Peter is writing to the church at large near the end of his life, in order to shore up the foundations of the church, to strengthen the walls of the church, against the assault of the enemy of the church.  And the enemy always assaults the church in the area of the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God.  The Word of God is always under attack.  It has been since the beginning of the church, and it is even more so today.  

Back in Peter’s day, the assault of false doctrine took the form of Gnosticism.  Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge.  They professed a false knowledge concerning God which came not from scripture, nor from divine revelation, but from a philosophical and experiential viewpoint.  Thus, Peter makes reference repeatedly in this epistle of knowledge, but especially the true knowledge of God which comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

We have a similar situation in the church today, when the truth of God is set aside for the sake of human philosophy, for the sake of science, and for the sake of spiritual experiences.  So we have today in operation in the church at large, a form of Christianity, which seems to reference many of the same terms and names and so forth, yet i effect it denies the authority of the Word of God.

Now Peter has just addressed a list of virtues that he said were to be applied diligently to our faith.  In other words, he gives a list of things that characterize how we are to live as Christians.  And that’s important, because both in his day and in ours, there is a tendency to think that you can have spiritual knowledge of God, and that alone is sufficient.  There is no need to worry about what you do, only about the spiritual realm.  In fact, one of Gnosticisms’s heresies was that you didn’t need to be concerned  about sins of the flesh.  The flesh was separate from the spirit, and so as long as you were spiritually connected to God, you could do anything in the flesh and it didn’t matter.  And I’m afraid that the same attitude is prevalent today as well in some evangelical circles.  The theological term for this type of thinking is called antinomianism. It’s believing that since salvation is by no merit of your own, when you are saved, your sin no longer matters, or is even recognized.  It’s just a new twist on an old heresy; Gnosticism.

The fact is, God has decreed that without sanctification, that is the process of becoming holy, becoming like Christ in our behavior and attitudes, no one will see the Lord.  (Hebrews 12:14) But make no mistake, there is a constant battle going on in the Christian’s life between the flesh and the Spirit.  Paul cried out in Romans 7:24 “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  The answer of course is that Christ delivers us from the body of death through the resurrection.  That is when we are finally, truly free from the body of sin and given a new glorified body without sin.  But in the meantime, while we are still in the body, we are told to crucify the flesh on a daily basis, and walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.

Now in order to walk in the Spirit, we must walk according to the word of God.  To be obedient to God’s word is counter to the natural inclinations of the flesh.  So to yield to the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, means to walk in agreement with the Word of God.  The word of God is our shield against walking after the flesh.  Psalm 119:11 says, “your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

As the old adage goes, “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.” And so Peter follows through on his list of virtues, the virtues of sanctification,  by emphasizing the importance of staying in the word of God.  Sanctification, remember, is the life of a Christian.  It’s the abundant life, the fruitful life of a Christian.  The Christian life is not intended to be an initial spasm followed by chronic inertia which is so characteristic of so many  in evangelical churches today.  But it’s to be a progressive, maturing way of life, in which we follow the example set by Christ, becoming more and more like Him in the process.

Concerning this life of sanctification, Jesus said in John 17:17  “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”  So as Peter indicates here, reliance and dependance on the Word of God is necessary for a life of sanctification.

And Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  That’s the way we live as Christians,  living by the word of God, being obedient to it, walking in it, and trusting in it’s promises and in the process it keeps us from falling and leads us into the paths of righteousness.

So to Peter’s point, he gives us 7 characterizations of the word of God, which serve to establish us in the truth.  The first characterization is what he calls the remembrance of the word.  In the NASB, Peter uses the word “remind” in vs 12, “reminder” in vs 13, and in vs 15 he says “to call these things to mind.”  In the KJV, it uses the word “remembrance” in all three examples, and that’s the basis for the way I make the point.  

Notice Peter speaks of his intention to remind them of the truth, and the need for stirring them up by way of reminder, and then being able to bring to remembrance these things after he was gone.  Peter says that he is fully aware that he will soon leave this world.  That the Lord had revealed to him that his departure was imminent.   Some of us might think that to know the day of our death would be a curse.  We would rather not know when.  I overheard some people saying the other day that they hoped to die in their sleep.  

But on the other hand, what a blessing it was for Peter to know that there was appointed a time for his death, and that the few days he had left were to be used for a divine purpose.  In reality, we all ought to consider our time on earth that way.  None of us know the day or the hour in which we will die.  But one thing we do know, that the Bible says “it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment.”  We ought to all live our lives in the full expectation that today might be the last day we are on this earth.  And if we truly lived that way, I believe we would live so much more differently. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom.”

