Efesus 4:14

4:14 So ¹  we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. ² 

2 Petrus 3:16

3:16 speaking of these things in all his letters. ³  Some things in these letters ⁴  are hard to understand, things ⁵  the ignorant and unstable twist ⁶  to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures. ⁷ 

[4:14]  ¹ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:14]  ² tn While the sense of the passage is clear enough, translation in English is somewhat difficult. The Greek says: “by the trickery of men, by craftiness with the scheme of deceit.” The point is that the author is concerned about Christians growing into maturity. He is fearful that certain kinds of very cunning people, who are skilled at deceitful scheming, should come in and teach false doctrines which would in turn stunt the growth of the believers.

[3:16]  ³ tn Grk “as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things.”

[3:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “in which are some things hard to understand.”

[3:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “which.” The antecedent is the “things hard to understand,” not the entirety of Paul’s letters. A significant principle is seen here: The primary proof texts used for faith and practice ought to be the clear passages that are undisputed in their meaning. Heresy today is still largely built on obscure texts.

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Or “distort,” “wrench,” “torture” (all are apt descriptions of what heretics do to scripture).

[3:16]  ⁷ sn This one incidental line, the rest of the scriptures, links Paul’s writings with scripture. This is thus one of the earliest affirmations of any part of the NT as scripture. Peter’s words were prophetic and were intended as a preemptive strike against the heretics to come.