“Therefore,” because 1) we share a faith in the perfect salvation purchased for us by Jesus Christ; because 2) God’s grace and peace continue to be multiplied to us; because 3) we are now Royal Family of God and have certain family standards to maintain, for our continued growth to maturity; because 4) if we do not attend to cultivating these characteristics of godliness, we will be confused in our faith and stunted in our spiritual growth….easy targets for the devil’s deception….THEREFORE….as long as Peter drew breath, his priority was to keep the Church reminded of these basic truths….”even though you know them”….and are stabilized in the truths you understand. Stability is the Christian’s greatest personal asset in the devil’s world. We must stand upon the truth we know, and continue to build upon that. If what we see, hear or feel in our studies and experiences conflict with what the apostles have already taught us about God’s plan of grace, then the “new” information is false. If we are well established in truth, we will immediately be alert to that which is false. That’s why we don’t spend inordinate amounts of time and energy studying cults. When you know the real, you will know the counterfeit.
The way we become stabilized in our faith is by REPETITION of doctrine! You didn’t learn any science, math, language or philosophy by having it presented one time. You continued to study and read and practice and drill in that discipline until you could pass the final exam. Then, if you were continuing in a profession, you took refresher courses. Repetition teaches! Peter considered it “right,” his pastoral duty, to drill his Church in these basic doctrines as long as he was present with them to do it. He offered no apology for the repetition. Whiny, wimpy, emotional baby believers who complain about being bored with a pastor’s repetitious teaching are spoiled brats who don’t understand their responsibility to learn God’s will and God’s way. Peter’s objective was to “stir you up” by continual reminders of the grace they had been given and the Righteousness of the One Who gave it.
Peter knew he would not be physically with his flock much longer. He was making “every effort” to burn Bible doctrine into their brains before he was taken away. It was necessary to their spiritual survival to recall those things at any given time.
What are the things you will always remember? They are the things you can never forget. The alphabet. Multiplication tables. Basic grammar. Nursery rhymes and songs. If you’re a soldier, close order drill. Drilled. Over and over until you can recite them in your sleep, upside down and backwards. This works with scripture memorization. It works with categories of doctrine. When you are away from home, captive and hungry, desperate for something familiar, what will you have left? Your memories! If your memories are categories of doctrine and promises of God (Faith-Rest), those memories will carry you through whatever ordeal you may have to face. Any time Peter spent drilling his Church in basic doctrine was time well invested. He had important work to do and precious little time to do it. This was urgent. They were about to face intense persecution from Rome, and Peter knew he was not going to be there to help them endure. They would have to support each other with the love, grace and confidence that they had learned and stored as they received it from their pastor’s faithful teaching.
Every scripture we memorize, every category of doctrine we learn and store becomes part of our eternal soul. Those things are in our memory banks, to be recalled whenever and wherever the need arises. As we grow up in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, we can call those things up just because we enjoy the fragrance of them as we go about our daily lives. Even if we are not carrying a printed Bible at all times, we have great portions of it stored in our souls to think about and share along the way.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths 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, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:16-21
“We:” (Peter, Paul and the other apostles and writers of Holy scripture) didn’t just sit down and make this stuff up! The gospel of Jesus Christ is of utmost importance to us and to you. There is nothing more important or more true in the believer’s life than knowledge of the Word of God. Peter, James and John SAW Jesus in His glorious majesty on the mount of transfiguration. They HEARD the voice of the Father commending Jesus and commanding them to shut up and listen to Him. Even so, Peter knew that the words of the ancient prophets were equally as important as the living witness of the Church age apostles, because they all came from the same source: Sovereign God! Not men, but God speaking through the men, by enablement of the Holy Spirit.
The written Word of God in its original languages is plenary, meaning full and complete; it is verbal, meaning specific words, not just general concepts; it is inspired, meaning God-breathed. Some men were chosen to write God’s complete, specific, inspired words to be preserved and taught to mankind throughout history. No human and no group of humans could have authored such a perfect work. It is God’s work. He gave it. Certain men recorded it. You and I learn it, love it and live by it.
We are abundantly blessed.
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