2 Peter 1:16 - Meaning and Application

Peter gives the reason for the strong warning he has just given. These truths are not empty stories or something of little value, but matters of sure truth and great importance. The gospel is not a cleverly made-up tale. It is not the speech of a deceiver, nor the invention of a group of men using clever tricks to mislead others.

The way of salvation through Jesus Christ is really God’s own plan, the wise design of the all-wise Lord. He is the one who arranged this way of saving sinners through Jesus Christ. In the gospel, Christ’s power and coming are made known, and that is what the apostle preached.

The preaching of the gospel makes Christ’s power known. It shows that he is able to save completely all who come to God through him. He is the mighty God, so he can save people from both the guilt of sin and the dirt of sin.

The preaching of the gospel also makes known Christ’s coming. He was promised right after the fall of man, and in the fullness of time he was born of a woman. He has now come in the flesh, and whoever denies this is an antichrist, one who is under the influence of the spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:3). But true apostles and ministers of Christ, guided by the Spirit of Christ, show that Christ has come just as promised, the faith that all Old Testament believers died believing (Hebrews 11:39).

Christ has come in the flesh because those he came to save are flesh and blood. He also took part in the same nature, so that he could suffer in their place and make atonement, that is, pay for sin and restore peace with God. The gospel clearly explains this first coming of Christ.

The gospel also speaks of a second coming, which ministers must make known too. He will come in the glory of his Father, with all his holy angels. He has been appointed Judge of the living and the dead. He will judge the world in righteousness by the everlasting gospel, and he will call every person to account for everything done in the body, whether good or evil.

Even though one of those miserable men who claim to be Peter’s successors has blasphemously called this gospel a fable, Peter shows that it is certain and real. During our blessed Savior’s life on earth, when he took the form of a servant and was found as a man, he sometimes showed that he was truly God. This was especially true for Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, who were eyewitnesses of his divine majesty when he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothing became white as light, very white, like snow, so white that no fuller, that is, no cloth cleaner, on earth could make them that white.

Peter, James, and John saw this with their own eyes, so they were able, and ought, to testify to it. Their testimony is certainly true, because they spoke of what they had seen and heard. Along with the visible glory Christ wore on earth, there was also a voice from heaven.

Notice what a gracious declaration was made: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). It is the best voice ever heard from heaven to earth. God is pleased with Christ, and with us in him. This is the promised Messiah, through whom all who believe will be accepted and saved.

This declaration came from God the Father, who publicly owned his Son even while Christ was in a humble state, in the form of a servant. He called him his beloved Son even in that low condition. Christ’s humble circumstances did nothing to lessen the Father’s love for him. In fact, Christ’s laying down his life is spoken of as one special reason for the Father’s love (John 10:17).

The purpose of this voice was to give our Savior special honor while he was here below. He received honor and glory from God the Father. This is the one whom God delights to honor. Just as God requires us to honor and glorify his Son by confessing him as our Savior, so he honors and glorifies our Savior by declaring him to be his Son.

This voice came from heaven, called here the excellent glory, and that gives even greater glory to our blessed Savior. The declaration came from God, the fountain of honor, and from heaven, the place of glory, where God is most gloriously present.

The voice was heard, and understood, by Peter, James, and John. They did not just hear a sound, as the crowd did (John 12:28-29). They understood the meaning. God opens the ears and minds of his people so they receive what they need to know. Others are like Paul’s companions, who heard words but did not understand them (Acts 9:7), and so are said not to have heard the voice of the one speaking to him (Acts 22:9).

Blessed are those who not only hear, but also understand, believe, and feel the power of the voice from heaven, as Peter did when he wrote this testimony. We have every reason to accept his witness, since he gives such a careful account of the voice from heaven.

This voice was heard by them on the holy mountain, while they were with Jesus. Any place where God gives a special, gracious showing of himself becomes holy for that time. It is not holy by its own nature, but holy because God is there, as the ground was holy where God appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:5), and as the mountain was holy where the temple was built (Psalm 87:1). Such places are holy in relation to God’s special presence, and they should be treated that way while people are experiencing, or may rightly expect from God’s word, his special presence and gracious help.