◄ What Does 2 Peter 1:18 Mean? ►

In the first chapter of second Peter, members of the Body of Christ are called to develop a strong Christian character. Spiritual growth and maturing in the faith is not something we have to do in our own strength. By God's grace, we have been given everything we need for life and godliness, and the apostle Peter wants us to keep this in the forefront of our minds.

He reminds us that as born again children of God, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ and have been given all the power we need to live a holy life. Jesus is our sufficient strength in every situation, but it is by abiding in Him that we are enabled to access His power through a knowledge of Him Who brought us out of darkness into his glorious light.

It is always a joy to share good news with those we love and care about, and the ageing apostle wanted to stir up our joy in the Lord. He not only wanted to remind us of all the wonderful things he had experienced when he walked with Christ in the way, watched Him perform many mighty miracles, and witnessed His glorious Transfiguration on the holy mount of God, but to emphasise the importance of WHO Jesus was: "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God."

Peter didn't simply want us to recall Jesus as the most gifted teacher, the most amazing philosopher, or the greatest of all Rabbis. He did not want to tickle our ears by reminding us of the mighty miracles he performed or the gracious words He spoke. In this passage, Peter wanted to stress the unsurpassed honour and unmatched glory the Lord Jesus received from the Majestic Glory (God the Father) when He announced, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased."

Peter was not speaking about some tantalising tale he had heard third or fourth-hand from some passing raconteur. Peter had been an eyewitness when Christ met on the holy mountain with Moses and Elijah. He was one of Christ's three disciples who saw, with their own eyes, Christ's clothes became dazzling bright and supernaturally radiant, whiter than anyone in the world could possibly launder them.

He saw, with his own eyes, Christ's garments become shining white and he heard, with his own ears, the God of Abraham speak from heaven and proclaim Christ to be His only begotten Son and so he wrote: "We ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain."

Peter had the distinct privilege of being one of the few people who witnessed a glimpse of Christ's heavenly majesty and eternal glory which He laid aside so that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, we might receive salvation. And so, it is not surprising that the burning desire of Peter's heart was to communicate the matchless majesty of the Person of Christ to the Christians to whom he was writing - and to ALL who would come to faith in Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You that the Lord Jesus laid aside His heavenly majesty to come to earth as the substitute for my sin and for the sin of the entire world. Thank You that we have Peter's eyewitness account of Jesus’ glorious Transfiguration on the holy mount. What a moment it must have been for Peter, James, and John to behold Jesus' glory, to hear the Father presenting His beloved Son to the world, and to glimpse His eternal glory. May I never lose a sense of the magnificence of Jesus, nor minimise the enormous sacrifice He made for me by setting aside His glory to come to earth and die on a Cross for my sin. In Jesus' name, AMEN.