The Brightly Certain Word of God

Rev. Jason Schockman, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in West Salem, WI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 2 Peter 2:12-21.

St. Peter tells his readers the purpose of his second epistle. He intends to remind them of the truth of the Gospel that has been preached to them. To have the Word of God dwelling in our memories and ready on our lips is of the utmost importance for us as Christians in the midst of a multitude of false teachers. The Apostle knows that he will die soon and desires to remind his hearers of the truth he had been preaching all along: Christ will come again. This is the reality that Peter, along with James and John, witnessed ahead of time on the holy mountain of Jesus’ transfiguration. They saw Jesus’ glory with their own eyes and heard the Father’s voice with their own ears. Even more than that, the Lord left no room for doubt because all of this was confirmed by His sure Word written down by the prophets. This was not any man-made interpretation, but the very Word of God given by the Holy Spirit. By this Word, and by nothing else, God desires to be at work to give us salvation in Christ alone.

“The Imperishable Inheritance” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the epistles of 1 and 2 Peter and Jude. The life of the Christian Church right now is life in exile. We endure attacks from various trials and from false teachers. Such suffering makes us long for the eternal home that will be ours at the resurrection of the dead. In Jesus, we have this promise of eternal life that can never be snatched away. These three epistles strengthen us to hold fast to Christ in the midst of suffering and to give witness to the hope that is ours in Him.