2 Peter 1:13

2 Peter 1:13 ‘And. consider it right, as long as. am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,'

‘And. consider it right' -This is the right thing to do. ‘Right'-‘that which regard for duty demands, what is right' (Thayer p. 148). Carefully note, where Peter put the emphasis. He wasn't going to spend the remaining days of his life trying to fix the institutions in society. He understood that the real purpose of. preacher is to remind people of what God has said. ‘Peter wanted to make the best use of the time left to him. Strikingly, he has no new teaching to impart to the Christians..' (Lucas/Green p. 69)

‘as long as. am in this earthly dwelling' -‘Dwelling'-Tabernacle, booth, or tent pitched. Fig., used of the physical body. ‘so long as. sojourn in this body' (Wey); ‘so long as. still lodge in this body' (NEB).

Points to Note:

The physical body is merely. tent or temporary dwelling for the soul (2 Corinthians 5:1 ff). 2. The statement reminds us of the temporary nature of this earthly life (James 4:13). 3. ‘It is. mixed metaphor which speaks powerfully about the way these men, who knew they faced painful and humiliating deaths, saw themselves as striking camp and moving on, or taking off. set of clothes.' (Lucas/Green p. 69) 4. Notice how calmly Peter speaks about this impending death. 5. Like the faithful of old, the apostles also saw themselves as pilgrims, merely temporary residents of this life (Hebrews 11:9). 6. The statement also suggests that man is more than. body (2 Corinthians 5:1).

‘to stir you up' -‘to rouse you' (TCNT); ‘stimulate' (Phi); present tense, ‘keep on rousing you up'. ‘to rouse, awaken from sleep' (Vine p. 73).

‘by way of reminder' -‘preaching is very often reminding. man of what he already knows. It is the bringing back to his memory that truth which he has forgotten, or at which he refuses to look, or whose meaning he has not fully appreciated and realized. It often happens that the task of the preacher and the teacher is to say to men: “Remember what you know, and be what you are”.' (Barclay p. 363)

Points to Note:

Unfortunately, many modern religious leaders have lost their faith in the Word of God to ‘stir up' their members. Thus, other tactics are being used. 2. Some feel that it is the job of the preacher to find something ‘new' in the Bible. 3. Peter believed that the Word of God is the tool to stimulate brethren (Hebrews 4:12). 4. The preacher also needs to remember that he is to stimulate the brethren instead of discouraging them. Someone has jokingly described the task of the preacher as ‘trying to raise the dead in 30 minutes.'