With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly…
Summary: There are many famous names in the Bible. There are also names like Silas, who are not well known but did very important work.
When you think of the Bible, and specifically the New Testament, which names come to mind?
Jesus?
I hope so! The entire Bible is about him. Yet other heroes of the faith serve Jesus, too. Who are they?
It might be fun to take a survey on this point and see what you think. Maybe the next four names that would come up in people’s minds would be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Only two of these men were disciples of Jesus. Mark is a bit of a mystery. Luke, also, is a bit of a mystery, but we know more about him from his writings. Matthew and John are both disciples of Jesus and have direct knowledge of him.
The next name that would likely come up would be Paul’s. Paul’s letters constitute what many consider to be the heart of the New Testament.
After that, the names we are familiar with would be the people who are part of the story rather than authors of the New Testament writings. Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Joseph come to mind. James, the brother of Jesus, and Judas, who betrayed Jesus. The list could go on for a long while before we might think to include Silas.
So who is this “Silas” who helped Peter write his letter?
As it turns out, Silas is one of the unsung heroes of the New Testament. He is mentioned twenty-two times in conjunction with Paul and once with Peter. There is an excellent essay available here that explores the similarities between Paul’s letters and Peter’s letter. Such similarities are not only confirmation of God’s will, but also a confirmation of harmony between scriptures.
From a practical standpoint, I can understand the need for help in areas where a person is weak. Who would want to tackle writing a long and detailed letter if they don’t have the training needed? In Peter’s day, the spell checker and grammar checker was a guy like Silas. The writer of the letter, whether Paul or Peter, would organize their thoughts, and the scribe, Silas, would help put it on paper.
It is like the process of writing a document in my job. When I draft an important letter or agreement, it is reviewed by others who have suggestions. Often, the final version is worded differently than the first draft. A good reviewer does not alter the intent, but rather, makes the intent of the document clearer. I have to wonder if Silas offered the same editorial perspective to Peter and Paul.
If the same Silas who helped Peter assisted Paul, it seems to me that he played an important role. Without Silas’ skills, the letters we have in the New Testament would have been very different. Through Silas, God provided a helping hand to the apostles.
Application: Be a faithful brother or sister to others who can benefit from your skills.
Food for Thought: How would you describe a ”faithful brother” or sister?
Every once in a while, I post a meditation on God’s Word and then find myself wondering about what I wrote. Today is one of those days.
This morning I was reading from Jeremiah 36. Jeremiah dictates God’s words to Baruch the scribe, and Baruch writes down Jeremiah’s words exactly as he is told them. Would this not be true for Peter, too?
Maybe, but not necessarily. In the days of the Old Testament kings, God spoke through the prophets like Jeremiah. God gave messages to the prophets for the people and their king. In Peter’s situation, he is not speaking as a prophet. Instead, he speaks as an Apostle.
The Apostle is still acting under God’s direction, but the relationship with God is different than God’s relationship with the Old Testament prophets. The Apostles sometimes did not agree with each other. They had to work things out under the direction of the Holy Spirit rather than being told what to say, directly by God, word for word.
I am reminded of the story in Galatians 2:11-21. Peter had fallen away from his earlier insight from God about accepting Gentiles as they were. Paul helps Peter realize that he had strayed from God’s intent. It is a measure of Peter’s faithfulness that he recognizes God’s hand in what Paul is saying.
So what I wrote today about Silas helping Peter with his words is not unrealistic. It might not have happened that way, but it is possible that it did. The point of my meditation today was not really to describe how Peter wrote his letter, but rather to point to the fact that God used many people in many ways to construct our Bible and make it possible. My second point is that he is still using people like Silas today as well as people like you and me.
Great John,
We can be praying for your ministry!
Ron
Don’t know how I managed that one.
How would I describe someone who is faithful? Someone who is trustworthy and consistent. It is important to identify those people and team up with them or invest in them. Every Timothy needs a Paul and every Paul needs a Barnabas. We are to find faithful people to invest in who will find other faithful people to invest in. This is what Paul did with Silas and Timothy. 2 Timothy 2: 2.
Rich,
Sounds like great investment advice! Thank you! 🙂
How would you describe a ”faithful brother” or sister?
It is our faith in God that empowers each of us to show faithful unconditional support to brothers and sisters in the Lord. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith for He alone, as the perfect Man, had perfect faith. Faithfulness is the key character trait of someone who won’t let you down, someone who is there when you need them. A quality that God wants to produce in us through the salvation that comes in Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit as we give ourselves to Him.
As we become a dependable, loyal and trustworthy person others will notice and often quietly appreciate. Those who live as faithful people will stand out because they are so different from the average person in today’s society. There are times when one of these will actually ask, “Why are you different?” And we can respond with “What do you mean?” which will allow you to open a dialog with the person God has brought to us.
In John 13:34-35, Jesus commanded, those seeking to follow Him, would be known as His disciples if they would have love for one another, as He loves us, and in Mark 12:31, He tells us Love our neighbor as ourself.’ James 2:14-17, also explains our faithfulness is this love being seen in our deeds, not our words.
A faithful brother or sister would be one whose faith in Christ is demonstrated in their daily life. My wife is also my “faithful sister”, I can only pray she sees me as her “faithful brother.”
Thank you, Ron.
You’ve given us a beautiful description of faithfulness.
I agree with Ron on this one,..faith in Christ despite any and all adversities thrown at them that they continue to remain faithful to Christ,..despite their discrepancies they continue to remain in Christ,..the list can go on,..
Speaking about remaining in Christ,..this morning before prayer,..I asked they guys if they were alright with me reading to them from the Bible,..they were all in agreement for me to continue,..so I picked the book of Mark to start reading from,..one reason is because he was a follower of Christ not an Apostle or disciple from what I understand,..just going to read a passage, have a bit of discussion, pray and then crack the whip to get the back out on the fence line,..okay,..okay,.. I will let Jesus use the whip,..
This is where I ask God to provide me with the strength and perseverance to remain faithful to reading His word to the employees He has given me to shepherd,..and it only comes from the power in the name of Jesus,..Amen!
John,
There is power in the blood of Jesus, and power in His Word. You are giving your men a gift beyond measure.
Great stuff