Not A Fable | 2 Peter 1 | Tobi England
Good morning, and thank you for joining us today. My heart is filled with gratitude as I look out and see so many of you gathered here, eager to worship and hear from God’s Word. We’ve just sung a powerful hymn—one that originated from a moment of deep sorrow in the life of a Christian businessman named Horatio Spafford. He lost his wealth in the Great Chicago Fire, and then lost his daughters at sea. And yet, gazing over those dark waters, he penned the words: “It is well with my soul.” It’s a remarkable testimony to the hope and assurance found in Jesus Christ, even in the hardest of times.
Why is that hope genuine and not just a comforting fantasy? That very question lies at the heart of the passage in 2 Peter chapter 1. The apostle Peter writes to believers who’ve faced persecution and loss, and he reminds them: this faith we share is not built on legends or myths; it’s founded on the righteous work of Christ, transforming lives, revealing truth, and fulfilling prophecies that point to God’s grand design. This morning, we’ll explore four key points Peter highlights—four truths that can anchor our souls in Christ, just as Horatio Spafford’s soul was anchored while staring at waves that had taken so much from him.
The Righteousness in the Christian Faith
One of the most precious gifts of Christianity is that it doesn’t start by asking, “How can you be good enough?” Rather, it starts with God’s own righteousness given to us. In 2 Peter 1:1, Peter greets believers who have “obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Notice the focus is not on our own track record. The Christian life begins with the acknowledgment that we are all sinners—every one of us falls short of God’s standards. Yet in His love and mercy, God has provided a way for us to stand before Him fully forgiven.
Jesus lived the perfect life we couldn’t live. When He died on the cross, He took the penalty we deserved, effectively paying a debt we could never pay. Then He rose again, declaring victory over sin and death. Scripture describes this as an exchange: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” That means if you’ve placed your faith in Christ, God sees you through the righteousness of His Son. You’re not just forgiven; you’re clothed in Christ’s moral perfection.
That’s what Horatio Spafford clung to when he wrote “It Is Well with My Soul.” His circumstances were devastating, but he knew that God’s verdict over his life—righteous through Jesus—did not change. It’s the very foundation that makes the gospel profoundly good news: every believer stands on the unshakable ground of Christ’s righteousness. Because of that, even when outward losses pile up and storms rage, our eternal standing before God remains secure. This is not wishful thinking; it is rooted in God’s act of exchanging our sin for His own righteousness.
The Transformation through the Christian Faith
Following our righteous status in Christ, Peter shows us that this faith isn’t meant to stay at a standstill. We aren’t saved so we can remain spiritually stagnant. We’re meant to grow, to change, to blossom. In 2 Peter 1:5–7, Peter exhorts believers: “Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” Each of these qualities builds upon the other like a blossoming flower, reflecting the character of Christ in us.
This process is a journey—what we might call sanctification. Just as a tiny seedling doesn’t remain small in healthy soil, God wants our hearts to continually expand in love, holiness, and grace. If you look back on your life over the past year or two, do you see growth? Are you a bit more forgiving, a bit more patient, a bit more compassionate? None of us arrives at perfect Christlikeness in a single day. But by the Holy Spirit’s work, we should be steadily transformed, shedding old sinful patterns and embracing the fruit of God’s Spirit.
Think of it like a child learning to walk: there are tumbles and tears, but there’s steady progress over time. Or consider how a flower bud slowly opens, revealing its colors to the sun. In a similar way, as we abide in Christ, the Spirit shapes us to look increasingly like Jesus. Sometimes that shaping involves trials or seasons of discomfort. In Peter’s context, these believers were facing persecution—losing jobs, being scattered from their homes—yet God was using even those hardships to deepen their character. The Christian journey isn’t about trying harder in your own strength; it’s about leaning on Christ and cooperating with His Spirit. Over time, a beautiful transformation takes place.
The Certainty of the Christian Faith
At this point, someone might wonder: “Isn’t all of this just a comforting story people tell themselves?” That’s precisely the objection Peter addresses in 2 Peter 1:16. He insists: “We have not followed cunningly devised fables.” This isn’t a pleasant fiction or a myth; it’s an objective reality, rooted in actual events. Peter himself was an eyewitness. He walked alongside Jesus for three years, saw Him perform miracles, heard His teachings firsthand, and even witnessed Jesus in His divine glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Christianity, then, is not a set of moral guidelines floating in a vacuum. It’s a faith anchored in real history. Many times, Scripture invites us to test its claims, to check archaeological findings, to examine textual manuscripts, and to see if the recorded events line up with reality. We discover that the places exist, the rulers match known timelines, and the cultural details are authentic. The Gospels were circulating among people who could have easily refuted them if they were based on lies—yet they stood uncontested in their central claims.
