Articles
Reminders
Do you ever find it annoying when people tell you things you already know? Perhaps we feel this way because it wounds our pride to have someone do that, especially if what they are telling us is so obvious that a reminder seems so utterly unnecessary.
The Bible teaches us to have an entirely different perspective toward reminders. Interestingly, several of the writers of New Testament epistles explicitly reminded their audiences of truths which were obvious and already commonly accepted. Paul did it: “To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you” (Phil. 3:1). Two times in his second epistle Peter clearly expressed his desire to “stir you up by way of reminder” even though “you already know [these things] and have been established in the truth” (2 Pet. 1:12-13; 3:1). John said “I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it” (1 Jn. 2:21). Jude did not think it too redundant to remind his brethren to contend earnestly for the faith, “though you know all things once for all” (Jude 5). We must not assume that if someone tells us something we already know it’s because they think we don’t already know it; sometimes they are well aware of what we know and might have a very helpful reason for reminding us. Why do we need reminders? Three possible things come to mind.
We forget. The fact that we know something does not mean we always remember it. You know how Jesus defeated Satan’s temptations by quoting Scripture, but do you call Bible verses to mind every time you are tempted by Satan? Unfortunately, I don’t either. Sometimes we accidentally forget things, and other times our “forgetfulness” is a little more deliberate. Whatever the case—either honestly forgetting something we learned or choosing to ignore its impact in a particular moment—the fact that we are forgetful people means we need reminders. The apostle John wrote to his beloved children some very obvious facts in 1 John—that Jesus is God’s Son, we must love our brethren, and we must not continue in sin—to prevent them from forgetting them in face of error (1 Jn. 2:21). More than that, he wanted them to live by those truths daily. Certainly we are not above such reminders for the same reason!
We are continually in training. The life of a Christian is a process of ongoing, nonstop transformation into the image of Jesus (Rom. 12:2; 8:29). From where we were before, this requires a great deal of effort and time. If you have ever trained an animal you know that it does not happen overnight and that success requires much repetition. We are the same way, only the goal of our training is a transformation within our character and hearts. The human will is very difficult to conquer, even more so than the most wild animal. Thus we cannot simply pass over the virtues we find in 2 Peter 1 as things we already know so well. If Peter knew his audience knew these things, why did he remind them (2 Pet. 1:12-15)? “So that after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind” (2 Pet. 1:15). And Peter was speaking of more than merely memorizing what he had said.
Reminders emphasize what is most important. Repetition can be a way a writer or speaker illustrates how important something is. Repetition can be a way a writer or speaker illustrates how important something is. See? I suspect this is why Jude reminded his audience of God’s final judgment on evildoers even though they knew these things “once for all” (Jude 5). Early Christians were bombarded on all sides from pressures from both within and without, and thus needed continuous reminders to solidly anchor them to the truth. We will not learn everything there is to know about a truth the first time we hear it. And often we become so busy in our daily lives that we do lose sight of eternity and the coming judgment. Reminders serve to wake us from our careless stupor, instill in us a sense of urgent alertness, and can stimulate us do the things we have been neglecting. Certainly the greatest thing we can be reminded of is God’s love in sending His Son to die in our stead and His power which raised Jesus from the grave to give us a living hope. What can possibly be more important than that?
Reminders can be powerful tools by which someone stirs us up, but we must allow them to do so. We must receive them with humility and grace, especially if they are given in love. So let us be thankful, not resentful, of those times when people deliberately tell us what we already know.
