For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2 Peter 1: 3 AMP
I was reading 2 Peter, chapter 1, the other day and found myself meditating on a few thoughts. I read, and then re-read verses 3 to 11. When you’ve read the Word a few times and passages have become familiar, there’s a temptation to skip over a verse here and there, or to lose concentration and allow your mind to wander. Other times a passage just assaults your mind, and it seems as if you’re reading it for the first time. It’s not news, but suddenly it just makes sense in a different way. I love when that happens, and I had just such a moment or two with Peter.
I read verse 3, and though I knew this, it just made so much more sense. Through a true, and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, we literally need nothing else to live a godly life. Jesus wants to be known to us. He doesn’t want us to know about Him, He wants us to be intimately familiar with Him, and as we become more and more familiar with His character, and fall more and more in love with Him, we emulate Him more and more. This happens with couples all the time. The longer they are married, the more they adopt each other’s mannerisms and preferences.
In verse 4 we read: For by these He has bestowed on us His precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature.
People are forever pursuing freedom, not realising that the freedom the world offers is only a perceived freedom. Jesus, through the many promises in the Word, makes a way for us to not only escape the snare but to look like Him more and more. We are only free when we are in Him, where the enemy cannot capture us with his promises that only lead to death. We are invited into a relationship that will clean us up until we share in Jesus’s divine nature. We will become holy, because He is holy…godly, because we behold Him, Who is God.
Let’s continue from verse 5 to verse 8: For this very reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in [exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge(insight, understanding), 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherlyaffection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to do things for their benefit]. 8 For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you notice how many verbs there are? Our walk with Jesus requires of us a maturing, taking responsibility and growing up emotionally, mentally and spiritually. His divine power, His grace has already equipped us for the job. All of His promises for us are “yes” and we add our “amen” to it. (2 Cor. 1:20)
As we grow in these qualities, we have His assurance that it will keep our minds and hearts from being useless and unproductive in our understanding of Jesus, and of His ways. He promises and we say “yes”. Yes to learning, yes to growing in moral excellence, yes to being steadfast and godly, yes to loving one another and definitely yes to living lives that honour Him and each other. We have to grow up and into self-control. Satan controls those in his power, but our Father gives us choice and free will…and the power, or grace, to make the right choices. As citizens of the Kingdom of God we have rights, but we also have the choice not to exercise our rights. We can choose to lay them down for the sake of our brother’s wellbeing.
Verse 10 is especially sobering. It reads as follows: Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you [be sure that your behaviour reflects and confirms your relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin]
It’s what we do, and not what we say, that confirms our relationship with God. As we actively develop these virtues, we are safeguarded from stumbling and we also become a beacon of hope for a lost world. How we live our lives will lead others away from sin and into relationship with Jesus.
This is good news if you’re someone who feels awkward about sharing our faith. I’m not particularly good at striking up a conversation with strangers and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about it. What I am good at is emulating Jesus. I love to be generous, I take pleasure in hosting people in my home, or sending an encouraging text message. As I learn more about the person and character of Jesus, I adjust and keep adjusting, and that’s something we can all do. If I understand these scriptures correctly, as I apply myself diligently to knowing Him more, His divine power will keep me from stumbling, and make me profitable to His Kingdom.
Selah.