UNMOVABLE

The best defense against false teaching is true living. A church

to fall prey to apostates with their counterfeit Christianity. But this Christian living must be based on the authoritative Word of God.

False teachers find it easy to seduce people who do not know their Bible but who are desirous of "experiences" with the Lord. It is dangerous to build on subjective experience alone and ignore objective revelation.

Peter discussed Christian experience in the first half of 2 Peter 1, and in the last half he discussed the revelation we have in the Word of God. His purpose was to show the importance of knowing God's Word and relying on it completely. The Christian who knows what he believes and why he believes it will rarely be seduced by the false teachers and their devious doctrines.

Peter underscored the dependability and durability of the Word of God by contrasting Scripture with men, experiences, and the world.

1 Stronger Than Men And Tradition

MEN DIE, BUT THE WORD LIVES (1:12-15)

Through their preaching and teaching, the apostles and New Testament prophets laid the church’s foundation (Eph. 2:20), and we in later generations are building on that foundation. However, the men were not the foundation; Jesus Christ is the Foundation (1 Cor. 3:11). He is also the chief Cornerstone that ties the building together (Eph. 2:20). If the church is to last, it cannot be built on mere men. It must be built on the Son of God Our Lord had told Peter when he would die and how he would die.

"When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not" (John 21:18).

This explains why, shortly after Pentecost, Peter was able to sleep in prison the night before he was scheduled to be killed; he knew that Herod could not take his life (Acts 12:1ff). Tradition says that Peter was crucified in Rome. Like all of God's faithful servants, Peter was immortal until his work was done.

There were at least three motives behind Peter's ministry as he wrote this letter. The first was obedience to Christ's command. "I will not be negligent" (2 Peter 1:12). "When thou art converted." Jesus had said to Peter, "strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). Peter knew that he had a ministry to fulfill.

His second motive was simply that this reminder was the right thing to do. "I think it meet," he wrote, simply saying, "I think it is right and suitable." It is always right to stir up the saints and remind them of the Word of God!

His third motive is wrapped up in the word endeavor in 2 Peter 1:15.

It is the same word that is translated "diligence" in 2 Peter 1:5 and 10.

It means "to hasten to do something, to be zealous in doing it." Peter knew that he would soon die, so he wanted to take care of his spiritual responsibilities before it was too late. You and I do not know when we will die, so we had better start being diligent today!

What was it that Peter wanted to accomplish? The answer is found in the word that is repeated in 2 Peter 1:12-13 and 15-remembrance. Peter wanted to impress his readers minds with the Word of God so chat they arouse." This same word is used to describe a storm on the Sea of Galilee (ohn 6:18)! Peter knew that our minds have a tendency to get accustomed to truth and then to take it for granted. We forget what we ought to remember, and we remember what we ought to forget!

The readers of this letter knew the truth and were even "established" in it (2 Peter 1:12), but that was no guarantee they would always remember the truth and apply it. One reason the Holy Spirit was given to the church was to remind believers of the lessons already learned John 14:26). In my own radio ministry, I have received letters from listeners who get upset when I repeat something. In my reply, I often refer them to what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:1: "To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe." Our Lord often repeated Himself as He taught the people and was the Master Teacher.

Peter knew that he was going to die, so he wanted to leave behind something that would never die the written Word of God. His two epistles became a part of the inspired Scriptures, and they have been ministering to the saints for centuries. Men die, but the Word of God lives on!

It is possible that Peter was also alluding to the gospel of Mark. Most Bible scholars believe that the Spirit used Peter to give John Mark some of the data for his book (see 1 Peter 5:13). One of the church fathers, Papias, said that Mark was "Peter's disciple and interpreter."

The church of Jesus Christ is always one generation away from extinction. Without dependable written revelation, we would have to depend on word-of-mouth tradition. If you have ever played the party game "Gossip," you know how a simple sentence can be radically changed when passed from one person to another! We do not depend on the traditions of dead men we depend on the truth of the living Word.

