Week 12 - 2 Peter 1:16-21 - The Confirmed Word

This is important:

2 Peter 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.

Not only was Peter one of the first disciples called (Matthew 4:18-20), Peter was a witness of the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) and heard the voice of God.

Matthew 17:5

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

But he knew this eyewitness would soon be gone.  So he did something.  He wrote this letter.

2 Peter 1:15

And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

And in this letter he wanted to share the "confirmed word".

2 Peter 1:19-20

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.

The Gospel was present in the prophets (See “Case Dismissed” and the notes on Job 32-37 for example), but dimly lit.  

Peter encourages them to look to the now “confirmed” (bebaios – something that you can stand on, or better yet walk on) word.  This is not a different word, but the same word only explained.  Because prophecy is not the result of a person’s thought process [Ellicot points us to the verb form of “interpretation” (epilysis) in Mark 4:34 as “explained” (epilyō)], it needs to be explained.

For example, as each parable was told by Jesus, there was often a collective “Hugh?” in response.  

John 6:60

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”

They would then need an interpreter, which Jesus often did privately:

·       Parable of the Sower – Matthew 13:3-23

·       Parable of the Weeds – Matthew 13:24-43

·       Parable of the Net – Matthew 13:47–50

Not only did the lack of an explanation prohibit the understanding, one’s eye may itself also be “bad”/”evil”/”dark” (ponēros) and one's heart may be a "dark place".

Matthew 6:22-23
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

The use of ponēros also in Matthew 6:22-23, underscores the petition in the Lord’s prayer to “deliver us from evil” and explains how a “bad” eye can flood the person with darkness.

Matthew 6:13

And lead us not into temptation,

    but deliver us from evil.

Week 11 - 2 Peter 1:1-15 - Don't Trip

Peter introduces himself as Simeon, the Jewish form of his birth-name.  He is writing to Gentiles and uses language to bridge the two cultures ("Grace" and "Peace").  He even speaks of them as being of “equal standing” (isotimos).

The purpose of the letter is included toward the end of this week's passage:

2 Peter 1:14-15

. . . since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Before his life is over he wants to give them something from which they can remember the important things.

In today's passage that important thing is the two-sided coin of election and evangelism.

He reminds them that they were providentially elected to receive the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:3-4).  And because of that work of God in us, we are to participate as well.  We are told to "make" (pareispherō).  Please note the similarity to the title given the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 of "Helper" (paraklētos).  Just as the Holy Spirit comes alongside us, we also must participate.

The work ahead is to add a series of qualities to our character starting with the very internal "faith" and finishing with the very external "love":

2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,[a] and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

We are told that because of God's gift we should move from the internal to the external so that we will not be "unfruitful" (2 Peter 1:8).  Fruit is always external.  Fruit is always external.  Fruit is always external.

Our election should always produce evangelism.  Anyone who does not evangelize is described as ". . . so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed . . . ".  They fall and become unproductive (2 Peter 1:9-10).

Those around us need the Christ to be cleansed and they can't do it alone.  They need someone to tell them.  Three men brought me to faith:

• Gordan Randall, my Sunday school teacher, made sure I had a Bible that I could read.  Back in the day when only the King James version was used, he bought me a Good News Bible.
• Harry Krein, my science teacher, who showed me God in nature.
• Coulson Dayton, a Long Island policeman, with a passion for kids sat with us by a campfire at a campsite on Long Lake and explained to us the Gospel.

They loved me.

Week 10 - Acts 4:11 - The Builders

When arrested by the Chief Priest for healing a man in the temple, Peter said to his accusers at his arraignment:

Acts 4:11

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

He called them "builders".  But it was a task that they failed to do.  The builder must get the order right.  A roofer, a framer, a mason, or a plumber can't start at the top.  They must start at the bottom.

Peter got it.

Matthew 16:16

Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

And when Peter recognized Jesus, as who he was something special happened.

Matthew 16:18-19

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

But as we have seen over the last 10 weeks, there are not just two stones in Christ's church.  Peter explains:

1 Peter 2:5

. . . you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We are all to take our place, not simply next to the perfect Cornerstone, but next to the rough and poorly shaped stones around us (like Peter) ever looking to prepare the next generation (Mark and Silas) to take their place.

1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

The word “establish” (themelioō) is literally to lay a foundation with you as one of its stones.  What is being constructed will be a sight-to-behold (Revelation 21).