II Peter 1:16 - eyewitness account

Picking up where we left off on Monday, Peter's readers know the truth of the gospel, and his own time is now short. Peter thinks that the right thing to do is to arouse their memory of the important things. That is where our legacy studies came from. Peter knows his days are numbered, and he also knows that believers truly need reminding of things. If we keep the greatness of God's plans and the preciousness of His promises in our minds, we will have hope and we will also be diligent.
If we are not reminded, we may "fall asleep" or "forget."
And it's important to erase the notion that our eternal security is mechanical or automatic. In the first place, it's way too precious to reduce it to that level!

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. (I Thessalonians 5:9-10)

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns?No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  (Romans 8:33-34)

In the second place, God is faithful and will preserve us for eternal life, but how does this happen? How does He do this?
This is important - He keeps us for eternity by a personal, living, interactive relationship with Himself! That's not mechanical. That isn't automatic. That's especially not something to be taken for granted. That is something to be treasured, to be grateful for each day! God uses reminders to keep us from indifference, to guard us from taking eternal security for granted.... words from a friend, verses in His Word, special days to reflect.  Let's face it, we have days all year that are supposed to remind us of stuff: Valentine's Day for those we love, Mother's Day and Father's Day and Grandparents' Day, and....well, you get my drift!
So, it's not shocking to think that we need reminders of our salvation, and the great price that was paid, no? (Grin)
All of this is why Peter wrote this letter; it's almost like a will that people write today. Maybe he was thinking back to that day at the temple gate when he told the crippled man, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give to you." (You can check that out in Acts 3.)  Peter still didn't have any silver or gold, but this letter was an awesome and much better legacy!

Now we come to verse sixteen. Peter tells us why this reminder is so important, and so valued:

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. (II Peter 1:16)

In other words, the basis for all of this is not fantasy -- it's real! It's not a myth. It's not a legend.
In historical research, the most valued accounts of an event are those that are called "primary." These are accounts directly from a participant or spectator.
"I was there."
Not "he told me he saw this."
Not "my cousin said it happened this way."
Not "my cousin said his grandpa told his mom it happened like this."
Primary accounts are directly from the person who was there. That's why they are so valued. They are real.
Peter is saying that his reminders about the precious promises of God, about His power given to us, Christ's coming again, and all of the things in the first chapter, are not based on myth, but on Peter's own eye-witness account of Christ's majesty.
It's sometimes a point of contention in Christian circles if the conversation turns to the second coming of Christ. He said He would come again. But believers seem to want to quibble about when. Some say that the event has already happened. Some say that it's far away in the future, and others say "any day now." But then there are unbelievers who scoff at the mention - to them it's a fantasy, a myth.

Peter must have dealt with these issues in his day, for he uses the Greek word "parousia" in this passage, and when it's used in other places it refers to Christ's future coming. Another clue to Peter's need to clarify this for his readers is when he refers to what he taught them earlier. Verse sixteen says he had already made it "known" to them. He taught them about the power and the coming of Jesus Christ -- and after all, the second coming is at the heart of our faith. It's what our longing is, and it's our reason for joy, as well.
Peter backs this up with his eye-witness account of Christ's majesty. That is the difference between speculation and faith. Our doctrines are not the result of cleverness or manipulation. They are not constructed by man in order to satisfy his needs.
Our doctrines are the result of historical observation!
Think about this. Our faith can be rock-solid. It's based on fact and on eye-witness accounts.
I think that is why Peter makes "knowledge" such an integral part of his letter:

 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (II Peter 1: 2,3,5,8)

Ours is not a mamby-pamby faith. Ours is a full-throated affirmation of doctrines based in knowledge, not in myth. Our faith is grounded in reliable observations of reality. We can stand, and we can withstand attacks by adding to our knowledge. Becoming more familiar with the Word, and the eye-witness accounts we find there. Bolstering our faith and knowledge with the spiritual "vitamins" we discussed.
Satan might prowl this earth like a roaring lion, but imagine his surprise when, full of faith  - we roar back!