Did you know that if the average life span is 75 years old, that is 27375 days?  Doesn’t sound like a lot, does it? I am 60 years old.  That means that I have 5625 days left, if I live as long as that standard.  That should motivate us to make sure our lives count for God.

Now how was Peter going to bring about this reminder, this remembrance to the church, especially after he was dead?  Was his ghost going to come back and haunt the church like Ebenezer Scrooge? I don’t think so.  Peter still speaks today to the church via his epistles.  That’s the means by which he reminds the church of the doctrines of the gospel for ages to come. Peter remembered the teaching of Christ, and he writes them down for us that we may be stirred up, that we might know the truth of the gospel, and that at any time we may turn again and again to the scriptures for assurance and remembrance of these essential truths. 

Having the word of God available in our language, at our fingertips, available whenever we need it, is a blessing that we far too often take for granted. This is the word of God.  Listen, we can only really come to know God by the word of God. We don’t worship the word, but we worship through the word.  When we come to worship God, we speak to Him, but more importantly, He speaks to us, and He does so by the scriptures.  And implicated in these verses, is the principle that we need to be reminded on a regular basis.  We need to set aside time to study the word, to be reminded of these eternal truths, and even to commit the word of God to memory.  It is the source of life.  As Jesus said, we live by the word of God.

The second characteristic of the Word of God is that of endurance.  The endurance of the Word. Peter relates this principle in vs 15 saying, “And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”  In the providence of God the scriptures have been preserved for us.  Peter’s diligent was in writing it down for that generation and for future generations.  But God has preserved His word down through the ages.  And certainly, the greatest advancement of the gospel came with the invention of the  printing press in the 15th century and then the translation of the Bible into English by Tyndale in the early 16th century.  It was never the intention of God to have His word in only one archaic language which only a learned few were able to read and translate.  Now today, the word of God is available as never before on the internet, radio, television and every language known to man, and yet unfortunately, it is also under more attack that ever, and more neglected than ever.

In 1 Peter 1:24 Peter quoting Isaiah says,  “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.”  Some people think that when the Lord returns at His second coming and we are in the glorified kingdom, that there will be no more need for the word of God.  I disagree.  I think that the word of God will continue to have a place of prominence in our worship in heaven.  The scriptures speak of the eternality of the Word.  Psalm 119:89, “Your word, O LORD, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens.”  So the Word of God is not something that was created by Peter when he sat down in AD 67 with a pen and paper.  But it’s eternal and it endures forever.  That means that it’s unchanging, it’s never going to be revoked.  It’s promises are something that will never expire.  We can trust it and count on it.

The third characteristic of the Word that Peter gives is the eyewitnesses of the Word. Vs.16, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”  There is a pseudo intellectual type of approach to the scripture which tries to say that a lot of the early stories in the Bible like creation, or the flood, or things like that are actually not literal, true historical events, but they are analogies that were passed down verbally from generation to generation. And I don’t have time today to spend a lot of time on apologetics.  In fact, I’m not even going to attempt to defend the Bible.  I believe God can defend the Bible perfectly fine. I will say though that practically every week I read an article in the news confirming something that the Bible said and yet scholars have criticized as untrue for years.  As more archeology unearths more historical relics, the Bible is never really disproven, but the opposite is true.  For years they said there was no evidence of King David in archeological finds.  But now they believe that there are a number of evidences that he lived.  The fact is though that I don’t depend upon that sort of thing to validate my faith.  My faith validates the Bible, and archeology is trying to keep up.

Peter though is speaking of the fact that the things which he writes are because he and the other apostles were eyewitnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I’ve noted before that according to civil law, eyewitness testimony is critical to establishing fact.  Someone can be tried and found guilty of murder and put to death on the basis of two or three eyewitnesses.  Paul relates in 1 Cor. 15 that not only did Christ appear  after His resurrection to the 12 apostles, but also to more than 500 witnesses. That’s impossible to refute. And it means that the things of which he writes are facts, they are not clever morality tales.  Peter is writing at a time when many of those people who were eyewitnesses were still alive, and so what he is saying can be corroborated. 

The fourth characterization is the confirmation of the Word. Not only were the apostles eyewitnesses of the life, death and resurrection, but even more Peter says, he, and we know also James and John, were eyewitnesses of the transfiguration, and witnesses of the voice of God speaking in confirmation of His Son.  Peter says in vs.17 “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”–and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”  

The transfiguration was important for many reasons.  One obvious reason was that they saw Jesus Christ revealed in His glory as the Son of God. Matt. 17:2 says, “And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” It was as if the cloak of flesh was made transparent so that the glory of God shone forth from Him, which was a bright as the sun.