Men die, but the word lives

Forever be at the mercy of men's memories. scope

having good memories should sit on the witness stand in a courtroom! Amazingly, three perfectly honest witnesses can, with good conscience, give three different accounts of an automobile accident! Our memories are defective and selective. We usually remember what we want to remember, and often we distort even that.

Fortunately, we can depend on the written Word of God. "It is written,” and it stands written forever. We can be saved through this living Word

(1 Peter 1:23-25), nurtured by it (1 Peter 2:2), and guided and protected as we trust and obey.

2 STRONGER THAN MYTHS OR FABLES

EXPERIENCES FADE, BUT THE WORD REMAINS (1:16-18)

The focus in this paragraph is on the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. The experience is recorded by Matthew (17:1ff.), Mark (9:2-8), and Luke (9:28-

36), yet none of those writers participated in it! Peter was there when it happened! The words he used in this section (2 Peter 1:12-18) remind us of his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. He used the word tabernacle twice (2 Peter 1:13-14), and this suggests Peter's words, "Let us make here three tabernacles" (Matt. 17:4). In 2 Peter 1:15, he used the word decease, which is exodus in the Greek and is used in Luke 9:31. Jesus did not consider His death on the cross a defeat; rather, it was an exodus He would deliver His people from bondage the way Moses delivered Israel from Egypt!

Peter wrote of his own death as an "exodus," a release from bondage.

Note the repetition of the pronoun "we" in 2 Peter 1:16-19. It refers to Peter, James, and John--the only apostles with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration. John referred to this experience in John 1:14-"We beheld His glory.") These three men had to keep silent about their experience until after the Lord was raised from the dead (Matt. 17:9); then they told the other believers what had happened on the mountain.

What was the significance of the transfiguration? For one ching, it confirmed Peter's testimony about Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:13-16). Peter saw the Son in His glory, and he heard the Father speak from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (2 Peter 1:17). First we put our faith in Christ and confess Him, and then He gives us excellent confirmation.

The transfiguration also had a special significance for Jesus Christ, who was nearing Calvary. It was the Father's way of strengthening His Son for that terrible ordeal of being the sacrifice for the world’s sins.

The law and the prophets (Moses and Elijah) pointed to His ministry, and now He would fulfill chose Scriptures. The Father spoke from heaven and assured the Son of His love and approval. The transfiguration was proof that suffering leads to glory when we are in the will of God.

But there is a third message, and it concerns the promised kingdom. In all three gospels where the account of the transfiguration is recorded, it is introduced with a statement about the kingdom of God (Matt. 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27). Jesus promised that, before they died, some of the disciples would see the kingdom of God in power! This took place on the Mount of Transfiguration when our Lord revealed His glory.

It was a word of assurance to the disciples, who could not understand our Lord's teaching about the cross. If He were to die, what would happen to the promised kingdom that He had been preaching about all those months?

Now we can understand why Peter used chis event in his letter: He was refuting the false teachings of the apostates that the kingdom of God would never come (2 Peter 3:3ff). These false teachers denied the promise of Christ's coming! In place of God's promises, these counterfeits put

"cunningly devised fables" (2 Peter 1:16) that robbed the believers of their blessed hope.

The word fables means "myths," manufactured stories that have no basis.

The Greek and Roman world abounded in stories about the gods, mere human speculations that tried to explain the world and its origin. No matter how interesting these myths might be, the Christian is not to heed them (1 Tim. 1:4), but refuse them (4:7). Paul warned Timothy that the time would come in the church when professed Christians would not want to hear true doctrine. Still, he would "turn away their ears from the truth, and ... be turned unto fables (myths]" (2 Tim. 4:4). Paul also warned Titus about "Jewish fables (myths]" (Titus 1:14), so even some of the Jews had abandoned their sacred Scriptures and accepted man-made substitutes.

