Continual reminder
Therefore I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have. I think it is right, as long as I am in this bodily tent, to wake you up with a reminder, since I know that I will soon lay aside my tent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed made clear to me. And I will also make every effort so that you are able to recall these things at any time after my departure. 2 Peter 1:12-15 CSB
Peter finished up this section on growing in the faith by using the theme of reminder three times (v. 12 “I will always remind you”, v. 13 “to wake you up with a reminder”, v. 15 “that you are able to recall these things at any time”). Whether a believer is new in the faith or had been seasoned for thirty plus years like Peter, Peter reminds believers of these truths to not be complacent. Peter was given a special revelation by Jesus that he would die as a martyr in John 21:18-19: “‘Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.’ He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God.’” We can assume that Peter was reminded of this again and how his time of death was coming very soon in verse 14, “since I know that I will soon lay aside my tent, as our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed made clear to me.” Peter writes these words with a sense of urgency, to remind believers to continue on persevering in their growth in the faith until the Lord calls them home. Even with death on the horizon, Peter had the perspective of what was important in life: a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and growing in it daily. So, it is not just the spoken words of the apostles that should remind Christians about God and their relationship with Him but the whole written word of God. This is also what Paul told his readers. “I myself am convinced about you that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. Nevertheless, I have written to remind you more boldly on some points because of the grace given me by God” (Romans 15:14-15). Even though Christians have basic knowledge of the truth, the apostles see the need of reminding them. We have a tendency to lose our attentiveness that we need to be refreshed so we can recall the truth that we already have known. This happens especially when we get lulled and comfortable with what we have in life and neglect that we are dealing with spiritual battle wherein the enemy, Satan, wants us to be defeated and useless in the work of God expanding His Kingdom. We need to have our minds be refreshed by God’s Word that will help build our faith and help us live godly lives.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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