Cross to Crown Blog

  • A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

     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. 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. 2 Peter 1:19-21 NASB

    Peter constantly has two pillars in view for the believer: the words of the holy prophets in the Old Testament and the testimony of the apostles in his own day (clearly he sees himself as one of the apostles). Both testify to Jesus Christ. Both pillars make up the foundation of the believer's hope and the assurance upon which they stand.

    He writes later in this same letter (3:2) that believers should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. And here in this section, he has both pillars clearly in view.

    Peter argues first off, that both pillars are complementary, and that believers with both in view benefit greatly. Peter isn't saying that he and the other apostles are any better than or superior to the prophets who came before them; Peter is merely stating that the word of the apostles agrees with and confirms the word of the prophets. It makes the word of the prophets more sure.

    How should this two-fold testimony impact the believer? Well, you know how the old saying goes, right? A picture is worth a thousand words. So, like any good author, Peter doesn't just tell his audience how this should impact them. He paints them a picture.

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  • 2 Peter: The Return of the King

    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. 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. 2 Peter 1:16-18 NASB

    Alright, let's move on from bunny trails to the main event. So what's this transfiguration thing all about? Or at least, what's Peter's point in bringing it up? 

    The young church is struggling against enemies from within. We've hinted about them several times already throughout this series. They are brash and arrogant, refusing to submit to authorities. They have some very loose morals which they parade about in broad daylight for all to see. And they are trying to lead those in the church astray.

    Yet behind all of these issues stands one key theological issue of disagreement, and in Peter's mind, it's no small point of contention. The debate comes down to one thing: the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is the main issue with many, wide-ranging ramifications for which Peter writes this, his second letter to the church.

    Two things stand out from Peter's first words in the argument above. We'll take them in reverse order. First, Peter is clearly talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ, not His first coming in the incarnation. This can be seen clearly by a word study of his word choice for coming, the Greek parousia which becomes a sort of technical term throughout the New Testament for Christ's second coming. But it's really there even without the Greek word study. How does Peter describe this coming? This coming of Christ will be one with power, in contrast to the humility of His first as a dependent babe. This must definitely refer to the future second coming of Christ in glory and power and judgment.

    Second, we hear in Peter's words an echo of the claims of his enemies regarding this parousia of Jesus Christ: it is nothing but cleverly devised tales made up by the apostles. Picture this! The church has been waiting now for some thirty years after Christ's ascension into heaven, and many within the church are starting to get antsy wondering, "So, where is He? Why the delay?" These false teachers then within the church see their opportunity to attack the apostles and their testimony. It suits their agenda perfectly, and the cries of "FAIRY TALES!" start flying around.

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  • 2 Peter: Beholding is Becoming

    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. 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.  2 Peter 1:16-18 NASB

    Something incredible happened on that mountain outside Jerusalem, and Peter would never be the same.

    It probably didn't seem all that life-altering at first. It probably began like one of many similar experiences that these guys got to share with Jesus. We find Jesus unsurprisingly withdrawing from the crowds, as is His regular custom, to pray. He takes His closest companions with Him, Peter and James and John, up to the top of a mountain.

    We find them all praying. Translation: We find Jesus praying and His disciples asleep at the wheel... again, a familiar sight. And then, it happened.

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  • 2 Peter: Last Will and Testament

    2 Peter 1:12-15 NASB

    Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

    Peter is quickly running out of time. Perhaps persecution under Nero is escalating, and Peter can see the wheels of the evil machine turning and picking up steam. Or maybe Peter simply recalls the words of His Master in His final days on earth, "Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and some else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go." Whatever the case may be, Peter is convinced that the time to lay aside his earthly tent is growing ever nearer, for Christ has made it clear to him.

    Consequently, Peter writes with urgency and intense focus found today in an emergency room or in a hospital bed, determined to carry out his mission as a sent apostle of Jesus Christ. He writes knowing that his final breath is near and that these could be some of his very last words. In a sense, this is Peter's last will and testament; we do well to see it in that light and heed the words of a man with a death sentence.

