By Way Of Remembrance

A two‑part consideration of 2 Pet.1. Part 1

"This voice…we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount." (2 Pet.1:18)

How many of you have heard this voice? How many of you know him upon whom you have believed, and know his Truth, his creative purpose, the power of his mighty Spirit, and have so built that knowledge into the structure of your life that it will never leave you? Here in this chapter the Apostle Peter talks about being established in the present truth and so at the last experiencing an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. How many of you are so established and how many of you will remain established throughout life and so at the end participate in the glory of that abundant entrance? Have you so heard his voice that you can do naught else but leave all and follow him and his Truth to the end of time?

Peter was in no doubt about this. Like his brother—the Apostle Paul, he knew him whom he had believed, and had confidence that his trust and faith was not misplaced. Like Paul too, he exhorted the brethren to whom he was writing to hold fast the form of sound words which he had committed to them, to remain always and for ever established in the truth. So in this first chapter of his second Epistle he is at pains to stress the necessity of building into one’s structure of faith that positive knowledge of the Divine purpose in creation which alone can make us acceptable workers together with God, "scribe(s)…instructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven…things new and old" as Jesus called them. (Matt.13:52)

In this chapter Peter combines in a very wonderful manner the life of faith and devotion, which is the basic requirement of those who come to Christ, with the life of learning and understanding and witness which is incumbent upon those who would be his ambassadors and evangelists at this critical time in the end of the Age. For, make no mistake about it, we who now live are living at the most crucial period in the history of man, the time which Jesus called "the days of the Son of Man," (Luke 17:22) the initial phase of his Advent when the kingdoms of this world are in turmoil and the fabric of society is being torn apart, when the Lord himself is supervising the breaking down of the power of evil and the Evil One preparatory to taking his own great power, and, in company with his resurrected and glorified Church, will in the next stage of his Advent be manifested to all the world for their salvation. For two thousand years the Lord’s followers have prayed and waited for this day and sometimes been grievously disappointed that it has not come in their own time. Today there is no longer any doubt; the signs of the days of the Son of Man are all but completely fulfilled before our eyes and in our generations. When ye see these things begin to come to pass, said Jesus, then know that the time is at hand.

This is why Peter is so insistent in this chapter upon the necessity, first of being diligent to give heed, secondly to hold the things learned in constant remembrance, and thirdly to remain established in them. First of all comes instruction in these things from Peter himself, their Apostle and Mentor in the things of the Spirit. But one day Peter must come to the end of the way and they be left with only the remembrance of the things he had taught them and this is where they must continue in the remembrance of those things whilst their own life lasted and so demonstrate that they were indeed grounded and established in the present truth. But at his passing away they would not be left destitute, for there would be a voice from heaven which he and they had heard before, to be their constant guide in the Truth. Jesus spoke of that; I will send you the Holy Spirit, He said, and that Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth and show you things to come, and so you will be sustained throughout life. And thirdly there would be something that is of increasing importance the farther away the believers are from those early days and the nearer to these latter days of the end of the world. They, with us, have the "sure word" of prophecy, the written word, that which reveals an increasingly up‑to‑date understanding of the developing purpose of God as the end of the Age draws on. So there is in this chapter vital instruction for we who live at this end of the Age of equal or even greater moment than for those to whom it was first written at the beginning. But first of all there must come something else. Peter knew full well that the acquisition of the knowledge of the Divine Plan must be preceded by sincere devotion and consecration of life to the Lord. Learning and knowledge must be the servants of faith and devotion and not the masters. Faith, says Peter in verse 5, must come first of all. "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him." (Heb.11:6) "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." (1 John 5:4) But faith leads on to other characteristics, all of them of vital importance in the Christian life, and Peter goes on now to bring them forward, one after another. To your faith, he says, add fortitude. The Authorised Version says virtue, but the real meaning of the word is fortitude. Stability, firmness, determination, these are qualities which must be brought to our aid right at the beginning of our Christian course. We are going to need them. "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God" said Jesus. (Luke 9:62) The dictionary definition of fortitude is "mental strength to endure suffering or adversity with courage. Patient endurance." "He that shall endure unto the End" said Jesus, "the same shall be saved." (Matt.24:13) Right at the outset, and until the end, the Christian needs fortitude.

"To fortitude, add knowledge." Knowledge of what? Knowledge of the Lord, of his ways, of his teachings. Knowledge of his life, of his death, of his resurrection, of his coming again, and the purpose and outworking of all these things. Knowledge of our place in his purposes and his work, that we may be ready to serve and work with him in the right way at the right time. Positive knowledge is vital if we are not to be taken unawares at our Lord’s Advent. "The excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it." (Eccl.7:12) Said the Wise Man of the Old Testament "Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto (enquire of) thee?" (Prov.22:20‑21) One is reminded of the words of the writer to the Hebrews when he said of some who had dropped back in this respect. "When, for the time [ye have known the truth] ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God." (Heb.5:12) There is an old jingle which is worth repeating in this connection:

   "He who knows not, and knows not that he
      knows not, is a fool; shun him.
   He who knows not, and knows that he knows
      not, is a child; teach him.
   He who knows and knows not that he knows,
      is asleep; wake him.
   He who knows, and knows that he knows, is a
      wise man; follow him."

