Cathy and I walked into a reformation prison in Italy and were captured by the things we saw. Pictured to the left is a small portion of the prison walls that were full of pictures and scripture written by the inmates. They used their own blood to write on the plaster. You see a picture of the cross of Jesus. They were being tortured for heresy that was outside the teaching of the church.

In one of the rooms was a torture rack used to gain confessions from the prisoners. I had seen many pictures of those tools but never saw one in person. I took a picture but it came out blurry.

I was transported back to the jail cell for Peter in Rome. I feel certain he had seen it many times during his time in prison. He used that image to warn us of people who will distort the Bible.

Peter ends his writing to the church with a powerful analogy. He talks of a torture rack that was commonly used in Roman prisons. The Greek word used is the name of the torture rack. The word is translated "twist" to leave a clear picture of what people will do to the Word of God.

2 Peter 3:16 (ESV)
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. oThere are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, pas they do the other Scriptures.

Has it ever occurred to you that people would distort the Bible to make it say what they desired? Today has been very confusing as people take Bible verses and attempt to prove their view of a difficult issue. They twist the Word out of its natural position to get the result they want.

When we open the Bible together we are always reminded about the torture rack. We need to let the Bible say what it says without twisting the words to fit our personal desires. That means we have many scriptures to wrestle with and clarify. We are glad that the Bible is here and is able to speak clearly when we listen carefully.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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o  [Heb. 5:11]
p  [Isa. 28:13]
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Pe 3:16). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.Copyright © Danny Sartin and Deeper Still Missions. All Rights Reserved.
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