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  • The Finish Line

    2 Peter 1:10-11

    Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

    I hate long-distance running. It's right up there with going to the dentist or doctor, removing wall paper, or watching chick flicks. Seriously, why do people want to punish their bodies that way for such long distances and such long times? Give me a quick sprint around the bases, a pass to go catch, or a fly ball to shag, then I'm interested. Give me a quick goal right in view with a short burst of energy to get there, an object to attain or an opponent to beat. Then, give me some recovery time. But long-distance running with no real tangible goal in view? No, thank you.

    Unfortunately, my athletic preferences don't match up too well with Peter's spiritual goal for the Church. Peter doesn't specifically use the running 

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  • 2 Peter: Brick by Brick

    Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8 NASB

    Peter isn't a legalist. That's why he says, "Now for this very reason also...." The Christian labors because of Christ's divine power granted to us, because of Christ's precious and magnificent promises, because in knowing Christ he has everything needed to live a godly life.

    Yet Peter doesn't preach cheap grace either. Because of everything Christ has done for His followers, they labor hard. Because they truly understand the incredible riches of abundant grace and peace, they give every effort and strive to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus. They are exhausted from literally giving everything they have to the task.

    I'm reminded of the great "death-crawl" scene from Facing the Giants. Christians should give all they have to the task to which they are called.

    But to what end?

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  • 2 Peter: Tightrope

    If you could boil down to one word the overall concern behind my last blog it would be very simple: legalism. Peter challenges his readers with one of Scripture's strongest calls to strive for Christian growth with everything they have. But Peter's agenda isn't some self-centered, salvation-by-works project. The heart and the motivation and the hope and the power and the grace behind it all is Christ Jesus Himself. Know Him! Believe Him! Follow Him! To put it in today's popular language, the gospel indicatives of Christ's magnificent and precious promises fuel the gospel imperatives Peter commands.

    My concern for this blog though is exactly the opposite: apathy. In short, we are given commands; we must strive with all diligence for Christian growth.

    Many in Christian circles today struggle by falling too far to one side of the tightrope. They hammer one another with impossible to-do lists. The gospel gets left behind at the sinner's prayer altar, while the rest of the Christian life becomes a one-sided struggle to work and earn and achieve. It's man-centered. It's doomed to fail. People are left discouraged and depressed because they still can't seem to be good enough.

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  • 2 Peter: Now For This Reason Also

    Peter is about to shift gears and move toward more challenging ground in his letter, but he has good reasons to do so. He has an agenda; he has a motive that spurs him to write this letter. He's concerned. The young Church has many enemies. Interestingly enough, he seems more concerned for enemies inside than those outside of the Church itself. He explicitly introduces this theme in 2:1,

    But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

    Allusions to these enemies are contained throughout the entire letter. Without getting into them a whole lot at this point, some of Peter's concerns should be noted now. These false teachers are incredibly arrogant and brash; they refuse to submit to authority. As well, let's just say they have some loose moral teaching. (If you can't wait, feel free to dive into chapter two!)

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  • 2 Peter: Precious and Magnificent Promises

    Pop quiz. What in your life would qualify as precious and magnificent? It's a tough question. Those two words combined together describing one thing or one event--it's no ordinary, everyday combination. It would take an awful lot for me to point to something on a normal day and describe it as both precious and magnificent; perhaps my best times that I've experienced ever with my wife-the closest most intense moments of joy or intimacy. I would put a few times with my two young daughters or family or close friends up near the top of the list as well. Certainly, there are many spiritual mountaintop moments that would qualify.

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  • 2 Peter: All a Gift

    I recently returned home from a five-day work trip away from my family. While at the conference, I did my best to gather all kinds of free odds-and-ends from vendors - pens, magnets, key chains, etc. As soon as I got home, I pulled this big bag of free stuff out for my 2-year-old daughter. Not surprisingly, she loved the stuff and played with it all for the rest of the day.

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