“This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour.”
2 Peter 1:1 NLT
We move on to the second epistle written by the Apostle Peter. The historians believe he must have penned this letter, possibly from a Roman prison, just before his execution in 64 or 65 AD, and its audience were probably the five churches in Asian Minor, now part of modern Turkey. In his first letter, Peter wrote to “God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners…” in this part of the world, so the readers of his second may have been Christians who had fled from Jerusalem earlier at a time of persecution. Peter probably used the services of an amanuensis, and his first letter mentions Silas, his “faithful brother” to whom he may have dictated the letter before Silas made the perilous journey to the five provinces.
Peter started his first letter with the claim that he was “an apostle of Jesus Christ”. The second letter added the word “slave” to his apostolic claim. Peter never wavered in his faith, in spite of everything the devil threw at him. He was beaten and imprisoned, suffered abuse, and overall could have been forgiven for giving up the hard road he had chosen. But how could he? He had spent time with Jesus, and that experience never left him through his remaining 30 or so years on this earth. The words of Jesus never stopped ringing in his ears – “Simon son of John, do you love Me …” (John 21:17) – and they drove him onwards and upwards, regardless of the opposition. But describing himself as a slave was indicative of how much Peter loved Jesus, to the extent that he enslaved his life to His service. Imagine the reunion in Heaven, when Peter finally met Jesus again, responding to that love in person.
Peter’s faith in Jesus was “precious”, and he goes on to describe it as being founded on the “justice and fairness”, the righteousness, of Jesus, “our God and Saviour”. The Apostle James wrote, “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:3). He went on to describe the problem for people struggling with their faith, “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). That is why the faith Peter experienced was “precious”. Peter was never a storm-tossed wave, or like a leaf in a breeze. His faith never wavered.
So, fellow pilgrims, how is our faith today? Are we resolute in our faith “in God alone” or do we instead come and go, trusting our governments or other authorities, instead of putting our faith in our loving Heavenly Father? Do we worry about world events, forgetting that God never leaves His throne? Do we struggle with personal circumstances, forgetting that ” … God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5). God is always there for us, and we can trust Him implicitly through anything we experience in this world. On our knees we ask for His forgiveness, and His peace will flood over us. You see, Peter knew that His faith was established in Jesus and His righteousness and love. A strong foundation, stronger than anything this world can present to us. The Kingdom of God will still exist long after the kingdom of this world has disappeared, because our God is so great and so majestic. He builds to last. But we frail and wayward human beings think we have got all the answers and consequently build our lives on a foundation of straw, with a misplaced faith in our own abilities. A quote from J L Packer in his book “Knowing God”, “Our personal life is a finite thing: it is limited in every direction, in space, in time, in knowledge, in power. But God is not so limited. He is eternal, infinite, and almighty. He has us in his hands; but we never have him in ours. Like us he is personal, but unlike us he is great“. How do we view God? The God we worship is far greater than anything in this world. After all, He created the very ground on which we stand. Let that thought infuse our work-a-day existence today. And every day.
Our faith is indeed precious. So precious, that without it we will never see God. Those that find this precious faith are truly blessed and in a great company with believers all over the world and throughout history. And this faith comes as a gift from God. His grace provides the transport we need to support our faith in our life-journey, whatever it may comprise.
Father God. We are indeed insignificantly small compared to You. Please forgive us for our arrogance and lack of faith. We worship You today. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 