They are church leaders, so we listen to them and take a swing. STEEEERIKE ONE!

Strike two is where we began to falter. Webster describes it as, “to waver, stumble or totter, to flinch or give way, to utter with hesitation.” We stand at the plate but our feet are not positioned well. We can’t put our whole body into the swing. 2 Peter 2:14 says that the false prophets will “beguile unstable” souls. Carelessly we stand at the plate and take another swing. STEEEERIKE TWO!

Strike three is when we actually fall. Webster gives 15 different descriptions for falling. Among them he says, “To give up, as a custom-fall from grace. To sin; to backslide.” We lose our own steadfastness, as Peter warned. STEEEERIKE THREE!

We can blame others, but we are the one holding the bat. Our time at the plate is very important. We might take comfort in the fact that we are not the only one to strike out. We can hope to do better next time, if there is a next time.

Take heart. There is a way to beware. 2 Peter 3:18, “But ‘grow’ in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…” There is no need to hear STEEEERIKE THREE!