This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Exhortation to Spiritual Maturity – Be Sure of Your Source - 2 Peter 1:12-21

Last week, we learned that His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Peter then lists seven qualities we should add to our foundation of faith. If you miss any messages, you can watch them online on our FaceBook page or at PutnamChurch.org.

12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Let me ask some questions as we begin today. How do we know the Bible can be trusted? Why is God’s Word set apart from all other claims of divine revelation? Why does it stand above all other standards of divine truth? In 1:12-21, Peter reminds us of the only absolutely reliable source of truth—the Holy Scriptures—and tells us why we can and must trust God’s sacred Word as the sure standard for our beliefs and actions. This is a vital topic in a letter that was written to stir up believers’ memories of sound teaching, to spur them on to diligence in the faith, and to shore up the biblical foundations of their beliefs and practices. In 1:12-18, Peter reminds us what the truth is and isn’t. Then, in 1:19-21, he gives us a rare description of the process by which God communicated his Word through human authors in the Holy Scriptures—and why we can be sure of our source.

-1:12-15 —

In light of present benefits and future rewards, Peter encouraged his readers to diligently develop Christian virtues in the upward journey from foundational faith to unconditional love (1:1-11). Peter then says that he will continue to remind them of these things as long as he is in his earthly dwelling—that is, physically alive (1:12-13). He is reminding them, |not announcing new revelations or radical principles they had never heard before. Peter clearly states they already know these things and have been “established in the truth” (1:12). So important are these things that Peter makes sure to reinforce them one last time, knowing by special revelation from the Lord that he would soon be suffering martyrdom (1:14). (divine communication was not uncommon among apostles)

So, fundamental Christian truth is something in which God’s people are to be “firmly established” and of which they are to be reminded (1:12). Truth isn’t the answer to a cosmic guessing game we stumble upon |if we’re lucky| or a mysterious riddle waiting to be solved by clever people. And it’s not vague, uncertain, or indefinite—it doesn’t change with the winds of culture or the whims of experience. The fact that Peter reminds them of the truth in which they were previously established underscores that it doesn’t change.

Peter also says that truth is objective. God’s objectively true revelation can be expressed in clear, unambiguous language (1:15). It establishes believers in the faith, regards God’s person and will, and reveals the reality of human life—past, present, and future.

-1:16-18 —

Having touched on what truth is (1:12-15), Peter then describes what truth is not (1:16-18). Drawing on his own experience as a chosen apostle of Jesus Christ, he answers the doubts of some who may not view Christian claims as reflecting dependable truth.

Truth is not a myth. Peter’s words “cleverly devised stories” come from the Greek word (mythos) that gives us our English word myth. Myths are speculations, fables, or fictions dreamed up by people to illustrate life, compare analogies to spiritual truths, or simply entertain people by drawing them into a moving story. Peter was surrounded by the ancient religions of the Romans, Greeks, Persians, and Egyptians, who concocted all sorts of myths regarding the exploits of their gods. Fictional movies and novels might seem the modern equivalent of myths, but although Star Wars might entertain, delight, move, and excite us, nobody in their right mind would believe these characters really existed somewhere in a galaxy far, far away! And though some epic stories like J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia contain intentional parallels to Christian truths, nobody believes in the existence of Middle Earth or that a parallel universe exists in the spare closet! Such fantastic stories are easily discerned as mythological fiction.

Peter clarifies that the foundational Christian claims about the coming of Christ,>His death,>and His resurrection do not fall into the genre category of “myth.” How could Peter make such a claim with certainty? Because he was an eyewitness! He and other disciples had seen the majesty of Christ with their own eyes (1:16). Peter declares that he communicated the truth to his readers without any mixture of legend, myth, or fiction.

Whereas false religions and false teachers in Peter’s day rested their beliefs and practices on fabricated stories, everything Peter taught concerning Christ came from authentic, personal experience. Peter selects one such event that he, James, and John had witnessed—the Transfiguration on the “sacred mountain,” likely Mount Hermon, to the far north of Galilee (Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). Peter chose this particular account primarily because he personally heard God’s voice testifying about Jesus from the cloud of glory, declaring in (2 Pet. 1:17): “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Peter could legitimately say that God Himself had validated the words and works of Jesus as something other than merely human (1:18). And besides hearing those divine words with his own ears, Peter saw with his own eyes Jesus’ brilliance shining forth during a brief moment of transformation. So, with his eyes and ears, Peter saw and heard God confirm the truth of Jesus’ person and work.

Of course, not everybody has the privilege of seeing the spirits of departed saints and hearing God Himself confirming the truth of the Christian message. This is why Peter transitions from the reliability of the apostles’ message to the reliability of the enduring written Word of God—the Holy Scriptures.

-1:19-21 —

Peter begins his discussion of Scripture by saying that, through his personal witness of Christ’s glory and the voice of God, we have the “prophetic message as something completely reliable” (1:19a). The prophetic word here refers to all Scripture, not just the books of prophecy. Peter clarifies this definition in 1:20 by referring to the “prophecy of Scripture.” In Scripture, we have God’s truth stated in written form, available for us to read, study, ponder, and apply by the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Its truth never changes. It never goes out of date. Though Old Testament saints relied upon their Scriptures as infallible witnesses, their trustworthiness was made even more certain when Peter saw prophecies that had been written regarding the Messiah actually come to pass. It is to this sure foundation of truth that Peter directs his readers.

