Morning Musings with the boys at breakfast...
Peter is telling his readers that they need to have God's truth "firmly established" within their minds and memories and they need to remember it and to pass it on to the next generation. As they do so God's truth will be even more a part of their Jesus-life DNA.
The emphasis is on the word "truth" here. Peter is saying in 2 Peter 1:16-21 that this "truth" is not some "cleverly" made-up story. He and the other apostles were "eyewitnesses". They had seen, heard, touched Jesus with their own eyes, ears and hands. They'd experienced the life of Christ walking from village to village to city with Him for at least three years or more.
It was also true that Jesus is the Son of God. Peter, James and John heard Jesus being validated by His Father, God, speaking from Heaven. They had gone up "the high mountain" which many also call "the Mount of Transfiguration" (Matthew 17), with Jesus. While there God's voice spoke from the cloud saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well-pleased. Listen to Him." (Matthew 17:5).
They were eyewitnesses to this. They confirm it is the truth. God speaks from Heaven giving further confirmation of Jesus being God's Son. That He is the Son He loves. That He is well-pleased with Jesus. What son would not want to hear this!? God is a wonderful Father, is He not? What joy and gratitude Jesus must have gotten from this. But I go off on a tangent from the topic.
The disciples and God vouch for Jesus. Further to them were all the Old Testament prophesies, Peter says, who foretold of Jesus coming and of His sufferings and who did not speak out of their own accord but only what the Holy Spirit taught them to say. None of them were simply making up this story. Peter and the other apostles saw and heard the actual fulfilling of many of those prophesies. They were eyewitnesses!
Pay attention!!
None of the above were making any of the story up nor were any angels doing so either. These are words that can be trusted!! The men could only speak what God had given them to say and they "were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (vs 21). Right from God Himself. What more could anyone say against what Peter had to say?
This is good to take note of though as over so great periods of time from the early Bible times up to Peter's day, all fit together nicely; a miracle in and of itself. So any other 'gospel' that is preached that goes counter to the gospel that Peter and Paul and the other apostles preached would NOT be the Word of God and could NOT be trusted as it would NOT be the truth. And this even if it came from an angel from heaven!
Peter is setting up his "argument" as he will next address the problem of false prophets and teachers and what they teach. We must always seek the truth and establish what is the truth by so many checks and balances. In the Hebrew culture they had to have two or three witnesses to confirm truth and what is said (Deuteronomy 19:15; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). So here we have named: the Old Testament prophets; Peter and the other apostles as eyewitnesses; and God Himself speaking from Heaven, telling us of the truth about Jesus. Count the number of witnesses. May each of you join the number of 'eyewitnesses' as you make a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, accepting Him as "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).
~ERC 2016~
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