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The Story:Peter says that the written Word, which they possessed at that time in the form of the Old Testament, is “more sure” than even his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. The prophetic Word of God is the lampwe should use to guide our daily journey in the Lord. We must not rely on experiences or the memory of exciting experiences of being with the Lord. The Word will be our guide until the Lord returns for us, so it’s silly either to look some place else for the guidance we need, or to fail to make resort to the Scriptures frequently.
Peter seems to have been aware that the Lord was adding to His Scripturesin his day, through the writings of apostles like Paul (cf. 2 Pt. 3.15, 16) and, perhaps, even himself. Pay attention to God’s Word and you’ll have the understanding, counsel, guidance, and strength you need to serve the Lord, no matter the adversity.
The Structure:Believers in every generation have been tempted in two ways to fail to “pay attention” to the Word. First, some minimizethe Scriptures either by failing to consider the whole Bible as the Word of God, or by allowing the Bible to speak only to a limited range of their concerns and interests. All Scripture is inspired, and all Scripture is profitable to equip us for every good work (2 Tim. 3.15-17). We must not neglect any of it, and we must allow its light to shine into every area of our lives. The other mistake believers make is by going beyondwhat is written in God’s Word, defining their faith and practice more by the spirit of the age and the Spirit of Truth (1 Cor. 4.6). Against this, too, we must be constantly on guard.
What is your regular practice of “paying attention” to the Word of God? Is this sufficient to equip you for every good work?
Each week’s studies in our Scriptorium column are available in a free PDF form, suitable for personal or group use. For this week’s study, “The Word More Sure: 2 Peter 1.12-21,” simply click here.
T. M. Moore
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.