image source: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/?p=537
Previously, Peter discussed the journey of faith his readers were on. Now, he went on to discuss the truthfulness of that faith.
I once heard Greg Koukl say, "The heart cannot believe for very long what the mind rejects."
Faith isn't (and shouldn't be) believing something one knows to be false. Rather faith is trust in something we have some indication to be true and trust in someone whom we have some basis to consider reliable.
And so the Apostle Peter dived into the foundation of faith and the truthfulness of it.
So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For 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." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
Peter leaned upon his eyewitness testimony.
For instance, Peter recalled when Jesus told Peter about the manner of Peter's death.
This passage also specifically called upon the indelible images of the Transfiguration when for a brief moment, he, James and John got a glimpse of Jesus' glory like how Moses got a hint of God's glory up in Mt. Sinai. Peter, in a bit of self-deprecating humor, referred to his life as a tent which recalled his remark at the Transfiguration of wanting to build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.
There was a body of eyewitness testimony about the life of Jesus. Certainly, the teachings of Jesus were eagerly preserved. But also, episodes of His power and glory were part of that body of testimony. Jesus was much more than a good teacher.
And on top of the testimony about Jesus, Peter called upon the prophets of old ...
And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, 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. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The message of God came to humanity through the Prophets. The message of God came to us through Jesus. And indeed, the Prophets pointed to Jesus. The Christian faith holds to a unity of ideas about God and life from the Hebrew Scriptures into the New Testament.
The Scriptures contain what God wants us to know... men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. It wasn't dictation. The writers weren't robots. In their personality, with strength and weaknesses, God worked through them to get His message out.
And so, in the Scriptures, there are direct teachings of what is good and right and true but also life stories that are far short of God's standards. Yet, even those things are meant for us to gain understanding of how life is to be lived.
Lord, thank you for intervening. You have spoken through the prophets. You went even so far as to send Jesus. And now, you have preserved your message by providing Scripture. And you have asked us, flawed and weak people who call you Lord, to carry your message to the world in the way we live our lives. Lord, help me to be live it out and be bold and ready to point people to you. Amen.
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