His divine power has granted to us all things
that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and
excellence, by which he
has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them
you may become partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped from
the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For
this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly
affection, and brotherly affection with love. For
if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these
qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having
forgotten that he was cleansed from his
former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to
confirm your calling and election, for if you
practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the
eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:1-11
Simon Peter is identified as the author of this epistle. He
considered himself a bond-servant (slave) and had been appointed an apostle
(one sent on a mission) of Jesus Christ.
The epistle is addressed to those whose faith is the same
kind as his own; namely, belief in the perfect person and finished work of
Jesus Christ, made available to us through the righteousness of “our God and
Savior Jesus Christ.” In His matchless grace, he took all our sins and gave us
His perfect Righteousness (+R). This faith is a permanent relationship with the
Lord and supersedes all religions, which have nothing to offer but
frustration in those working to try to earn salvation. Faith equal to Peter’s
own is the only faith that saves.
God’s grace (unmerited favor) to us always comes before God’s
own perfect peace in us, and both are multiplied in the knowledge of God and
Jesus our Lord. At gospel hearing, we perceive God’s grace to us helpless sinners.
Then, as we comprehend and believe the gospel, we receive the marvelous peace
which comes from being delivered out of the condemnation of our own sins. Now,
having received in ourselves the Holy Spirit, we are God’s family. As children
do, we grow and learn about our family; who we are, Who our Father is, and what
He has provided for us. That knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ increases our
assurance and our sense of destiny and purpose in our Father’s plan of grace. The
more we grow spiritually, the more we know of our Lord Jesus Christ. That produces peace in us, which is then multiplied in us as we continue to perceive
the grace plan in which we live eternally. God’s grace, peace and love in us
are ALWAYS multiplied. That’s important to remember. We never have to worry
that there won’t be enough for the long haul.
In our spiritual sonship of God we are given the same nature
as Jesus Christ, and it is our duty to add to our saving faith virtue (excellence
with energy), knowledge (of God’s Word), self-control, steadfastness (stability
of faith), godliness (divine viewpoint), brotherly affection (philo-delphios) for believers and unconditional love (agape) for all mankind.
An active faith will consciously cultivate these
characteristics, which will continue to grow and multiply in the life of the
believer, spilling over to all of our surroundings. Continuing in the practice
of these qualities will keep our spiritual senses sharp and productive in our
Christian walk.
An inactive faith will “dry up on the vine,” to the degree
that the believer who neglects the cultivation of this divine knowledge forgets
Whose he is, and what he was left on this earth to do. Diligence of growth and
production is the issue for the believer in the devil’s world. We who are saved
and know it must grow up, past the baby stage of crying for our Lord’s
attention. We have His attention. He has given us His all. In our gratitude for
His grace, let us apply our souls to learning everything we can about Him and
His perfect Word of Truth. That Word is the source of our knowledge; our access to
His grace, which brings us personal peace in all our circumstances of life.
Thereby we maintain conscious awareness of our citizenship
in the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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