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The author is answering a question about the NAR, with special attention about people who desire to hear from God. This is part of her answer.
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We are not told to hold onto or trust a personal experience. We are told to trust in Christ alone. Peter helps us to remember that in 2 Peter 1:16-21. Though Peter’s experience in witnessing the glory of Christ on the mount of Transfiguration was real and powerful, Peter instructed others to trust in the more sure word of prophecy, which testified of Jesus Christ. This was lamp to light their way forward. It was not their reliance of a dream or a personal prophetic word.
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Let's quote the passage:
2Pe. 1:16-19 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
The author thinks this passage is referring to the sureness of the Bible vs. personal experience. We emphatically disagree. Peter was clearly not attempting to prove the superiority of Scripture over the prophetic.
Let's explain. First, we note that Peter set out to defend the Gospel, first by saying that what he told them isn't a story someone just made up. Rather, he was an eye witness to certain events, including how he actually heard God's voice from heaven at the Transfiguration. Thus he did not make it up, for he saw with his own eyes. Peter was appealing to his own first hand eyewitness experience as primary evidence.
The word "sure" is bebaios, solid (sure) enough to walk on; hence, firm, unshakable; (figuratively) absolutely dependable, giving guaranteed support (security, surety)... literally, "what can be tread upon." So in Peter's view something has made the prophetic word more sure. Something caused Peter to assert that the prophetic word is even more guaranteed. That something was a profound, earth-shaking proclamation of affirmation: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” This was what made the prophecies more sure to Peter.
Second, Peter was referring to the prophecies, not to defend them against his experiences, but to confirm them because of his experience. When Peter saw the transfigured Christ it pointed his mind back to those prophecies. And his testimony of the transfigured Christ is what made the prophetic word more sure. This is because Jesus fulfilled all the OT prophecies.
The writer of Hebrews similarly appeals to eyewitness accounts to establish the veracity of what he is writing:
He. 2:3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
Let's requote the passage:
2Pe. 1:16-19 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
We shall paraphrase:
It's not a fable; we witnessed these things. We heard God's voice telling us Jesus was His son. We were there. The things we saw and heard make the words of the prophets more solid and believable. We are now more convinced than ever that those prophecies are real, because what we experienced confirms without a doubt that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah.Peter's experiences validated and confirmed the prophets of old. What made the words of the prophets more certain? The things he witnessed!
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