Inspiring Phrases from 2 Peter: firmly established in the truth

Inspiring Phrase: firmly established in the truth

Context:

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:12-21

My response:

We’re living in different times to the recipients of this letter, that’s for sure. Jesus walking on the earth had taken place within living memory. People would have known people who had actually met Jesus in the flesh. Peter, the writer of this letter, was the Peter! He knew Jesus maybe better than any other living being ever had.

And yet already, clinging onto the truth of Jesus was proving hard. False messages and promises and teachings were being spread. It was all so new. How could they know what to believe and what not to believe, who to believe and who not to believe?

Fake news was already a thing, even without the internet.

So what is the truth? Is it possible to know the truth? Is ‘the truth’ even an absolute? We talk about people finding their own truth – does that mean the truth is actually different for each person?

I don’t have the answers to these questions. My dad and I used to wrestle with these questions in our long phone calls, because he he held to an unchanging truth that I found inflexible and he judged me far too liberal in my understanding of the truth.

I can relate to the idea of being firmly established in the truth. This seems more and more necessary in this modern world in which we are bombarded from every side by false truths about how to live and what to value and whose voice is the one to guide us.

Firstly, we have the Bible to guide us, letters like this letter from Peter for example. Of course, understanding and interpreting the Bible in our context is problematic in itself. As we look to Peter, we see how he totally believes what Jesus has revealed to him. That’s a great place to start in finding truth: start with Jesus. Learn from Jesus and how he lived. Follow him as the way, the truth and the life.

The accounts of Jesus’ life on earth were not cleverly devised stories. They are not fiction. They are not made up. Peter was there. If anyone can verify the truth of these accounts, he can.

Peter points to the prophets as completely reliable too. Prophets are not just teachers – they bring a message direct from God. They are the channel for God’s truth. The books of the prophets in the Old Testament are not easy for us to get our heads around, but they are there for us for a reason. Their message still shines as a light in a dark place. Many of these Jewish prophets are revered within the Islamic tradition too – as is Jesus, of course, although Muslims respect Jesus as a prophet, rather than as the son of God in human form.

Maybe as the world we live in seems to be spinning out of control with lies and deceit, it’s time for us to dig out the truth and speak it out, as we journey towards becoming ‘firmly established in the truth.’