2 Peter 1:16-21
Read 2 Peter 1:16-21
Helpful Background Information:
In our sermon passage for this week, Peter is one of three men who witness Jesus’ transfiguration. This surely left quite an impression on him, as he references this event in his second letter. 2 Peter was written by Peter, likely during his imprisonment in Rome just before his execution by the hands of the Roman Emperor Nero, sometime between 64 and 68 A.D. Peter wrote this letter specifically to expose false teachers running amok in the churches of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) - however, we do not know what these specific false teachers were preaching.
In 2 Peter 1:3-15, Peter emphasizes that God has granted believers everything needed for life and godliness, urging them to grow in virtues like faith, goodness, and love to confirm their calling and avoid being ineffective. God has sustained them, and their growth will keep them from abandoning the true teaching of the gospel.
In verse 1:16, Peter asserts his own trustworthiness to prove that what he’s teaching them is really from the Lord. Unlike false teachers, who often used mythical stories and were untrustworthy - desiring power, money, and fame - Peter, in contrast, states that he physically saw Jesus Christ. In addition to being an eyewitness, Peter also claims in verse 19 that the Scriptures confirm what he saw about Christ. Peter is essentially stating, “If you don’t believe me, go to the Scriptures.” Thus, the Christians to whom Peter was writing should pay attention to him rather than these false teachers, and the result of doing so will be faithfulness unto God until Christ comes. After this, in 2 Peter 2, Peter launches a full-out rhetorical assault against these false teachers, pointing out their deceptive nature, the coming judgment they will receive from God, and the dangers of following their teachings.
Reflection Questions:
What specific details of the Transfiguration from Mark 9:1-13 show up in 2 Peter 1:17-18?
The Transfiguration gave Peter a glimpse of Jesus’ glory before the cross and resurrection. How does that glimpse of glory encourage you to remain faithful during difficult or uncertain times?
How does it encourage you that we have various eyewitness accounts of Christ preserved for us in the Scriptures? Not only do we have eyewitness accounts of the Transfiguration, but Paul records that over 500 people physically saw the resurrected Christ (1 Cor. 15:6), Luke claims his gospel was the result of interviewing eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-2), and other apostles consistently claimed to be eyewitnesses.