The apostle John who was present at the transfiguration said in John chapter 1 vs 14,  “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  It’s amazing that John’s gospel identifies Jesus as the Word which was in the beginning with God.  I don’t know how to describe that.  I don’t fully understand it.  But we know that in some way, Jesus was the personification of the Word of God, who existed in the beginning with God, who was God, and yet who became flesh and dwelt among us.  And Peter, James and John saw the Word of God manifested in all His glory and heard the voice of God confirming that He was His Son, and with Him He was well pleased.  And of course, the other confirmation of the gospel of Christ is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In raising Jesus from the dead, God confirmed that His life was perfect, His sacrifice was acceptable, and our debt was paid in full.  

The next characteristic is the certainty of the Word.  Peter says, we have the prophetic word made more sure.  The word bebaios in the Greek which is translated as more sure can be defined as stable, fast, firm, sure, trustworthy.  And I believe what Peter is speaking of here is the certainty of the Word.  It’s not obscure.  It’s not unclear.  It’s not the philosophy of man.  It’s not the wisdom of man.  It’s the wisdom of God.

It’s certainty is found in the fact that it was spoken by the Word made flesh, it was confirmed by God on the mountain, it was confirmed by angels, it was testified to by the apostles, it was witnessed by over 500 people, and I believe there is one other, which is that it was written down.  Jesus refers over and over again in His ministry to “it is written.  It is written.” The fact that God inspired the prophets to write down His word makes it more sure.  It’s something we can cross check against other scriptures.  It’s something we can study, evaluate, meditate on because it’s in written form.  It’s not just a verbal tradition that was passed down and added to.  That’s why the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was so important.  It verified the fact that the Word of God had remained virtually unchanged for over 2000 years.  So it’s a sure word.

Now in addition to the certainty of the Word, Peter adds another, the illumination of the Word. 2 Peter 1:19  “So we have the prophetic word [made] more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Peter’s illustration there speaks to the illumination of the Word by which we can see truth.  “Pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Jesus referred to Himself as the light of the world.  He referred to the gospel as a light set on a hill, which draws people to God. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”  In the prophecy concerning the Messiah found in Isaiah 9:2 it says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

Salvation is only possible when the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds, and opens the eyes of our hearts to see the light of truth.  Peter says give attention to that light, until the day dawns and the Morning Star, which is a description of Christ, arises in your hearts.   Rev 22:16 says, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”  Having the illumination of Christ in your heart is the means of salvation, and enables us to understand the scriptures which are the words of life.

Then finally, the seventh characteristic of the Word is the divine origin of the Word.  Peter gives an extremely important statement here regarding the origination of the Word of God. Vs.20 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Unfortunately, the word translated as “interpretation” there does not give us the best understanding.  Rather than interpretation, it would be better translated as origination.  He’s not talking about interpreting the scriptures, but the origination of the scriptures. That is, it does not arise out of the prophet.  The prophets did not originate it, it came from God.

The context supports this view because the preceding verse says, “We ought pay attention to the word of God.” Why? Because it doesn’t come from the prophets. And then verse 20 says it comes from God. That’s why we ought to give heed to it. So what we have here is a statement of the origination of Scripture, its divine origination. 

Incidentally, the phrase “moved by”  as in moved by the Holy Spirit, means  to be carried along by someone else’s power.  It was often used in reference to a ship being carried along by the wind.  Inspiration is the breath of God propelling the prophet to write the Word of God by his own hand, in his own words, and even flavored by his own experience and personality, but originating from the Holy Spirit.  They were not moved to write by their own designs or their perceived need, but according to the movement of the Holy Spirit in them.

That should remind us of the statement which Jesus made concerning the Word, which I quoted earlier, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  Our belief is that every word contained in scripture is inspired by God.  And the very words of God are our spiritual food and the means by which we grow  spiritually and are matured spiritually.  And we learned previously  in our study of 1 Peter 2:2 that the goal of our new birth, Peter said, “ like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

Our sanctification is not possible without feeding upon the Word of God.  It is sufficient for every need. The apostle Paul, who like Peter was nearing the end of his life, wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy about the importance of staying in the word.  I will close by reading his admonition to Timothy, which I hope you will apply also to yourself.  2 Tim. 3:14-17  “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned [them,]  and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;  so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”