Peter wrote a summary of what he saw and heard on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw Jesus Christ robed in majestic glory, and therefore witnessed a demonstration of the "power and coming" of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ came to earth at Bethlehem, He did not display His glory openly. To be sure, He revealed His glory in His miracles John

2:11), but even this was primarily for the sake of His disciples. His face did not shine, nor did He have a halo over His head. "He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him" (Isa. 53:2).

Peter saw Christ’s glory and heard the Father's voice "from the magnificent glory." Witnesses are people who tell accurately what they have seen and heard (Acts 4:20), and Peter was a faithful witness. Is Jesus Christ of Nazareth the Son of God? Yes, He is! How do we know? The Father said so!

You and I were not eyewitnesses of the transfiguration. Peter was there and faithfully recorded his experience for us in the letter he wrote, inspired by the Spirit of God. Experiences fade, but the Word of God remains! Experiences are subjective, but the Word of God is objective.

Experiences may be interpreted differently by different participants, but the Word of God gives one clear message. What we remember about our experiences can be unconsciously distorted, but the Word of God remains the same and abides forever.

When we study 2 Peter 2, we will discover that apostate teachers try to turn people away from the Word of God and into "deeper experiences" that are contrary to the Word. These false teachers use "feigned words" instead of God's inspired Word (2 Peter 2:3), and they teach "damnable heresies" (v. 1). In other words, this is really a matter of life and death! If a person believes the truth, he will live; if he believes lies, he will die. It is the difference between salvation and condemnation.

By reminding his readers of the transfiguration, Peter affirmed several important doctrines of the Christian faith. He affirmed that lesus Christ is indeed the Son of God. The test of any religion is "What do you say about Jesus Christ?" If a religious teacher denies the deity of Christ, then he is a false teacher (1 John 2:18-29; 4:1-6).

But the person of Jesus Christ is only one test; we must also ask, "And what is the work of Jesus Christ? Why did He come and what did He do?' Again, che transfiguration gives us the answer; for Moses and Elijah

"appeared in glory, and spake of his decease (exodus which he should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31). His death was not simply an example, as some liberal cheologians want us to believe; it was an exodus, an accomplishment. He accomplished something on the cross the redemption of lost sinners!

The transfiguration was also affirmation of che truth of the Scriptures.

Moses represented the law; Elijah represented the prophets; both pointed to Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1-3). He fulfilled the law and the prophets (Luke

24:27). We believe the Bible because lesus believed the Bible and said it was the Word of God. Those who question che truth and authority of the Scriptures are not arguing with Moses, Elijah, or Peter, but with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This event also affirmed the reality of God's kingdom. We who have a completed Bible can look back and understand the progressive lessons that Jesus gave His disciples about the cross and the kingdom, but at chat time those twelve men were very confused. They did not understand the relationship between His suffering, His glory (Peter's first epistle discusses this theme), and the church and the kingdom. At the transfiguration, our Lord made it clear to His followers chat His suffering would lead to glory, and that the cross would ultimately result in the crown.

There was also an IMPORTANT lesson that Peter, James, and John needed to learn, because each of these would also suffer. James was the first of the apostles to die (Acts 12:1-2). John lived a long life, but it led to exile and suffering (Rev. 1:9. Peter suffered for the Lord during his ministry, and then laid down his life just as the Lord had prophesied. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John learned that suffering and glory go together, and that the Father's special love and approval are given to those who are willing to suffer for the sake of the Lord. We need this same lesson today.

Peter could not share his experience with us, but he could share the record of that experience so that we could have it permanently in the Word of God. We don’t need to duplicate these experiences; such attempts would be dangerous, for the Devil could give us a counterfeit experience that could lead us astray.

Remember Peter's wonderful news at the beginning of this letter: "like precious faith." This means that our faith gives us an equal standing with the apostles! They did not travel first-class and leave us to travel second-class! "Like precious faith with us" is what he wrote (italics mine). We were not on the Mount of Transfiguration, but we can still benefit from that experience as we meditate on it and permit the Spirit of God to reveal the glories of Jesus Christ.

We have learned two important truths as we have seen these contrasts:

Men die, but the Word lives, and experiences fade, but the Word remains.

