THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Ministry of Peter
Message Four—The Present Truth, the Way of the Truth, and the Most Holy Faith
Scripture Reading: 2 Pet. 1:12; 2:2, 15, 21; 1 Pet. 1:22
I. The present truth is the truth that is present with the believers, which they have already received and now possess—1:12:
A. We need to know the present, up-to-date truth and to uphold the absoluteness of the truth—John 18:37.
B. We need to be clear whether a particular matter is an item of the truth—8:32:
1. “Is calling on the name of the Lord a truth? No, it is not a truth. Calling on the Lord is necessary, and we need to have such a practice in our daily life, but calling on the Lord’s name is not a truth. Likewise, baptism, presbytery, foot-washing, and pray-reading are not truths” (Life-study of Ezra, p. 33).
2. “Justification by faith is a truth. Regeneration, sanctification, renewing, transformation, conformation, transfiguration, being made God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead-all these are truths” (p. 33).
C. Because many basic truths have been given up, even by those who apparently are fundamental believers, there is the need for us in the Lord’s recovery to fight the battle for the truth—1 Tim. 6:12, 20-21.
D. Today, in a time of apostasy, we need to testify the full revelation of the pure Word of God and to fight for the deeper truths revealed in the Word of God, including:
1. The revelation concerning the eternal economy of God—Eph. 1:10; 3:9.
2. The revelation concerning the Divine Trinity—2 Cor. 13:14; Rev. 1:4-5.
3. The revelation concerning the person and work of the all-inclusive Christ—Col. 2:9, 16-17; 3:11.
4. The revelation concerning the consummated life-giving Spirit—John 7:39; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Rev. 22:17.
5. The revelation concerning the eternal life of God—John 3:15-16.
6. The revelation concerning the Body of Christ, which is the church of God—Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27; 10:32.
E. We need to know and testify the highest truth: In Christ God became man to make man God in life, nature, constitution, and expression but not in the Godhead so that the redeeming God and the redeemed man can be united, mingled, and incorporated together to become one entity—the New Jerusalem— John 1:12-14; 14:20; Rev. 21:2, 10-11.
II. The way of the truth is the path of the Christian life according to the truth, which is the reality of the contents of the New Testament—2 Pet. 2:2:
A. The way of the truth is the straight way; to take the straight way is to live an upright life without crookedness and bias—v. 15.
B. The way of the truth is the way of righteousness; to take the way of righteousness is to live a life that is right with both God and man, a life which, according to God’s righteousness, can receive God’s governmental judgment for His kingdom of righteousness—vv. 21, 9; Matt. 5:20; Rom. 14:17.
C. The way of the truth is “the Way,” denoting the Lord’s full salvation in God’s New Testament economy—Acts 9:2:
1. It is the way God dispenses Himself into the believers through Christ’s redemption and the Spirit’s anointing—Eph. 1:7; 1 John 2:27.
2. It is the way the believers partake of God and enjoy God—2 Pet. 1:4.
3. It is the way the believers worship God in their spirit by enjoying Him and follow the persecuted Jesus by being one with Him—John 4:24; Heb. 13:12-13.
4. It is the way the believers are brought into the church and built up into the Body of Christ to bear the testimony of Jesus—1 Cor. 1:2; 12:27; Rev. 1:2.
D. To take the way of the truth is to purify our souls by obedience to the truth; this is the sanctifying truth, which is God’s word of reality—1 Pet. 1:22; John 17:17:
1. The purifying of our souls by obedience to the truth causes our entire being to be concentrated on God that we may love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind—Mark 12:30.
2. Such a purifying of our souls issues in unfeigned brotherly love, that is, in our loving from the heart fervently those whom God loves—1 John 5:1.
III. In [Jude chapter 1] verse 20, the “most holy faith” Jude speaks of is objective faith and refers to the precious things of the New Testament in which we believe for our salvation in Christ:
A. This Faith is both objective and subjective; as we build ourselves up in our most holy faith, we build ourselves up in a faith that is not only objective but especially subjective; the subjective faith comes out of the objective faith; in other words, faith implies both what we believe in and also our believing; this is the most holy faith—1:20.
B. The most holy faith is a great blessing given to us from God, of God, and even with God; when this faith comes into us, it comes with God, with all that God is, with all that God has passed through, with all that God has accomplished in Christ and through the Spirit, and with all that God has obtained and attained.
C. The building up in the most holy faith is not individualistic; rather, this building is a corporate matter; Jude is speaking to the believers corporately when he charges them to build up themselves in their most holy faith; if we would build up ourselves in faith, we must do it in a corporate way; that is, we must do it in the Body, in the church life.
Ministry Excerpts:
BEEN ESTABLISHED IN THE PRESENT TRUTH
Second Peter 1:12 says, “Wherefore I shall be ready always to remind you concerning these things, even though you know them and have been established in the present truth.” By “these things” Peter means things such as the divine power, the things concerning life and godliness, the divine nature, and the development of the divine riches in our experience. Peter was always ready to remind the saints concerning these things, even though they had come to know them and had been established in the present truth, the truth which they already possessed.
By “the present truth” Peter means the truth which is present with the believers and which they have already received and now possess. In the first section of this chapter (vv. 1-11), Peter uses the provision of the divine life for the proper Christian life to inoculate against apostasy. In the second section (vv. 12-21), he uses the revelation of the divine truth, as the second antidote, to inoculate against the heresy in the apostasy, a heresy similar to today’s Modernism.
