2 Peter 1:16-18 English Standard Version
Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word
16 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 were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.
Leaving the prophetic word for later, let us focus on Christ’s Glory. Here Peter relates to an eyewitness account, one shared with John and James. This is Peter’s telling, John and James are not there to confirm. By two or three witnesses shall the truth be known. Peter’s telling is a personal matter.
Some of us have seen Christ’s glory first hand. It is our witness and so often we had no one there to confirm what happened. This is our witness and it is important but how can we be a witness to His glory without it sounding like a “cleverly devised myth”?
How does anyone’s words carry weight? First of all there has to be a relationship between the speaker and the hearer. Those hearing our witness must discover us to be honest God fear witnesses that would never dream of lying about something so important.
At the time of this writing Peter had already established his credentials. These are his words in addressing this epistle. “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” v1
A faith of equal standing indicates that Peter knows his audience and has established a relationship with them. It is then by the power of the Holy Spirit that he feels free to share such important eyewitness accounts that if shared with unbelievers they could be received as myth.