"In Tent" Living

I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. - 2 Peter 1:13-16


This weekend I went camping. Those of you who know me well are already laughing. For two nights my home was a tent and only now can I really begin to appreciate what the Apostle Peter is saying in the verses above. Tents are not meant to be permanent dwellings, but transitional living arrangements. In this passage Peter is drawing a parallel between his body and a tent.

This doesn't mean that the body is worthless. He is only saying that the body he has now is not equipped for eternity. It is transitional. At the resurrection his body (and ours) will be renewed into the likeness of Christ's resurrection body. What Peter is saying here that his time is short and life is fleeting. He knows that he will soon die, as the Lord tells him in John 21:18-19. (part of the passage I taught this weekend to the students from Christ Community Church)
It is interesting to see the change in Peter from that passage in John to the passage here in 2 Peter. He has gone from clinging to the nets of his trade and his comfort as a fisherman to full acceptance of his foretold death and a viewing of this life as temporary. The astounding truth that Peter now clings to is that he was made for eternity. (see Ecclesiastes 3:11)
The question that this should raise for every one of us is: Do we view this life as all there is or are we living, instead, for what is to come? Because if Peter is right, (and we know he is) this life is best described as a tent. As Paul puts it, "...this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..." (1 Corinthians 4:17) C.S. Lewis put it this way: "Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither."
So many people (including us believers) are in tent (pun intended) on this world only, but there is the other extreme, "Being so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good". Peter resists leaning toward either extreme. Though he knows he is about to die soon, he doesn't sit on a hill a wait to die. Instead, he is motivated by knowing this life is insignificant compared to the world to come. The "dangling carrot" of eternity, is intended to move us to the work of Christ. But we must remember that the carrot is still "dangling". We have not yet reached our destination. Peter says, "While I live in the tent of this body it is important to remind you of all these things". What he is saying is that he has a mission to fulfill and until the Lord tells him his time is up, he will do what he has been called to do.
To all of my former students I want to say that my heart resonates with Peter's words as he says, "And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things". It is my prayer that you will remember the truths you have heard not only from me, but from everyone in your life who is a believer in Christ. As Peter testifies, these are not "cleverly invented stories". After all, what kind of invented story could make a backward fisherman into an outstanding theologian? The temptation to silence eternity's call in exchange for a moment of sensual indulgence will follow you all of your life. As I have said before, Satan isn't very creative. It is the same temptation he gave to Adam and Eve.
If there is one thing, like Peter, that I want to remind you of it would be this: We must be willing to deny ourselves what we want in the short-term, so that we can gain what is greater in the long-term. In your life decisions this element will always pop up: finances, popularity, dating, school, marriage, etc. It will come up: that thing we could have now but would have to forfeit everything else vs. that thing we could have later without forfeiting everything else. What is that "thing" for you? Ask yourself: I'm I clinging to the tents of this world or am I living for the dwelling of eternity.