Peter says that you will do well to pay attention to this prophetic word of Holy Scripture (1:19b). To “pay attention” (prosechõ) means to focus our concern, care, and commitment to something (see Heb. 2:1). This means cultivating more than merely a casual familiarity with the Old Testament’s characters or a superficial understanding of its stories. In very practical terms, it would mean we study, not merely read, the text. We ponder it; we don’t simply peruse it. We memorize Scripture; we don’t merely mutter it. And we apply it to our lives, rather than merely framing a few verses and hanging them on our walls.

Then what does Peter mean by “prophet’s own interpretation”? A second possibility is that Peter is declaring that no passage of Scripture is intended to stand on its own—that is, that no prophet speaks or writes a word contrary to what has already been revealed. The implication of this idea is twofold: (1) a passage of Scripture will never contradict another passage, even when written by a different author; and (2) every individual passage must be understood in light of the whole of Scripture and in light of parallel or related passages.

A third view, which ties in best with the following verse, is that all prophecies of Scripture do not ultimately come from a prophet’s personal interpretation or a merely human explanation of God’s revelation; instead, the ultimate source of Scripture is God. Peter explains the process in 1:21: For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. When we allow this verse to interpret what Peter means by “prophet’s own interpretation,” then this third view makes the best sense. Scripture is not a record of fallible human ideas and interpretations of God’s revelation. God’s actual inerrant and authoritative Word was written through human authors, and the Holy Spirit providentially kept them from error as they wrote the original documents. If this third view is correct, the second view—that Scripture does not contradict itself and must be read as a whole—is also true, because one divine Author stands behind both the Old and New Testaments.

The doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture doesn’t mean God audibly dictated the words they wrote, nor does it mean that the human authors went into some hypnotic trance. Instead, in many cases, they were probably unaware that the Holy Spirit was moving them to compose and record God’s inspired words without error. The result of the process is an inspired, inerrant text of Scripture.

When New Testament writers referred to “Scripture,” they primarily had in mind the Old Testament writings, which the Jews and early Christians accepted as God’s inspired Word. However, we’ll see that Peter already knew that the writings of the New Testament apostles and prophets were of the same quality as the Old Testament and should be treated with the same kind of respect and obedience (2 Pet. 3:16).

How does Peter’s technical description of the inspiration of Scripture fit with his overall purpose in writing this letter? Peter wrote to stir up his readers’ memories regarding sound teaching, to spur them on to diligence in the faith, and to shore up the biblical foundations of their beliefs and practices. In all these areas, an understanding of Scripture’s authority is essential. When the apostles departed this life, as Peter soon would, Scripture was to guide the church in sound teaching. His readers were to turn to Scripture to reaffirm their biblical foundations, not only for what they believed but for how they lived. Only by centering their faith on the Word of God would they be able to discern false doctrine and defeat the deceitful claims of heretics. Paul puts the importance of Scripture this way: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

APPLICATION: 2 PETER 1:12-21

Drinking from the Purest Source (Bulletin Insert)

Peter’s message to the first-century believers is just as relevant today. In fact, in our generation of growing skepticism, cynicism, agnosticism, and atheism, we must heed this message as if Peter had written directly to us. Peter’s words are meant to turn our minds to two vital truths.

First, remember that when you turn to God’s Word, you’re consulting the most reliable of all sources. The world is filled with conflicting truth claims, alternate sources of revelation, and competing philosophies. We could drown in this ocean of worldly delusions and devilish distractions in our media-saturated world. In this dangerous deluge, the Bible provides a source of life-giving air. Scripture alone contains God’s Word written, an objective and unchanging standard of truth. Just as a scuba diver wouldn’t make it for more than a few minutes without a steady supply of air, Christians can’t thrive spiritually without constantly breathing in God’s spiritual words of truth.

How many of us, though, sip the Word of God like it’s a cup of bad medicine! We might take in a spoonful during a Sunday sermon or taste a few drops when it’s sweetened by an inspiring devotional. But if we take Peter’s words about Scripture seriously, we won’t sip. We’ll guzzle its life-giving truth, letting its cool, clean waters quench our famished souls, satisfy our longing hearts, and cleanse our polluted minds.

Second, remember that you’ll fall into error when you make other sources—experiences, dreams, feelings, supernatural phenomena, or opinions—equal to or more reliable than the Scriptures. Peter knows this all too well. His entire letter is filled with warnings against those who did just that. They placed a different source of knowledge above God’s Word. The result was disastrous.

Today, we must counter the culture of lies and a world of deception that threatens to undo our convictions and unravel our faith. When we aren’t drinking from the pure source of God’s Word, our opinions, ideas, and principles come from the world. Just think of the thousands of truth claims that bombard us from the moment we wake up to the minute we finally drift off to sleep! No matter how keen our discernment may be, many false or distorted claims impact our perception of reality. (Britta Filter)To filter the good from the bad—and the better from the best—we desperately need the one reliable source of Scripture alone as the final authority in all matters of faith and life.

Ask yourself: Are you among those who sip God’s Word as the most reliable source of truth? Or do you draw on Scripture deeply and constantly to counter the claims of a world careening into doctrinal and moral chaos? Before going on, examine your own practice of reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word. Is it consistent with the high priority Peter places on it?

Next week, we will continue the letter of 2 Peter in the Denunciation of False Teachers section, in a message titled ‘An Expose of Counterfeit Communicators.’ Invest time reading 2 Peter 2:1-3 for next week’s message.