But here lurks a danger. The conscious possession of knowledge can lead to pride in achievement. When it is knowledge of the purposes of God and of the Word of God it can be spiritual pride and the whole benefit of the knowledge is lost. So Peter adds his third characteristic to be added to knowledge; self‑control. The A.V. calls it temperance but that word has somewhat changed its meaning since the seventeenth century; our present term self‑control best expresses the meaning. If we have knowledge, we must control its use for good; good to us and good to others. "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Cor.4:7) All that we have learned has come from the Father through the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit and is given, as Paul said to Timothy, "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be... thoroughly furnished (thoroughly instructed) unto all good works." (2 Tim.3:16‑17) Unless the knowledge is used for the spiritual benefit and upbuilding of others it has failed in its intention and therefore discretion must be exercised in its use so that the other might be helped without being stumbled. Hence the need for self‑control, to know when to speak and when to be silent. "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine" was another of the admonitions to Timothy "for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." (1 Tim.4:16)

Peter has laid the basis. Faith, fortitude, knowledge, self‑control. These are the practical characteristics for daily life. Now he proceeds to build upon these those other qualities which are necessary to the fully rounded out Christian life. To self‑control, says Peter, add patience. Patience is going to be very necessary to one who intends to stay the course and come to a triumphant finish. Patience with all the disappointments and disillusionments that are sure to come, patience with brethren who fail to come up to the expected standard, patience when the time seems to be unduly delayed and expected events do not happen. There will be need for much patience in superabundant measure. So "let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (James 1:4) "Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." (Heb.10:36) The patience of Job has become proverbial; let ours be no less so.

To patience add godliness, which in modern English means piety, reverence, the spirit of worship. In this there must be sincerity, utter sincerity allied with humility. There is a biting expression in the Book of Proverbs "There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up." (Prov.30:13) John the Baptist looked at one such generation and called them a generation of vipers. With their eyes raised to heaven in mock piety and the fringe of their garments raised from the ground to avoid defilement with the things of earth, they are in their arrogance an abomination in the sight of the Lord. Paul spoke scathingly of them as "having a form of godliness (piety), but denying the power thereof; from such turn away." (2 Tim.3:5) The piety which must be added to our patience is that advocated to Timothy "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness (piety) and honesty," "godliness (piety) with contentment is great gain." (1 Tim.2:2; 6:6). They who will render acceptable worship to the Father must "worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)

Finally, to these Christian graces Peter exhorts us to add love; love in its two manifestations, "brotherly kindness" (philadelphia) which defines love as between members of a family or brethren, one Christian and another, so often expressed in the well‑known term "the love of the brethren," and "charity" (agape) in its wider sense of love toward all and between God and men. Here is the crown and flower of Christian achievement, to "love one another; as I have loved you," (John 15:12) to be ready to serve and spend on behalf of others, to "pour out life unto death" (Isa.53:12) as did our Lord, that life may come to others who otherwise would never see life. "God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth...should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "Greater love hath no man than this" said Jesus "that a man should lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) "Ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35) It is when this climax in the Christian life is reached that Peter can say, as he does say, "If these things be in you, and abound…ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (vv.8‑11)

There are four superlatives in the final verses of this preliminary exhortation. They are "abound" (v.8) fruitful (v.8) "diligence" (v.10) and abundant entrance. (v.11) Three are superlatives of attainment and one is of action. "Diligence" occurs first in v.5 as the necessary pre‑requisite and continuing force underlying all progress in the attainment of the successive qualities. "Giving all diligence, ADD to your faith, fortitude..." and so on. Now in v.10 it is a question of giving all diligence to make one’s calling and election sure, on the basis of "doing all these things." "If these things be in you, and abound," you will be "not unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (v.8) The consequence of all this, at the end of the way, is the ministration of "an abundant entrance" into the heavenly kingdom.

This is the foundation, well and truly laid by the Apostle Peter in the hearts and lives of his converts. But life has to be lived, and this high standard maintained to the end, and Peter knew now, after thirty‑five years preaching the gospel of the resurrected Christ, that his own time to go was drawing near. So he turns now to the things that he must say whilst yet he was with them, that they might be sustained after his passing.

"Wherefore I will not be negligent"—this is diligence expressed the other way round—"I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." (v.12) "I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance." (v.15) Another important word comes to the front here; "remembrance." It is used three times in the course of four verses. It is not enough to receive the truth at the hands of a "father in the faith" as was Peter. Not enough to commence the work of building one Christian quality upon another, to create that Divine likeness which alone will render us acceptable to God at the last. All this must continue throughout life and the building must proceed in an orderly fashion, each brick laid upon its predecessor in line with the original plan and firmly seated upon the basic foundation which was laid at the first. So Peter exhorts them ever to keep in remembrance the basic truths they learned of him at the first and to build solidly thereon. "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things" said Paul again to Timothy "thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained." (1 Tim.4:6) In this he only but repeated the promise of Jesus, who told his disciples upon the eve of his departure from the world "the Holy Spirit…shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26) If we have been rightly taught in our early days, and if we have built rightly on that foundation, making onward progress in a constantly deepening and widening understanding of our Faith, then in after days we can only ignore or forget these things at our peril.

To be concluded
AOH