Peter wrote by the Holy Spirit in Second Peter 1:12, Wherefore I will not be negligent to put
you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be
established in the present truth. One of the principle responsibilities of a preacher is not
necessarily to tell people things that they have never heard, but to do what
Peter said he needed to do: to remind people of things that they already know
but that they must never forget.
In Second Peter 1:13-14 Peter wrote, Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in
this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly
I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. These two verses demonstrate a great
similarity between the circumstances that Peter was in as he wrote this epistle
and the circumstances that Paul was in when Paul wrote the epistle of Second
Timothy. Both men were obviously under a death sentence for their faith in
Christ and both were soon to be executed. That is what Peter meant when he
said, shortly I must put
off this my tabernacle.
When Peter wrote, Even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me, Peter was stating the fact that Christ,
years earlier, had indicated that Peter would die by crucifixion and that was
the sentence that had now been pronounced against Peter. The Bible says in John
In Second Peter
Being now on the subject of the written Word of God, Peter writes
in Second Peter 1:16, For
we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the
power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. In this verse we are dealing with the
veracity and the trustworthiness of the Word of God. What evidence is there
that the Word of God is the truth? The evidence is the same evidence that would
be received in any court of law: eyewitness testimony. What is one of the most
important factors regarding eyewitness testimony? The character of the witness
is of utmost importance. The greater the character, the more reliable is the
testimony.
Peter included the other witnesses. He said we made known unto you. One person might be mistaken or might have
a dream and confuse it with reality, but when many reliable witnesses give the
same testimony, the truthfulness is established beyond question. The Apostle
John said the same thing in First John 1:1, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life.
The apostles and other believers of the first century were
witnesses of the power and the coming
and the majesty of Jesus Christ. Jesus was powerful. He
performed miracles. The manifestation of His great power was part of the proof
of who He was. He was God in the flesh. The coming
of the Messiah had been foretold for centuries by the prophets of old. When the
time was just right, the Messiah came into the world. The truth of His identity
was revealed to some, just as the same truth is revealed by faith to some in
our day and age. Many are
called, but few are chosen.
In Second Peter
They were witnesses of His coming. From the beginning of Gods
first revelations to mankind; there was a promise that One would come. He would
be the Anointed One, the Messiah. He would come to save His people from their
sins. In the fullness of time He came, and the apostles were chosen to bear
witness of His coming. The prophets of old looked for His coming. Now we look
for His coming again. Just as the Messiah came the first time and walked as a
man upon the earth, He will come again as the mighty King of kings. We will see
Him. All the nations will look upon Him, and then the whole world will see His
majesty.
Peter said that he and the others saw the majesty of Christ the god-man. Even as a man, His majesty could
not be hidden from those who saw Him. The word majesty
is a word of superlatives. Think of magnificent grandeur and greatness. Jesus
was marvelous, He was extraordinary, and He was wonderful beyond compare. It
must have truly been a great thing to have witnessed the Christ in His first
coming. The grace, the love, the charm, the kindness, the strength, and the
character that made up His human being! All that a human being can be, Christ
was and more! The type of person that Christ was bore witness of the fact of
just Who He was.
Jesus was the Son of God. It is not surprising that the Father
bore witness of the Son when the Son was on the earth. Peter wrote about Jesus
in Second Peter 1:17-18, For
he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice
to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him
in the holy mount. Why did
Jesus please the Father? He obeyed the Father. He did the Fathers will. No one
else has ever pleased the Father like Jesus. Except for Jesus, the condition of
all other humans is described in Isaiah 53:6, All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned
everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
The Father spoke from heaven, and one would think that such a word
would be the final word. What other Word could match that? What would be needed
for the human race in addition to the Father speaking audibly from heaven? How
about a written Word? Peter wrote in Second Peter 1:19-21, We have also a more sure word of
prophesy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts:
knowing this first, that no prophesy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophesy came not in old time by the will of man: but
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.
The written Word, what this passage calls the scripture, is said to be a more sure word of prophesy than even the audible words that came directly from the Father.
The last phrase of Psalm 138:2 says, for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. The written word of God is more sure than any other witness that we could possibly receive
about the truth. This shows us the importance of the written Word of God.
Second Peter
The written Word of God is called the light. We live in a dark world. Spiritual darkness is on every side.
For those who understand that they need a light that will shine for them in a
dark place, the Bible is the answer. Notice where the light needs to shine: in your hearts. The heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitful
above all things. You will
hear many, many ideas given as solutions to the problems of the world, and many
of them involve money, but none of them will shine as a light in a dark place.
Only the Word of God can do that. Only the Word of God can reveal Christ for
who He is.
Of course, the Word of God must not be misused. We all know that
there are those who claim to base their teachings on the Word of God, but in
reality their teachings are false. Knowing that there are false teachers, some
people use this fact as an excuse to avoid studying the Word for themselves.
Such people will say that the Bible can be interpreted in any way, and
therefore why study it? But they are wrong. There is only one valid
interpretation of any portion of the Bible. If two people disagree about the
meaning of a particular Bible verse, then one of them is wrong. Sometimes the
person that is wrong is the one who is too dogmatic. Some things have been
revealed to man, but some things have not yet been revealed. Some things are
known now, but other things will not be known until we stand before the King.
No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
The Bible is not open to an individuals interpretation. It says
what it says, and it means what it means. Remember that the Bible is literally
the Word of God. Every Word was given from God. Do not look for a hidden
meaning. Look for the obvious meaning. The Bible was given by God for every
person on the earth. It was not given just for scholars. The foundational truth
that must be understood and accepted is that the origin of the Bible is from
God Himself. Yes, God used human instruments so that the Bible would be
written. But God is the author. That is the message given so clearly in Second
Peter 1:21, For the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holt Ghost. If you do not
believe this, your faith will easily be destroyed. Faith stands on the
foundation that Gods Word came from God, that it is true, and that it is
without error. Anyone, no matter how educated they are, who departs from this
truth, is departing from the faith and is leading others to depart from the
faith. Beware of modern textual criticism.
We must notice that holy men
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost. God uses a prepared
person for His service. Do your part in becoming prepared for Him. Keep from
sin. Confess your sins, and stay in fellowship with Christ. There may yet be
something that He has for you to do for Jesus, but remember that those whom God
used in the past were holy.
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Copyright; 2006 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved