1:12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.
Earlier Peter explained that we receive all that we need from God when we accept His offer of salvation (see verses 3-4) and that as a response to God, in addition to our believing faith, we believers should diligently seek to supplement our faith with the seven qualities Peter lists in verses five through seven. Peter uses this list of qualities like a ‘qualities assurance program’ checklist saying if we lack any of these qualities and if they are not increasing in our lives, we may not be serving God effectively or being good witnesses for His Son (verses 8-11). This might come as a wakeup for many Christians, which is why Peter intends to remind us.
The theme of being reminded is nothing new in the Bible (see Jude 5, 17; Romans 15:15; 1 John 2:21). We all know the value of repetition in learning. The root word in verse 12 “to remember” can be found over 120 times in the New Testament and the equivalent Hebrew word over 130 times in the Old Testament. Now that’s over 250 times in the Bible the theme of remembering is discussed!
So does mankind have a problem of remembering? The short answer is, yes! God had the Israelites celebrate annual feasts (seven Mosaic Festivals), monthly celebrations (New Moon) and weekly ceremonies (Sabbath, see Leviticus chapter 23 for all of these references) all for the purpose of remembering. The Israelites themselves serve as great examples of the need for reminding humanity. The Old Testament tells several stories of them receiving prosperity as the result of obedience followed by them forgetting God, which lead them into idolatry only to be disciplined by God (usually by an enemy). Then they remember God during their time of punishment and return to obedience to God, seeking His deliverance followed by God’s grace granting them prosperity again, only to have the cycle repeated again and again. So the long answer is also, yes, we do need to be reminded!
God uses repetition in a lot of different ways to help us remember Him to help us keep our eyes on Him. In the book of Deuteronomy (called that since it was considered the “Second Law” or “copy of the law,” even though already part of the law, or ‘Torah’, the first five books of the Bible, as a reminder of the law) we see that Moses wrote that we first need to know the Word of God ourselves and then teach the Word to our children morning, day, and night, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) Giving us an example of repetition. Jesus also gave another great example of repetition to us with His instruction for communion, “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”” (Luke 22:19, see also 1 Corinthians 11:23-24). When we allow distractions in our lives we can be forgetful or at minimum, become complacent.
Peter knows that even though we are Christians we can, and often will, forget about God. He says that “though we know them” (referring to the fundamentals of Christian faith) “and are established in the truth that you have,” he is acknowledging that even though we already know the truth about our salvation we can be “made stronger” (the Greek word Peter used that is translated ‘established’ carries the meaning to “make stronger”)[1]. It is part of our Christian maturity (sanctification), we need to exercise what we already know about God and continue to read and study His Word to get stronger.
1:13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
Peter boldly states that he intends to stir us up! He uses a term that is often associated with waking someone up. He wants to arouse us into understanding that we can become apathetic to God and His Word (see also Mark 13:35-37; Romans 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; Hebrews 6:11-12). Do we need to be awaken? Or are we possibly a sluggard? (see Proverbs 13:4; 24:30-31) Peter is speaking from experience (read Matthew 26:36-46), here in 2 Peter he is using verses 12-13 as verbal caffeine, so wake up! “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying!”[2]
Peter knew he was going to die shortly after writing this epistle and references that it would be just as Jesus had told him earlier (see John 21:18-19). The circumstances leading to Peter’s death have been recorded by a number of historians[3] (see The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs by M. Water for more information). He said he would make every effort (here is the same Greek word used in verse ten regarding our diligence) so that we would be better able to recall these things. The two Greek words translated here as ‘recall’ are ‘mnēmēn’ (memory)[4] and ‘poieisthai’ (commit or make)[5] essentially means that we are to commit God’s Word to memory.
1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
As best as I can see from history there is evidence from the very beginning that the Word of God has always been under some level of scrutiny and attack. Peter proclaims loudly that neither he, nor any of his fellow apostles, followed any cleverly devised (being sophisticated and reasonable) myths. Two things we can learn from this statement. The first point is that the apostles did not lie or manufacture some belief and secondly, they did not fall for any elaborate hoax when they made known to us and others the power of God and His Second Coming (something he will address later in chapter three of this epistle).
Peter is introducing us to the subject of false teaching, something that is extremely prevalent today. Even though the concept of false teaching began long before the New Testament writers were born, I believe this epistle speaks louder to us today than any other time in church history. The reformers believed Scripture to be the true Word of God as written. Many conservative, orthodox, and evangelical scholars that followed also believed the Bible was true. However, with the emergence of human reason, science, and education, people started to be more suspicious of religion, especially when the authority was based on a custom or faith alone.
Peter will give us two sources of evidence that what he is saying is true and that we should believe what he is writing. He first points out that he and the other apostles were eyewitnesses. They literally had a front-row seat where they were able to hear and see first-hand everything!
1:17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”
When reading the Bible, I often think about how difficult it would be to describe events of the Bible, especially if one had to describe God’s glory. Today when we talk to others we are able to share movie experiences, or use some other high-tech analogy to express something that would in any other way be impossible to express. Peter first tells us that he saw God’s majesty. The Greek word he used translated here as ‘majesty’ depicts a picture of visible splendor when Jesus received honor and glory from God the Father. He adds that they also heard His voice from heaven “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (see Matthew 3:17 when God spoke during Jesus’ baptism, and Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35 records these words spoken during Jesus’ transfiguration of which Peter is referring to in this verse).
