DAY # 228 – 2 PETER 1:5-11

Joel Redmon is writing the blog this week. Joel is an Elder at Church of the Valley.

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

BACKGROUND
As we go through the first two chapters of 2nd Peter it is important to understand the environment at the time of the writing. Within a generation of the death and resurrection of Christ issues surfaced in “the faith”. From a human perspective, it is not difficult to understand what started to happen. Christian’s were either in the camp that Jesus would return at anytime living a life of expectation of his return or as the years past started to cast doubt on Jesus’ return and ultimately upon the promises of God.

2nd Peter was written to get the readers focused on the truth and not all of the false teachings and doubts that had surfaced through the passage of time.

IS THIS RELEVANT TODAY?
This writing is very much relevant to us today. We are much further removed from the death and resurrection of Jesus; we have so many religions of the world with easy access to the beliefs of these religions; the false teachers have easier entry points into our day-to-day lives via the advancement of technology and television and lastly, everyone is so busy that time to study and meditate on God’s word is hard to come by.

This backdrop will be posted everyday just as a reminder of why 2nd Peter was written and the relevance to each of us as we continue our quest to live the lives that God has planned for each of us. It is in this vein that Peter wrote this passage to remind us of the foundational truths.

2 PETER 1:5-11
In today’s text, Peter is making the case of how to make one’s calling and election sure. This was much needed in this time due to the doubt that was taking root because of the false teachers. Simply put, Peter wrote that spiritual growth is the objective evidence of one’s election. The lessons we learn in this passage:
#1 SALVATION IS THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY NOT THE DESTINATION
This is an area where we struggle. We understand the need to have a personal relationship with Jesus; but we struggle with keeping it a growing intimate relationship. While God has called us, given us promises of eternal life and prepared a welcome into His kingdom Peter tells us that this is only the beginning. As a matter of fact, in verse 5 (‘for this reason”) he tells us that because of what God has done and provided we should be motivated to grow spiritually. This is something that we should be very active in doing as Peter tells us to ‘make every effort”.

#2 FAITH IS THE STARTING POINT OF ALL SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Faith is our belief in and personal commitment to Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. From this station in life Peter tells us we should start to grow and take on the Christian characteristics into our lives. These include goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. Galatians 5:22 refers to this characteristics are ‘fruit of the Spirit’. Meaning that as we yield more of our life to Jesus, the evidence will be the fruit being produced in the Christian life.

This work of the Spirit is referred to as sanctification. It begins when we become a Christian and continues throughout our lives. However, the Holy Spirit will not force its way on us. It is our choice to be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 records it this way…”So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”.

#3 FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT KEEP US PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE
As we are growing spiritually we will find that we start to distance ourselves from our old nature. Our impact on others has taken a drastic change. A loving devotion to Jesus expresses itself in loving behavior. It is interesting that Scripture tells us that as we are influenced more and more by the Holy Spirit and we are loving others as we should, we come to even a greater knowledge of God.

I can say many of my learning and “aha” moments in life have been through relationships. It is either because I reacted in a way that was quite the opposite of how God treated me in a similar situation, this conviction is almost instantaneous, and out of it comes a greater understanding of God’s grace and mercy. But sometimes thankfully it has come before I react to someone. It is as though God is asking me ‘what are you going to choose’?

Colossians 1:10 says…”live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Again we see the connection between being productive in our lives and gaining knowledge of God.

#4 CHRISTIAN CHARACTER CONFIRMS WE BELONG TO GOD
The last three verses of today’s reading are about us being assured of whose we are. They tell us that Christian virtues in our life help us to know we have been cleansed from past sins. This passage concludes with a promise. The promise is that for those who live a life of growing spiritually there is a reward in heaven that they will treasure even now. But those not growing, it does not state they will not go to heaven, however, the message is that they will sense a level of uncertainty of where they stand with God.

So in concluding this writing, Peter has made the case that Christians should not stop at salvation. They should desire to a continued life of spiritual growth. It is through this growth that one will gain a better knowledge of God and gain more confidence and certainty in belonging to Christ’s eternal kingdom.