Peter fell into sin when he kept his distance from Jesus instead of keeping close to Him. What happened following that is Peter mixing up his denials.
Mixing Our Denials
That's a strange sentence! Let me explain.
Jesus said this: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24 NIV11)
We're called to a life of denial. But it's a life of self-denial. It's a life of complete obedience to the ways of Jesus, even if it means we are denied things in the process.
Peter should have denied himself in that moment, but in the end he denied Jesus.
Self-Denial or Saviour-Denial?
That's what sin is, when you choose to deny your Saviour instead of denying yourself when temptation comes.
Mostly when we think about denying our faith, we think of moments where we don't stand up for Jesus in front of others. Peter had people asking him about his connection to Jesus and he denied it. That's a real temptation for many of us. At home, at work, with friends, we downplay our connection to Jesus, or perhaps deny it outright, in order to save face and stay liked by others.
But here's a thought: isn't every temptation, essentially, the enemy asking you to deny Jesus? I think every temptation is the enemy saying: will you do it God's way, or your way? Don't deny yourself, the enemy says, treat yourself! Before we know it, we've denied Jesus instead of denying ourselves.
Think about your own life, your own walk of faith. Is it filled with self-denial, or Saviour-denial? Do you have your denials mixed up, and do you often deny your Saviour in the way you live? Or do you have self-denial built into your way of life, and when temptation comes and the tempter whispers, you resist him and keep your relationship with Jesus strong?
Peter's Mistake
Peter's mistake was to deny Jesus instead of denying himself.
May it be that you and I don't fall into the same trap he did.
Paul's warning to the widows about idleness and slander is a warning to all of us about holding part of our lives back from Christ.