Peter added a third contrast.

3 STRONGER THAN MIRE AND DARKNESS

THE WORLD DARKENS, BUT THE WORD SHINES (1:19-21)

In some respects, the world is getting better. I thank God for the advances is medicine, transportation, and communication. I can speak to more people in one radio program than the apostles preached to in their entire LIFETIMES. I can write books spread abroad and even translate into different languages. In areas of scientific achievement, the world has made great progress. But the human heart is still wicked, and all of our improvements in means have not improved our lives. Medical science enables people to live longer, but there is no guarantee they will live better.

Modern means of communication enable lies to travel faster! And jet planes enable us to get places faster, but we do not have better places to go!

We should not be surprised that our world is engulfed in spiritual darkness. In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord warned that there would be counterfeits who would invade the church with their false doctrines (Matt. 713-29).

Paul gave a similar warning to the elders of Ephesus (Acts

20-28-35),

and he gave further warnings when he wrote his epistles (Rom.

16:17-20; 2 Cor. 11:1-15; Gal. 1:1-9; Phil. 3:17-21; Col. 2; 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim.

3-4). Even John, the great "apostle of love," warned about anti-Christian teachers seeking to destroy the church (1 John 2:18-29; 4:1-6).

In other words, the apostles did not expect the world to get better and better, either morally or spiritually. They all warned the church that false teachers would invade the local churches, introduce false doctrines, and lead many people astray. The world would get darker and darker, but as it did, the Word of God would shine brighter and brighter.

Peter made three affirmations about this Word.

(1) It is the sure Word (v. 19a).

Peter was not suggesting that the Bible is more certain than the experience he had on the Mount of Transfiguration.

His experience was real and true, and the record in the Bible is dependable.

As we have seen, the transfiguration was a demonstration of the promise

nice now has added certainty because of what Peter experienced. The trans go corroborated the prophetic promises. The apostates would attempt to discredit the promise of His coming (2 Peter 3:3f, but the Scriptures were sure, For, after all, the promise of the kingdom was reaffirmed by Moses, Elijah, the Son of God, and the Father! And the Holy Spirit wrote the record for the church to read!

"The testimony of the LORD is sure" (Ps. 19:7). "Thy testimonies are very sure" (93:5). "All his commandments are sure" (111:7). 'Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way" (119:128).

It is interesting to put together 2 Peter 1:16 and 19: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables.... We have also a more sure word of prophecy." As I travel, I often meet zealous cultists in airports, all of whom want me to buy their books. I always refuse because I have the sure Word of God and have no need for the religious fables of men. "What is the chaff to the wheat? saith che LORD" (Jer. 23:28).

But one day I found one of those books left behind in the men's room, so I decided to take it with me and read it. How anybody could believe such foolish fables is more than I can understand. The book claimed to be based on the Bible, but the writer so twisted the Scriptures that the quoted verses meant only what he wanted them to mean. Cunningly devised fables! Yet spiritual death existed between those covers to anyone who would believe those lies.

(2) It is the shining Word (v. 19b).

Peter called the world "a dark place," and the word he used means "murky." It is the picture of a dank cellar or a dismal swamp. Human history began in a lovely garden, but chat garden today is a murky swamp. What you see when you look at this world system indicates the spiritual condition of your heart. We still see beauty in God's creation but no beauty in what mankind is doing with God's creation. Peter did not see this world as a garden of Eden, nor should we.

God is light and His word is light. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my pach" (Ps. 119:105). When Jesus Christ began His ministry, "the people which sat in darkness saw great light" (Matt. 4:16).

His coming into this world was the dawning of a new day (Luke 1:78). We Christians are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16), and it is our privilege and responsibility to hold forth the Word of life_-God's light so that men might see the way and be saved (Phil. 2:14-16).

