Now mark one of those silver dollars, stir it into the whole mix, blindfold a man and tell him he can go as far as he wants, but he has to pick just one. We stand on that foundation when we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Matt. His answer is, 1 in 1017. 2:18-21). You can’t become what God wants you to be on a faulty foundation. God does not change His mind on His purpose for our life, or for a church. What does the Bible say to the church, and to the individual Christian, about the role of politics in the church? The other leg is (v. 19), “we have the prophetic word made more sure.” I’ll explain this phrase more in a moment, but I think his meaning is that the apostles’ experience on the mount of transfiguration confirmed and clarified the truth of the Old Testament, that the Messiah will come again to judge the world and to reign in glory over His redeemed people. And, since even Christians interpret the Bible in so many different ways, how can we know that our interpretation is correct? We not only have the apostolic witness to Jesus as they saw Him on the mount of transfiguration (1:16-18), but also (v. 19 in Greek begins with “and”) “we have the prophetic word made more sure.” “We” refers first to the apostles (as in 1:16-18), and by extension to the church. They would say that if you claim to know what the Bible says, you are dogmatic and arrogant. The NASB usually gives an almost literal rendering of the Greek text, but in verse 20 it errs. To navigate this dark, dirty world safely, you need the lamp of God’s Word. Some follow the King James Version, which translates, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy ….” The idea is that the written word is more sure than the disciples’ experience on the mount of transfiguration was. The foundation of a house tells you how big the house can get. He wants to leave his readers with a solid foundation so that after he is gone, they will not be led astray by false teachers, who are already plaguing the churches. He wrote, “inspiration was an influence of the Holy Spirit on the minds of certain select men, which rendered them the organs of God for the infallible communication of his mind and will. It is called a foundation in order to express better its immobility –- now compare Psalm 11:3-4; Matthew 7:24-25; Matthew 16:13-19 and Ephesians 2:19-22. For example, John MacArthur (The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible Updated edition [Nelson Bibles], p. 1924; also, see, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 2 Peter & Jude [Moody Publishers], pp. 61-62) argues that the Greek word order favors that translation. In Genesis 3:22 God says, "Since man has become like one of Us...." It has been interpreted in three main ways. All we believe, all we trust, all we do is to glorify Christ, who in turn glorifies God. It mentions specifically (v. 9) that His grave would be assigned with wicked men, yet that He would be with a rich man in His death. God looks forward to sharing this gift with us because He has planned this gift for mankind since the "foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34 Matthew 25:34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: American King James Version ×). But the apostles did not understand how it all fit together until after Jesus’ death and resurrection. He thinks that Peter is saying that Scripture ranks even above his experience of seeing the transfigured Christ. © 2021 Words of Life Ministries - an independent evangelical Registered Charitable Trust (no.269381) Cookie Policy | Privacy Policy Website by: TEKOA Creative, Study 10 A GREAT CHRISTIAN’’S DYING TESTIMONY, Study 11 BODILY SICKNESS AND DIVINE HEALING, Study 4 A CALL FOR CONSTANCY AND PERSEVERANCE, Study 6 GOD’’S SOLID FOUNDATION STANDS FIRM. Is Peter responding to the charges of the false teachers, that he was following cleverly devised tales, or he is referring to the cleverly devised tales of the false teachers in contrast to the eyewitness testimony of the apostles? As we’ve seen, Peter knows that he is about to die (1:14). But, how can we know that it’s true? Peter compares the Bible to a lamp shining in the darkness, much as Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” This is the only New Testament use of this Greek word for “dark.” It has the connotation of being not only dark, but also dirty or squalid. 7:14), of the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), of the lineage of David (2 Sam. They predicted His sufferings and the glory that would follow. Rather, they were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2:19). “Therefore thus saith the Lord G OD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” * (Isaiah 28:16) “For who is God save the L ORD? 2:28; Num. Paul, as an apostle, "laid the foundation," namely, Jesus Christ. It is the whole number of God ’s elect - the true Church of Jesus Christ - joined to Him in a vital union effected by the Holy Spirit. Surely these must be professors and not possessors; they are in Christendom but not in the true Church; they have faith in their heads but not saving faith in their hearts; they hold the lamp of testimony but there is no oil in their lamps; they are tares and not wheat (2 Timothy 3:5). Ironically, these verses challenge us with some difficult interpretive issues, so I will try to explain the text as we work through it, so that we can apply it correctly. Let us rest on the word of confidence, rejoice in the word of comfort and respond to the word of caution. Walk by the light that it gives you to avoid the pitfalls in this dark world. 5:2). To claim that your view is the only right view is divisive. What the Bible says about Foundation of God's Word. For when Jesus asked what the Disciples had thought of Him, Peter replied; "...you are the Son of the living God". The words of the apostles and prophets are His revelation and they are all still true. In 1 Corinthians 3:11, the Apostle Paul writes, "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." Now, what is this foundation? It is a morally dark place. So it seems preferable to understand that Peter is saying that the Old Testament prophets gave us a sure word about Christ. Since Christians have so many different interpretations of the Word, how do we determine which are right and which are of primary importance? Matthew 16:18 ESV / 177 helpful votes. In 1:16-18, Peter boldly states that the apostles were not following cleverly devised tales when they made known the power and coming of the Lord Jesus. If you let Paul in context interpret Paul on justification by faith and James in context interpret James on justification by works, they do not contradict each other. The foundation, Paul tells us, consists of the prophets and the Apostles (Eph. A Lasting Legacy: Choosing A Wife For Isaac (Gen. 24:1-67). We apostlesa… First, the Roman Catholic Church uses verse 20 to teach that individuals are not permitted to interpret the Bible for themselves. Even some who claim to be evangelical Christians say that we cannot know the exact meaning of Scripture. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. But Peter clearly believed in the objective, bodily, personal return of Christ. Q. "The firm foundation laid by God" is the Church of Christ, which is here termed a foundation laid by God, because it, the Church of Christ, is the ground-storey of the glorious Temple of the future. There are many hazards where you can conk your head or fall into a pit. If you’re going to stake your eternity on that same thing, you really want to be sure that it is the truth. Who Is the Foundation of the Church? But vv. We are to depart from every thought, word and deed which is contrary to the moral law of God, and in particular we are to depart from worldliness, impurity and pride. The same is true for our lives. Be careful to interpret it correctly. This very fact is affirmed by Jesus Himself. That despite the great forces that are opposing the Church –- the apostasy that is apparent on every hand, the worldliness that is in the Church, the shallowness that is in the spiritual experience of God’’s people, and the apathy there is in His service – despite all these things the firm foundation of God stands. So it more likely refers to the proper interpretation of prophecy after it was given, not to originating the prophecy (Schreiner, p. 323). This foundation is absolutely secure; it cannot be moved, and on either side of it there is a seal or inscription. ), “the Word of God is a more reliable verification of the teachings about the person, atonement, and second coming of Christ than even the genuine first hand experiences of the apostles themselves.”, While I greatly respect John MacArthur, I have to agree here with Thomas Schreiner, who argues (p. 320), “this would subvert the argument in vv. The verb is used of the wind carrying along Paul’s ship in the storm at sea (Acts 27:15, 17). You can’t stand before the judge after you’ve been driving 100 and say, “I didn’t understand that sign with the 25 on it!” Nor would it do to ask the judge, “What does 25 miles per hour mean to you? Charles Hodge gives one of the best explanations (Systematic Theology [Eerdmans], 1:154). 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