207
II Peter
1. Why did Peter find it necessary to remind his readers of the things he refers to in this chapter? That is, why is it important to be diligent to add these things? Peter uses the word ‘remind’ three times in verses 12-15. In verse 12 Peter essentially points out that although his readers are established in the faith, he finds no less of a reason to remind them of the things he is telling them. He points out even after his passing his will for them is to be continually reminded, as it is a defense against any thoughts they simply believed a fabricated truth, because he was an eyewitness to it (v16). The things Peter is referring to are all things he has presented thus far. In verse 4, Peter mentions exceedingly great promises, and to lay hold of these promises it is necessary they nurture the fruits of the Spirit he subsequently lists. Nurturing spiritual gifts is absolutely essential for success. These gifts of the Spirit are not things we should hope for in the Kingdom, but to be ever so diligent that they are cultivated in the here and now. In the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, is not an exclusive prayer request for the Lord to return and set up His Kingdom on earth, it is more to say ‘Thy Kingdom come and rule in our hearts’. The kingdom must rule in your heart first before you can enter it. This is not commonly understood, for often the Church claims its commission is to ‘Proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God’, the Church inserts the word ‘coming’ in the future prophetic sense, but this phrase cannot be found in the New Testament. The Good News (Gospel) of the Kingdom is available now to rule in your hearts. Peter is essentially telling us the same thing. 2. Peter makes the point of reminding them that they (the Apostles) did not follow cunningly devised fables. In the context of all that has been written in this chapter up to this point, how does it reinforce his point to them? Verse 16 starts with that connective word ‘for’. Peter’s point is that what he had been emphatic about is for real. He witnessed the transfiguration; therefore his testimony to them is rested on historical events that he experienced personally. He had seen the power of God through Jesus personally, and he makes specific reference to the transfiguration on the mountain (Matt. 17:1-8). The transfiguration gave the few Apostles that witnessed it a taste of the power that His coming will be when He returns. They did not see the actual return, but the prophetic basis of what His return will consist – “… we have the prophetic word confirmed” – v 19. His point overall is that they have the credible truth to believe they knew the prophesied Messiah. There is something very applicable to the Church of God today. The Church of God is beset everywhere with cunningly devised interpretations of scripture. These include, but not limited to: