2 Peter 1:12–15

He makes no claim to originality, or to teaching new things. But saints needed reminding of these things. If he did not do it, this would be negligence — a serious thing for every servant of the Lord to take to heart. Saints may know such things, and may even be established in the present truth. Still, they constantly need reminding of things of eternal value.

But in practice believers face influences that damage them. These influences distract the spirit and attract the flesh. So believers are like watches that need winding up again and again. It is not enough to know the present truth and to be established in it. That is why the apostle is always ready to put them in mind of these things.

The apostle clearly knows how quickly we forget the great practical truths of Christianity. Three times in these four verses he speaks of putting the saints in remembrance. Possibly he is thinking of what happened on the resurrection day. The angel said to the disciples, "Remember how he told you." Then we read, "And they remembered his words." The Lord Himself had spoken of these great events, yet they had forgotten what He said.

Cain and Abel were each tested by the truth of sacrifice, urgent in their day, which faith valued and unbelief despised. Enoch and Noah both accepted the older truth. But God tested each of them by what He revealed in their own day, and they stayed faithful to it... The Christian begins with redemption by the blood of the One who gives us eternal life. In every case faith shows its power by taking hold of "the present truth." It still values everything made known before, because all of it was God's doing and God's communicating.

How quickly we forget "the present truth." The devil cares little how much truth we know, so long as he can keep us from being established in "the present truth." That truth is our present standing before God. It is everything given to us that pertains to life and godliness, together with the kingdom glories to which this life leads.

He would take pains, so that after his departure they could call these things to mind at any time. He was providing for them in this way in this letter, and by God's goodness providing for our needs at the same time. How wonderful is the mercy that has given us a plain word which stays within our reach at all times — not tradition, which is uncertain and open to corruption.

But in practice believers meet influences that damage them, distract the spirit and attract the flesh. So they are like watches that need winding up again and again. It is not enough to know and to be established in the present truth.

He makes no claim to originality, or to teaching new things. But the saints needed reminding of these things. If he did not do it, that would be negligence — a serious thing for every servant of the Lord to take to heart. They may know such things. They may even be established in the present truth. Still they constantly need reminding of what has eternal value. The phrase "present truth" surely means what God has revealed in this age of His grace, in contrast to what He revealed before.

Take note of this! We may listen to talks or read articles that contain no truth new to us. Let us not despise them for that. The main work of a teacher may be to teach the truth of Christianity. That truth is old in itself, but it is mostly new to those he teaches. The main work of a pastor or shepherd is to reach the hearts and consciences of believers. He applies to them the things they have been taught. He stirs them up and keeps them alert and watchful. Do not most of us need the second ministry more than the first? Our more urgent need is probably to practise what we already know, rather than to add to what we know.

Every Christian is bound to believe that the great enemy sets himself most against whatever God has in hand now. Anyone who believes that can easily see how important this care for the saints is. It was always so… In every case the power of faith shows itself by taking special hold of "the present truth." It still values everything made known before, because it was all God's doing and God's communicating.

Nor did Peter grow weary of this work of reminding the saints of the truth. He thought it entirely fitting as long as he lived on earth. And life on earth, at its longest, is very brief for any of us. His natural body was only a tabernacle, a temporary tent, which he would shortly put off, according to the Lord's word in John 21:18-19.

As we have seen, the apostle Peter calls death the "putting off of his tabernacle" (2 Peter 1:14). Paul's language is similar, and if comment is needed, it may supply it: "if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved" (2 Cor. 5:1). [ESV: "if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed"]

So, as long as he was in the tent of the body, he would seek to do this. He had all the more reason: the Lord Himself had told him he would soon put off his tent… He would therefore be diligent, so that after his departure they could call these things to mind at any time. In this letter he was providing for them. Through God's goodness, he was providing for our needs at the same time. How wonderful is the mercy that has given us something better than tradition, with its uncertainty and its openness to corruption — a plain word that stays within our reach at all times.

We may sometimes think it is not worth going over the same things again and again. Not so Peter. And if our hearts are only put in remembrance of these things, thank God. It will be blessed fruit to our account in the days to come. Do we not need stirring up? We do. Satan does his utmost to hinder our souls.

Nor did Peter grow weary of this ministry of reminding the saints of the truth. He thought it entirely fitting to do so as long as he lived on earth, which at the longest is very brief for any of us. His natural body was only a tabernacle, a temporary tent, which he would shortly put off, according to the Lord's word in John 21:18-19.

As we have seen, the apostle Peter calls death the "putting off of his tabernacle" (2 Peter 1:14). Paul's language is similar, and if comment is needed, it can supply it: "if the earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved" (2 Cor. 5:1).