In verses 13 and 14 Peter says, “And I count it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by a reminder, knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle is imminent, even as also our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.” The word “tabernacle” refers to the temporal body (2 Cor. 5:1). To put off the tabernacle is to put off the body, to be unclothed of the body (2 Cor. 5:4), to leave the body, to die physically. Peter, like Paul (2 Tim. 4:6), knew that he would leave the world by martyrdom, and he was ready for this. He remembered the Lord’s word to him concerning his death, when He charged him to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19).
In verse 15 Peter continues, “And I will also be diligent, that after my exodus you may be able to have these things always in remembrance.” By “exodus” or departure (the same Greek word is used in Luke 9:31), Peter means to leave the world. Once again, “these things” refer to what Peter has covered in 1:1-11.
NOT FOLLOWING CLEVERLY DEVISED MYTHS
In verse 16 Peter goes on to say, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we became eyewitnesses of that One’s majesty.” Myths were superstitious stories cleverly devised in Greek philosophy, which was related to the apostasy. The apostles preached and taught concerning the power and coming (Gk. parousia, presence) of the Lord Jesus Christ. To unbelievers, the preaching concerning the Lord’s coming sounded very much like a myth or superstitious tale. But here Peter says that the apostles did not follow cleverly devised myths when they made known the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
EYEWITNESS OF THE LORD’S MAJESTY
Concerning the word “eyewitnesses” Darby comments, “‘Admitted into immediate vision of the glory,’ a word used for full initiation into the mysteries.” Peter realizes that he James, and John were admitted to the highest degree of initiation at the Lord’s transfiguration, admitted to be the initiated spectators of His majesty. Peter considers the Lord’s transfiguration as a figure of His second coming, even as the Lord did in Luke 9:26-36. The Lord’s transfiguration in glory was a fact, and Peter was in it. The Lord’s coming back in glory will also be a fact as real as His transfiguration, and Peter will also be in it. This is not a cleverly devised myth passed on to the believers by the apostles.
TAKING HEED TO THE PROPHETIC WORD
In 1:19-21 Peter goes on to use the prophetic word found in the Old Testament to confirm their testimony. Both the apostles’ witness and the prophetic word in the Scriptures are the shining of the truth. This shining is part of the divine provision, the provision God has made by His power so that His elect children may be able to stay away from heresy and apostasy.
In verse 19 Peter continues, “And we have the prophetic word made more firm, to which you do well to give heed as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” “And” indicates that in addition to the truth of the Lord’s transfiguration covered in the preceding verses as the inoculation against superstitious myths, the truth of the prophetic word is used for a more sure confirmation. After speaking of his personal experience of the Lord’s glory in His transfiguration, Peter goes on to use the word of the prophets to confirm his testimony and strengthen it.
Peter indicates that the believers do well to give heed to the prophetic word. This means that they were studying the Old Testament prophecies and giving heed to them.
Peter likens the word of prophecy in the Scripture to a lamp shining in a dark place. This indicates that this age is a dark place in the dark night (Rom. 13:12) and that all the people of this world are moving and acting in darkness. It also indicates that the prophetic word of the Scripture, as the shining lamp to the believers, conveys spiritual light to shine in their darkness (not merely knowledge in letters for mental apprehension) and guides them to enter into a bright day, even to pass through the dark night until the day of the Lord’s appearing dawns.
THE DAY DAWNING AND THE MORNING STAR ARISING
Peter says that we do well to give heed to the prophetic word until the day dawns and the morning star arises in our hearts. This also is a metaphor, illustrating a time coming which will be full of light, as a bright day dawning, with the morning star, before dawn, rising in the hearts of the believers, who are illuminated and enlightened by giving heed to the shining word of the prophecy of Scripture. In the time of apostasy the believers do well to give heed in this matter so that the prophetic word, as a lamp, may shine through the darkness of apostasy until such a day dawns upon them. This will cause and encourage them to seek earnestly the Lord’s presence and be watchful that they not miss the Lord in the secret part of His parousia, when He comes as a thief (Matt. 24:27; 2 Thes. 2:8). Hence, this metaphor should allude to the coming age, the age of the kingdom, as a day that will dawn at the appearing (the coming) of the Lord (2 Pet. 1:16) as the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2), whose light will shine to break through the gloom of the dark night of this age. Preceding this, the Lord will appear as the morning star (Rev. 2:28; 22:16) in the darkest hour of the night to those who are watchful and looking for His dear appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). They have been enlightened by the shining of the prophetic word, which is able to lead them to the dawning day.
It is correct to say that the dawning of the day in 1:19 refers to the time of the Lord’s coming back. On that day, the Lord will shine as the Sun of righteousness. The time that is very close to the Lord’s appearing may be likened to early morning, at which time the Lord Jesus will be the morning star to His watchful believers. Although all this is true, Peter is saying something even more. Actually, in 1:19 Peter covers two matters at the same time. He is saying that the entire world is a dark place and that this present age is a dark night. If we did not have the prophecies of the Bible, we also would be in darkness, for we would not have a lamp. But the prophetic word is our lamp shining in the darkness. As we give heed to this prophetic word, we receive the shining of the light. Eventually, this light will shine until a spiritual day dawns within us, and a morning star rises in our hearts. Therefore, Peter first is speaking of a spiritual day, a day that dawns within us. He also speaks of a future day, the day of the Lord’s coming back. (Life-study of Second Peter, msg. 8)