Last 5 Days
Remember
1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
Having spoken about the false teachers in the previous chapter, Peter now turns his attention back to his “beloved”, his brothers and sisters whom he will be exhorting in this chapter. In the beginning of this chapter, Peter urges his readers to remember the truth (v1-2) and to be watchful of scoffers (v 3-4). Peter also rebukes the scoffers for forgetting the truth (v5-7).
The idea of “remembering” frames this paragraph, and Peter continues to explain that by recalling the words of Christ that the Christian’s sincere mind will be stirred. In contrast, because the false teachers (scoffers) have forgotten God’s providence and intervention in history, that they have stumbled into error.
Peter is exhorting his readers to remember the truth, because he is well aware that no Christian can ever be so secure in his or her faith that they do not need the encouragement to conform to the image of God and to be set apart and lead holy lives. The importance of the basic truth is a reminder that Christians can never outgrow of. Hence, the active action of remembering these truths require Christians to apply the truths to new situations and problems that the believer faces each day. This reminder is even more urgent in the face of false teachers mocking the idea of Christ’s return in glory.
Dear brothers and sisters, we continue to live in an imperfect and fallen world, where we face new challenges and issues daily. There continues to be false teachers who teach half-truths and causes us to doubt our faith. Therefore, as Peter had encouraged his beloved, today, my dear beloved church, stand firm in the Word of God, and live your lives according to His Will. We need to be able to discern for ourselves, the truth from the half-truths and un-truths, and we need to learn to live a life set apart for our Lord. By our own strength, we may fail terribly, but by God’s strength, we will be able to achieve. Therefore, meditate on the Word of God day and night, live according to God’s will, and actively apply our learnings of the Word into out daily lives.