In the ESV the words translated “Majestic Glory” in the Greek relay the concept of excellence, splendidness, preeminence, and brightness that results in praise and honor (something we know as a doxology, doxa is the Greek word that is most often translated into the English word ‘glory’)[6]. The English definition carries the understanding of something to praised and honored, it also touches upon something (or someone’s) magnificence, splendor, and possibly radiance. However, the Greek word embraces one’s opinion of something. Let me try to explain, in the New Testament the word ‘doxa’ is used to convey what we might best describe as a summary of all the great attributes of God, He literally is too great and powerful for words!
1:18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Peter shares with us his experience of being on the hill during the transfiguration of Jesus as an example of their authority to write these words for us. Peter will amplify this in the next verse with the words “and we have something more sure.” What could possibly be greater or more believable than an eyewitness? What Peter is about to say about the Word of God is probably the biggest reason it is always under attack, solid proof!
The Darkness of Man’s Thinking versus the Brightness of God’s Word
Sorry for such a harsh subtitle but we need to understand that the primary objective of false teaching, or anything ‘false’ for that matter, is deceit. Jesus told us that the devil is the father of lies (read John 8:44), he started off lying to Eve in the Garden of Eden, and has been in the business of deceit ever since. Of course we know that deception isn’t always the devil’s fault (thank you Flip Wilson!), we humans (also known as ‘sinners’) have the ability to lie and deceive all on our own.
The goal of deception is to ultimately provide enough misinformation to prevent someone from arriving at the correct conclusion or intended destination. Unless of course you are being deceived yourself and don’t know that you are being used to deceive others, perhaps thinking you are doing the right thing for all the right reasons! Yikes, talking about darkness, that’s dark! Well, that’s is exactly what is going on except in reality it’s probably much darker.
I have often used the analogy that deception is like a pilot taking off in an airplane whose compass is off by a fraction of a degree. If the compass heading is not correct, then the plane will not arrive at the intended destination without some form of in-flight course correction. Any little variation from true heading can prevent people from reaching their destination and that includes heaven.
When I go online and read people’s comments and reviews of books, movies, etc. I am deeply saddened seeing how many people have fallen for his or her own self-perceived impeccable logic, or how they somehow missed a vital piece of information and completely missed the point of something. Often when I am talking to a person I may try to help them to see a different viewpoint (trying desperately to avoid using words like error and problem), sometimes it works and other times it just gets worse. People (including Christians) can be stubborn and prideful. Peter warns us that false teaching needs to be stopped and the errors corrected. For many years I have what are called “floaters” in both of my eyes making it challenging to read especially when one or more floater blocks a word from my vision. As a result, I often solicit either laughter or a loud “what did you say?,” when I read aloud during class. All it takes is one little word wrong and Scripture can take on an entirely different meaning. We need to remove those things that block our vision of the truth. Sadly, the only way to detect and prevent deceit, or for that fact anything ‘false’, is to already know the truth (or at least know where to find it).
Ever since the fall, mankind has been developing philosophies, some straightforward and others convoluted. Rather than a simple “God means what He says and says what He means” approach to understanding God and life, many a philosopher has stood up and said “now wait, it’s not that easy!” offering “a better way” (a cleverly devised myth). During Peter’s day, false doctrine was indeed prevalent and just as he predicted, it has been growing in acceptance, intensity, and effectiveness. After writing “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” Paul joins Peter in warning Christians to stay true to the Word: “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
By being diligent in knowing and growing in the Word of God, we can prevent from being captive by contrary thinking. The United States Secret Service besides protecting top leaders, they are also responsible to investigate and prosecute any money counterfeits. When asked how they prepare for this task they respond by saying that each agent is trained to become intimately familiar with the real money, making it easy to spot fake money. This is what both Peter and Paul are teaching, believers must become intimate with the Bible so that if a false teaching is encountered, it can quickly be called false.
Sometimes it helps to take the time to become familiar with alternate philosophies, especially for parents and grandparents (kids in school). We need to be able to reject any philosophy or methodology that is inconsistent with the Bible. Don’t let the allure of some intellectual pursuit prevent you from knowing and accepting Jesus. Man’s ideas and thinking are not just limited to a wide variety of philosophies. Man has also darkened Christianity’s door with countless numbers of alternate religions. Some of these may embrace one or more of man’s philosophies while others may teach they came into existence in order to correct some corruptive influence that penetrated Christianity. So which way do you turn? Of course that is a trick-question as we should never turn away from God. Peter in verse 19 tells us that we are to pay attention as to a light in a dark place. So keep your eyes on the Light of the world! “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” (John 8:12) so that we can be the light of the world to others (read Matthew 5:14-16)
See the Appendix 2 for a partial list of some of the more influential philosophies of today.
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[1] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 4741
[2] Philipp Nicolai. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. Hymn first published in 1599. Known in English as Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying. Later became the foundation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata known by many as Sleepers Wake.
[3] M. Water (2001). The New Encyclopedia of Christian Martyrs. John Hunt Publishers.
[4] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 3420
[5] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 4160
[6] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 1391