Sometimes, I really identify with Peter. I wish I could say it was during the “Upon this rock I will build my church” times, but mostly I identify with Peter when he does the kind of thing he does at the transfiguration. While I’m unclear how the disciples recognized who Moses and Elijah were, (Maybe name tags?), they were clearly aware of the identities of these two heroes of their faith. The moment was undeniably holy; Jesus standing with Moses and Elijah. So what does Peter do? He interrupts. “It’s great to be here, Lord! Do you want me to build a tabernacle for each of you real quick?” As soon as Peter gets the words out of his mouth, a cloud forms around them, and they hear the voice of God: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
That’s us, isn’t it? For all our talk of grace, we still get so worked up that we miss the holy, even when it’s right in front of us. We have to say something. We’re still trying to give the right answers we know we don’t have. We’re still trying to earn what can only be freely given. We’re still posturing, frantically trying to show that we deserve to be loved by a God who loved us unconditionally in the first place.
Stop. Stop the posturing. Stop the frantic self-justifying. Stop… and listen to Him.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.