As believers, we must heed this Word and govern our lives by what it says. For unbelievers, things will get darker and darker until they end up in eternal darkness, but God's people are looking for the return of Jesus Christ and the dawning of the new day of glory. The false teachers scoffed at the idea of Christ's return and the dawning of a new day, but Peter affirmed the truth of the sure Word of God. "But the day of the Lord will come as a chief in the night" (2 Peter 3:10).

Before the day dawns, the "day star" (or morning star) shines brightly as the herald of the dawn. To the church, Jesus Christ is "the bright and morning star" (Rev. 22:16). The promise of His coming shines brightly, no matter how dark the day may be (see Num. 24:17). He is also the "Sun of righteousness," who will bring healing to believers but judgment to unbelievers (Mal. 4:1-3). How thankful we ought to be for God's sure and shining Word, and how we ought to heed it in these dark days!

(3) It is the Spirit-given Word (wv. 20-21).

This is one of two important Scriptures affirming the divine inspiration of the Word of God.

The other is 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Peter affirmed that the Scriptures were not written by men who used their own ideas and words, but by men of God who were "moved by the Holy Spirit." The word translated "moved" means

"to be carried along, as the wind carries a ship.” The Scriptures are

"God-breathed"; they are not the inventions of men.

Again, Peter was refuting the doctrines of the apostates. They taught with "feigned words" (2 Peter 2:3) and twisted the Scriptures to make them mean something else (3:16). They denied the promise of Christ's coming (vv. 3-4), and thus denied the very prophetic Scriptures.

Since the Spirit gave the Word, only the Spirit can teach the Word and interpret it accurately (see 1 Cor. 2:14-15). Of course, every false teacher claims that he is "led by the Spirit," but his handling of the Word of God soon exposes him. Since the Bible did not come by the will of man, it cannot be understood by the will of man. Even religious Nicodemus, a leading teacher among the Jews, was ignorant of the essential doctrines of the Word of God John 3:10-12).

In 2 Peter 1:20, Peter was not prohibiting the private study of the Bible. Some religious groups have taught that only the "spiritual leaders" may interpret Scripture, and they have used this verse as their defense. But Peter was not writing primarily about the interpretation of Scripture, but the origin of Scripture: It came by the Holy Spirit through holy men of God. And since it came by the Spirit, it must be taught by the Spirit.

The word translated "private" simply means "one's own" or "its own."

The suggestion is, since the Spirit inspires all Scripture, it must all "hang together," and no one Scripture should be divorced from the others.

You can use the Bible to prove almost anything if you isolate verses from their proper context, which is precisely the approach the false teachers use.

Peter stated that the apostles’ witness confirmed the witness of the prophetic Word; there is one message with no contradiction. Therefore, these false teachers can “prove” their heretical doctrines by misusing the Word of God. Isolated texts, apart from contexts, become pretexts.

The Word of God was written to ordinary people, not to theological professors. The writers assumed that ordinary people could read, understand, and apply it, led by the same Holy Spirit who inspired it. The humble individual believer can learn about God as he reads and meditates on the Word of God; he does not need the "experts" to show him truth. However, this does not deny the ministry of teachers in the church (Eph. 4:11), special people who have a gift for explaining and applying the Scriptures. Nor does it deny the "collective wisdom" of the church as, over the ages, these doctrines have been defined and refined. Teachers and creeds have their place but must not usurp the Word’s authority over the individual believer’s conscience.

Until the day dawns, we must be sure that the love for His coming is like a shining star in our hearts (2 Peter 1:19). Unless we love His appearing, we will not look for His appearing, and the Word keeps that expectation bright.

Men die, but the Word lives. Experiences fade, but the Word remains.

The world grows darker, but the prophetic light shines brighter. The believer who builds his life on the Word of God and who looks for the coming of the Savior is not likely to be led astray by false teachers. He will be taught by the Spirit and grounded on the sure Word of God.

Peter's message is "Wake up- and remember!" A sleeping church is the Devil's playground. While men slept, the enemy came in and sowed the tares (Matt. 13:24ff.).

"Be alert!" is the apostle's message. "Wake up and remember!"