2 Peter 1:15,16 - Not cleverly devised stories

1:15

Now Peter says he will make every effort to see that after his death (his departure) they will be able to remember the truth. What does he mean by this? It almost certainly refers to Mark’s gospel. It is widely believed that Mark’s gospel was written by Mark acting as Peter’s writer. Ie Peter was the primary source for Mark. This belief is attested to by many of the early church fathers, and there are many features in Mark that are consistent with it being based on Peter’s recollections, such as the reticence to record anything that might glorify Peter. Peter lived for Jesus, we should do likewise. Notice also that Peter’s mind was firmly focused on the future and on the return of Christ, the result of this was for him to work all the harder to serve Christ today.

1:16

There is probably an allusion to the false teachers here. Peter and his co-workers told them the gospel and it was based on what they had actually witnessed. In contrast, the false teachers taught things based on “cleverley devised stories”. There are several things to note here. The gospel is based on truth and fact. A stark difference between the Bible and other “holy” books is that so much of the Bible can be historically attested. There are numerous references to historical, geographical and social features that can be cross-checked. When atheists like Dawkins claim that Christianity is just make-believe they are just demonstrating their own ignorance. Note also that attacks on the Bible try to claim that in effect it is a “cleverly devised story”. 2 Peter is a case in point, with some claiming Peter did not write it.

So what about us? We are not witnesses of the original events, so where do we stand in this? Well there are two things. First, there is the historical support for the reliability of the Bible as a whole, and of the gospels in particular. This matters. Then there is our own direct experience of knowing Christ. We are not pedalling made up stories or ideas, but the truth. We need both the personal experience and the historical evidence. They go together.