‘In Remembrance of these things’

In 2 Peter i. 12-15 we read, “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance".

In this Epistle, the apostle seeks to remind believers of their standing in Christ – to bring back to the forefront of their minds the wonders of salvation and the fact that they arc purged from their “old sins”, 1. 9. It is so needful for believers to hold the truth of God in remembrance. Peter and Paul spent much time in bringing to the remembrance of believers the things of God, Rom. 1. 15; 1 Cor. 15. 1-4. Without deepening our knowledge and understanding of the things of God, we cannot hope to do much service for Him.

It is needful for us to be constantly reminded, for it is a human trait to forget the things of God. We have known young people easily to retain trivialities such as football results, yet spending hours attempt-ing to learn one verse of Scripture. Moreover, there is still this tendency within us as believers, for the old nature wars against the new, and often we neglect the Word of truth. It requires hard work and discipline to make time and to study God’s Word, yet this is the way to bring “these things" to remembrance and to grow in grace. The apostle Paul tells Timothy to “give attendance to reading”, 1 Tim. 4. 13. How else could Timothy be enabled to undertake the important work entrusted to him? Do we, in like manner, give our-selves to much reading of Holy Scripture?

When our daily Bible readings are neglected, we find ourselves afar off; our fellowship with our Father grows cold, and our Christian life and service become barren. This is what happened to the Galatians and occasioned Paul’s solemn rebukes to those Christians. They had forgotten much of what Paul had taught them, and had allowed legalism to be taught as part of salvation. Had they only held the truth in remembrance, so much difficulty and so many problems could have been avoided. Many of our own troubles would not have arisen, had we only held the truth in remembrance.

In Hebrews 2. 1, we read, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip”. Many times we have heard godly men expound the Word of God and have been richly blessed, yet we depart and forget all that we have heard. Instead, we should contemplate and memorize the points that we have heard, applying the Word daily to our lives. What joy it must be to our brethren and sisters in some countries who seek to memorize long passages of Scripture to sustain them in case at some time they should have their Bibles taken away. Do we similarly experience great joy in our reading, meditating and learning of Scripture? Let us therefore rejoice in our reading of God’s Word, as we find out more of the Lord and of His ways, and how we can serve Him more faithfully every day.