By: Adam Driscoll
Director of Enrolment
Class of 2008

"So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have." – 2 Peter 1:12 – 21 

Each year, we gather in the Hildebrand Chapel to celebrate with the class who have dedicated themselves to intellectual and spiritual formation. You’ll hear these words, “Each student has been approved for graduation by the faculty of Briercrest College and Seminary.” They’ve meet the requirements, they’ve done the work, they’ve reach the goal!

Yet, even though Peter’s readers were firmly established in the truth, Peter states he will always remind them of the fundamentals of the gospel. Regardless of what platform we find ourselves on or what achievements we attain, we are always in need of reminding. Two important things that we must never forget: 1) Jesus Christ is real; and 2) the word of God is reliable.

In v. 16 Peter writes, “We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus in power . . .” He’s saying, “We didn’t make this stuff up!”  Peter is distinguishing the Gospel from the prevailing myths of the culture. As proof, he recalls his own experience on the mount of transfiguration. Jesus really came and He’s really coming back!

As we navigate the journey and pressures of life, we need to remember the real work of God in our own lives and the real promise of His return. We need to dig out the old journals and yearbooks and recall our own encounter with the living Christ.  We need to remember the promise an eternal salvation. As we reflect on tragedies in our lives and world, we cry: “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!” We have a real hope in a real return of our Lord.

Peter continues in verse 19, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable” (italics added). Over the course of education we come to love certain authors. We value the advice of our mentors. Perhaps at other times though, we’ve made attempts and said, “I’ll never do that again!” Peter is reminding us that regardless of lessons learned, books read, degrees attained, there is a word we can always trust: God’s. 

When the ground beneath feels like it’s shifting, when we’re unsure of who or what to trust, we can remember, “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Said another way, “The word of our God stands forever” (Is. 40:8).  You can trust it.

Whether you walked the stage this year or decades ago, regardless of degrees attained or milestones reached, we can never get bored of the basics.  We cannot forget the foundation - for we never, ever, graduate from the Gospel.