Commentary - 2 Peter 1:12-15

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, the Apostle Peter, keenly aware of his approaching death, reveals his pastoral heart and his driving motivation for writing this second letter. He is not introducing some novel or esoteric teaching. Rather, his great concern is to stir up the believers by reminding them of foundational truths they already know. He sees it as his solemn duty, as long as he is alive, to keep hammering away at the basics. Peter understands that the Christian life is not a matter of graduating from the gospel, but of driving its roots deeper into our souls. Knowing that his time is short, as the Lord Jesus had shown him, he is intensely diligent to create a permanent record of his apostolic testimony. His goal is that after he is gone, the church will have a fixed, reliable standard by which to remember and measure all other teaching. This section is a powerful testimony to the necessity of constant reminders, the authority of apostolic teaching, and a godly man's preparation for death.

Peter's argument is straightforward. He will remind them, even though they know and are established in the truth. Why? Because reminders are essential for stirring up and securing faith. He considers this his duty while he lives in the "tent" of his body. This duty is made urgent by the knowledge of his imminent departure, a fact revealed to him by Christ. Therefore, he is making every effort to ensure that his teaching, the apostolic deposit of truth, will be accessible and memorable for them long after he has been martyred. He is laying a foundation for the authority of the written Word that will outlast him and all the apostles.

Outline

Context In 2 Peter

This passage serves as a bridge between Peter's exhortation to spiritual growth in the first part of the chapter (2 Pet 1:3-11) and his defense of the prophetic and apostolic word in the next section (2 Pet 1:16-21). Having just urged his readers to be diligent in making their calling and election sure by growing in virtue, he now models that diligence himself. His diligence is expressed in his pastoral care to remind them of these very truths. The theme of memory and reminders is crucial for the entire letter. Peter is writing to combat false teachers who will arise and seek to make the believers "forget" the truth (cf. 2 Pet 2:1; 3:1). By grounding his readers in what they have already received, and by emphasizing his own impending departure, Peter is establishing the permanent authority of his written testimony over and against the novelties of the heretics. He is, in effect, saying, "I am about to leave, so I am writing this down. This is the standard. Measure everything else you hear against this."

Key Issues

The Present Truth Needs a Future Reminder

One of the great temptations in the Christian life is the desire for novelty. We think we have mastered the basics and are ready to move on to the "deeper" things. But the apostles never think this way. For Peter, the most profound truths are the most foundational truths. He calls it "the truth which is present with you." This is not a throwaway line. The truth of the gospel was not an abstract concept for them; it was a present, living, active reality in their midst. They were established in it, strengthened by it. And yet, Peter's primary pastoral strategy is to remind them of it. Why? Because we are leaky vessels. We are forgetful creatures. The world, the flesh, and the devil are constantly working to distract us, to pull us away from the simplicity and power of the gospel. The faithful pastor, like Peter, is not an innovator who comes up with new ideas, but a remembrancer who keeps calling the people back to the old ones. The most important things are the things that need to be repeated most often.

Verse by Verse Commentary

12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been strengthened in the truth which is present with you.

The "therefore" links this section to the preceding commands to be diligent in growing in grace. Because this diligence is so important, Peter says, he himself will be diligent to remind them. He is not going to be negligent in his duty. Notice the pastoral humility and respect here. He acknowledges that they already know these things. He is not talking down to them. He affirms that they are "strengthened" or "established" in the truth that is "present" with them. This is the objective truth of the gospel that they have received and in which they stand. But knowledge and stability do not eliminate the need for reminders. In fact, they make the reminders all the more effective. A reminder doesn't work on someone who has never heard the information before. Peter's job is to keep the central truths of the faith front and center, to keep stirring the embers so the fire never goes out. Preaching is, in large measure, the task of reminding God's people of what they already believe.

13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,

Peter sees this work of reminding as a moral obligation, something that is "right" or just for him to do. It is a central part of his apostolic calling. He defines the duration of this duty: "as long as I am in this earthly dwelling." The word for "earthly dwelling" is skenoma, which means tent or tabernacle. This is a powerful metaphor for our physical bodies. A tent is a temporary, flimsy, portable structure, not a permanent home. Peter knows that his time on earth is short and that his body is just a temporary lodging. While he has breath in this tent, he will use it to "stir up" the believers. The word for stir up means to awaken, to rouse from sleep or lethargy. The Christian life is a fight against spiritual entropy and apathy, and one of God's primary instruments in that fight is the faithful preaching that reminds us of the truth and awakens our affections for Christ.

14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has indicated to me.

Here Peter states the reason for his urgency. He knows that his death is near. He speaks of it as the "laying aside" of his tent, like taking off a garment. This is not the language of annihilation, but of transition. The real Peter will continue to exist after his body is laid aside. The reason for his certainty is a direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. This most likely refers to the prophecy Jesus gave Peter after His resurrection in John 21:18-19, where Jesus told him that when he was old, he would stretch out his hands and be led where he did not want to go, "indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God." Peter has now reached that old age, and he knows the time for the fulfillment of that prophecy is at hand. This knowledge does not lead him to despair or to a self-focused retirement, but to a focused diligence in his pastoral work.

15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

Peter's pastoral concern extends beyond his own lifetime. He is not just trying to keep them stirred up while he is alive; he is laboring diligently to provide a permanent resource for them after his "departure." The word for departure is exodos, the same word used for Israel's exodus from Egypt and for Christ's "departure" on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:31). It speaks of a passing from one place to another. Peter's goal is to ensure that the apostolic teaching is so firmly established that the church can always "call these things to mind." How does he do this? By writing it down. This verse is a powerful statement about the purpose of the New Testament Scriptures. The apostles, knowing they would not be around forever, committed their authoritative teaching to writing so that the church in all subsequent generations would have a fixed, reliable, and accessible record of the truth. Peter is laboring to create a legacy, not of personal fame, but of doctrinal stability for the people of God.

Application

This passage has several sharp points of application for us today. First, we must banish from our minds the unbiblical notion that we can ever "get beyond" the basics of the gospel. We never graduate from our need to be reminded of our sin, of Christ's perfect life and atoning death, of His resurrection, and of our hope of glory. We should welcome and cherish preaching that is repetitive in the best sense of the word, preaching that continually brings us back to the cross. If you find yourself bored with the basics, it is a sign that your heart has grown cold, not that the truth has grown old.

Second, we should view our bodies as Peter did: as temporary tents. This world is not our home. This frees us from two opposite errors: worshiping the body through vanity, and despising the body through a false spirituality. The body is a good gift from God, a temporary tool to be used for His glory. But it is temporary. We should not be surprised when it begins to wear out, and we should not fear the day when we will lay it aside. For the believer, death is not a tragedy but an exodos, a departure to be with the Lord.

Finally, we must treasure the written Word of God. Peter was diligent to write these things down so that we, two thousand years later, could call them to mind. The Bible is not just a collection of religious writings; it is the apostolic legacy. It is the permanent reminder that Peter labored to leave for the church. We show our gratitude for his diligence by being diligent ourselves, diligent to read, study, memorize, and meditate on the Scriptures. This is how we are strengthened in the present truth and prepared for our own departure.