But the Lord promises Peter that when he is old he will stretch out his hands, and another will tie his belt and carry him where he does not wish to go. So Peter could no longer boast of his own strength or courage. As a helpless old man he would receive a remarkable privilege from God. He would not only die for Christ's sake, which in younger days he had tried to face and failed at shamefully. He would die the very death the Lord had suffered, with its long agony and shame. For the Lord, as we are clearly told, spoke as He did to show not death so much as the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. After saying this, He says to him, "Follow Me."

The calmness with which he speaks of his approaching martyrdom, a cruel one, is much to be noted. It was only the putting off of his tabernacle (2 Peter 1). This was not making light of death. If any man ever felt the power of death as wielded by the devil, the terror he can bring by it, and his own utter weakness in its presence, it was Peter. But by the time he wrote his Epistles, Christ had by death brought to nothing the one who had the power of death, and had taken away its sting.

Now Peter looked on to the hour of his death. The Lord Jesus had hinted at his death and the manner of it, as recorded in John 21:18-19. By this time he knew it was to take place shortly. Is it not striking that Peter should need to be told that he is going to die? What a testimony to the fact that not death, but the coming of the Lord, is really the hope of the Christian.

Notice also that the Spirit of God in the word never mentions Peter's death, so that the Church could know anything about it, until he was just at the point of departure. Then Peter says the Lord had told him that he must "put off this tabernacle." Besides, Peter might have died any day. Though he was not a young man when the first epistle appeared, the Spirit of God kept him from writing about it then. So it could not affect the Church's hope.

But in practice believers are exposed to influences so harmful, so distracting to the spirit and so attractive to the flesh, that they are like watches needing to be wound up regularly. It is not enough to know and to be established in the present truth. Hence the apostle's readiness always to remind them of these things (verse 12). Here he repeats it as their urgent need while he lived, and in view of his speedy departure.

He knew that shortly the Lord's words about putting off his earthly tabernacle would be fulfilled (John 21:18-19), and so he commits "the present truth" to writing, so that after his departure we would have the truth in a form always within reach. It is noticeable that he appoints no apostolic successor to maintain the truth, nor does he throw the saints upon the church: he gives them the written word of God as the sole authority for their belief.

The word for death in 2 Peter 1:15 is "decease," literally exodus, "departure": "After my departure."

"Departure" (ἔξοδος): compare Acts 13:34, for Luke's use of εἰσόδος, "entry." The word "exodus" is found again in 2 Peter 1:15.

See what use Peter made of what he knew, and how he practised the diligence he has pressed on others in this chapter. He goes on to press home the reality and certainty of the coming kingdom. He never stops to say just what he planned to do. It is very evident, however, that what he planned and accomplished was the writing of the Epistle that we are now reading. He did it under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. By means of it we can now at any time call to mind these things, though Peter's voice is long since silent.

"To have these things always in remembrance." "These things" appear five times. So our souls cannot over-estimate the value and the worth of verses 5, 6, 7, which the apostle points back to five times over. The Lord grant we may have them always in remembrance, yes, have them engraved on the tablets of our hearts. Peter felt there was no apostolic succession, no one to do the work he was doing, after his death. So he says, I leave you my epistle, something that may always be a blessing and a help to your souls.

Peter writes to believers of his own nation, scattered through Pontus. He says, "I will make every effort" — that is, by writing the epistle — "so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things" (2 Peter 1:15). So he commits their future to the guidance of the written word, not to apostolic successors. Paul does the same. He speaks to the elders of the church in Ephesus and warns them of the difficulties and dangers ahead. He says, "And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace" (Acts 20:32).

Can anything more plainly show the absurdity of trusting tradition, even of early days, when we have the sure light of God's word? Yet all of it justifies our apostle in his zeal. He left nothing for the building up of the saints to such a haphazard channel. He wrote all that was needed to help, guard, and stir them, in words taught by the Spirit. In this way they would come face to face with Him who inspired these exhortations.

Peter wrote to them so that they would be able to return to his letter and receive its help again in the future. The same principle applies to the whole of the Word of God. God has given it to us so that we can turn to it for the instruction or correction we often need. Today we can keep several translations of the Bible on our phones. So Peter's statement is true in the plainest sense: at any time we can call to mind the instruction in God's Word. Do we take advantage of this?

Peter knew that he must soon put off this tent of his body, as the Lord had shown him. With a true shepherd's heart and care he thinks of the Lord's blood-bought sheep. So he would all the more fully warn them, urge them, and remind them, so that after he was gone they might have those things always in remembrance. Though they knew them already, he would still put them in mind, and press on them what would sustain them, leading them on in diligence, so that they might be kept from falling while here.