Peter speaks directly to readers who weren’t there on the holy mountain. They didn’t hear God’s voice thunder from heaven declaring Jesus His beloved Son. But Peter offers them—and us—this reminder: the faith rests on genuine occurrences. From the feeding of the five thousand to Christ’s resurrection from a sealed tomb, these were public happenings. They occurred in real spaces, among real crowds who could verify or contradict the stories. If it were all a fabrication, it would have crumbled under scrutiny. Instead, here we are two thousand years later, still bearing witness to a faith that has changed millions of lives.
This certainty is a far cry from what we call subjective preference. If you prefer one style of music over another, that’s subjective; it doesn’t matter for absolute truth. But whether Jesus rose from the dead is an objective matter. He either did or didn’t, and Peter is testifying that He truly did, and that such a claim changes everything. Indeed, “gravity doesn’t care if we believe in it or not.” Similarly, the truth of Christ’s resurrection and His power doesn’t depend on our vote of confidence. We either recognize and align ourselves with reality, or we stumble against it. Peter wants his persecuted readers—and us—to know we stand on solid ground, not a fragile myth.
The Prophecies of Christianity
Finally, Peter underscores another pillar for our faith: prophecy. In 2 Peter 1:19, he calls it “a more sure word of prophecy,” urging us to take heed as though it were a “light that shineth in a dark place.” This remarkable phrase points to the numerous prophecies in Scripture—some scholars count thousands—and highlights the astonishing fact that a large portion of them has already been fulfilled with stunning precision. That includes prophecies about the Messiah’s lineage, birthplace, manner of death, and even details about the kingdom He would initiate.
Why does prophecy matter so much? Because it shows that the events unfolding in history are not random. The same God who spoke through prophets centuries before Jesus is the God who orchestrated Christ’s coming—and He’s also the God who promises Christ’s return. When Peter speaks of a “light shining in a dark place,” he reminds us of the day when the clouds will part, spiritually speaking, and Jesus, the Day Star, will fill the world with His presence. This future event isn’t wishful imagery; it’s the capstone of God’s redemptive plan.
Think of how the Old Testament, hundreds of years before Bethlehem, foretold that the Messiah would be born in the little town of David. Then centuries later, here comes Jesus, fulfilling that detail among many others. If God has already fulfilled so many prophecies in Christ’s first coming, then we have good reason to trust what He says about the future. Prophecy reminds us that the story is still unfolding. We await that final day when Christ ushers in the fullness of His kingdom—a kingdom of righteousness, peace, and restored creation. Far from being a sideline topic, prophecy stands as a vibrant confirmation that “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Scripture is not the invention of human imagination; it’s God’s revelation, shining forward into eternity.
Reflection
What does all this mean for us, sitting here with our own problems, pressures, and doubts? Peter’s letter was meant to anchor believers undergoing intense persecution, but it also speaks to every Christian who faces the storms of life. First, remember that our standing before God is not about our achievements. We’ve received Christ’s own righteousness. No matter how fierce the trials or how deep the regrets, that righteousness holds firm. Second, realize that the Christian life is a journey of transformation, not a static certificate of salvation. By God’s grace, we’re invited to grow into the likeness of Jesus, reflecting His virtue, knowledge, self-control, and love.
Third, be confident that this faith rests on reality, not rumor. Peter wasn’t peddling fairy tales; he was proclaiming events he witnessed with his own eyes, and he staked his life on them. So we can echo Horatio Spafford’s refrain—“It is well with my soul”—not because we bury our heads in the sand, but because the facts and promises of God’s Word sustain us. The scriptural record stands firm under examination, and our souls stand secure in Christ’s victory.
Finally, prophecy offers a compelling reminder that God’s plan isn’t done yet. We look back to see how He has already fulfilled countless promises, and we look ahead to Christ’s return, the day when all wrongs are made right and all tears are wiped away. This grand storyline means our struggles aren’t meaningless; they fit into a tapestry woven by the sovereign hand of God. Through it all, He calls us to walk in faith, serve with hope, and love one another, knowing that a greater kingdom is on the horizon.
So let the words of 2 Peter sink in. Cling to the righteousness that’s yours in Christ, open yourself daily to the Spirit’s transforming work, rest in the knowledge that these truths are certain, and take comfort that God’s prophetic plan is marching onward. Like a bright morning star piercing a dark night, the promises of Christ shine upon us, assuring us that no matter how chaotic our world appears, the final word belongs to our risen and returning Savior. May we embrace that hope with our whole hearts and proclaim it boldly, for we truly have not believed in cunningly devised fables, but in the glorious, life-giving reality of Jesus Christ.
