“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16-18 ESV)
Confidence makes all the difference. The confident team will take the field with determination. The confident worker will tackle his job with eagerness. Confidence in relationships makes for stable, happy marriages and friendships.
No one has more cause for confidence than the believer in Christ. But it doesn’t always feel that way, does it? Confidence can drain away in the face of serious health or financial problems. How can one be confident of recognizing the difference between true and fake news when fact-checkers contradict other fact-checkers? Why is our culture so morally bankrupt? What about death? Satan weasels his way into hearts by whispering, “Did God really say? Where is God?”
In spite of all that, you can be confident in Christ. Peter and the other apostles didn’t fabricate their own message. They were eyewitnesses of Christ’s glory. They saw what no other human being will see before judgment day. On a high mountain they witnessed with their own eyes Jesus transfigured. His face shone like the sun. Even His clothing became intensely white, white as light itself. They saw the glory of God Himself in Jesus. John writes, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) Paul beautifully sums it up: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9 NIV)
The three men saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus. It was Moses who received the Law from God on Sinai, but only Jesus could fulfill it in our place. Elijah was a great prophet, but only Jesus is the Prophet who not only preached salvation, but would accomplish it by His sacrifice on the cross. Enveloped by the glory-cloud of God’s presence, the disciples heard the Father confirm Jesus as His beloved Son, the Savior of the world. Peter emphasizes, “We ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven.” (verse 18)
We know all this. We believe it. But does your confidence still waver at times? What do you do when you crawl into bed, quite sure you locked the back door, but then you begin to wonder? To put your mind at ease, you get up and check the deadbolt again. When your Christian confidence falters, do the same. Go back to Scripture again and read for yourself the words of those who saw and heard Jesus. On every page the Lord Himself is speaking to you. “All Scripture is God-breathed.” (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)
Spirit-worked faith is the essence of Christian confidence. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV) No one can be more confident than the believer in Christ. Through the Spirit-breathed words of eyewitnesses, we can be sure that Jesus is Who He said He was, did what He came to do, and will come again in power and majesty that we may share in His glory forever.
is a retired pastor and former president of the CLC. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.