2 Peter 3:2

2 Peter 3:2 ‘that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.'

‘that you should remember' -Indicating that man can remember! In addition, man's memory can be “selective”, there are many things that we can remember, but above all, we need to remember the following. (Judges 1:17)

‘the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets' -Prophets did exist in the New Testament (Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11). But it appears the reference to prophets in this verse, is the prophets who wrote the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 1:19).

Point to Note:

As in 2 Peter 1:16. The above passage demonstrates that the teachings of the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles in the New Testament, perfectly harmonizes. ‘God's true word, says the apostle, should be remembered. We need not spend long hours memorizing the doctrines of the counterfeiters; rather, let us ingrain in our memories the genuine, the real, the undiluted truth of God's word (1 Peter 2:1), that which true and trustworthy messengers delivered to us.' (Oberst p. 328) Peter obviously believed in the unity of Scripture. God wants us to always remember the prophetic utterances concerning Jesus in the Old Testament. The lesson is clear, what God predicts will happen! The Word of God can always be trusted. And if we don't trust the words of inspired men, then we will lapse into false doctrine.

‘and the commandment' -‘collectively, of the whole body of the moral precepts of Christianity' (Thayer p. 218) See 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Peter 2:21. God looks at the whole system of Christianity and simply calls it ‘the commandment'. ‘Evidently refers to the whole scope of the teachings one accepts as he comes to Christ for salvation.' (Oberst p. 329) It would be strange for God to call Christianity ‘the commandment', if there are really no commandments to observe! Obviously, the epistles are much more than letters of advice or ‘love letters' as some have called them. These letters contain commands from God (1 Corinthians 14:37), and he who rejects them is not spiritual.

‘of the Lord and Savior' -‘Of'-these teachings originated with the Lord. He is the source of all that is revealed in the New Testament (John 16:13; Hebrews 1:2). ‘Note that Peter again uses the full title ‘Lord' and ‘Savior', probably because he is about to emphasize the future element in salvation which the scoffers ridicule. Jesus is not only Savior from the past (2 Peter 1:1), and in the present (2 Peter 2:20), but for the future as well. To deny the second coming of Jesus is to deny Jesus as Savior.' (Green p. 125)

‘by' -This message from the Lord was spoken by or through the apostles (1 Corinthians 14:37).

‘your apostles' -(John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13; 2 Corinthians 5:20).

Points to Note:

The apostles who wrote the New Testament were just as inspired as the prophets who wrote the Old Testament (Hebrews 1:1). 2. To reject the teachings of the apostles is to reject Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:6). 3. Their writings are not mere suggestions. They must be heeded and obeyed (Hebrews 2:1). 4. Let us remember that the writings of the prophets were not suggestions to Israel. And the attitude never was, ‘just as long as you believe in God, nothing else matters.' But people are saying that such is true in the New Testament. That as long as. person believes in Jesus Christ, then they can be as wrong as can be about everything else in the New Testament and yet still be. faithful Christian.

Those Who Scoff At The Second Coming: