2 Peter 1:8-11 (NKJV) 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We have been spending time looking at the first 11 verses of Peter’s second letter to the church. We have found that there are some powerful promises involved in this section of scripture. Last time we looked at the fact that there were things we had to add to our faith if we want to walk fully in those promises. We always start with faith. If we do not believe that God has provided what he said, anything else we do is just law. Law is powerless because it is flesh trying to control flesh. However, faith is something that is seated in our spirit. If we believe first, whatever else we find we need to do is an action that corresponds to faith (James 2:18-26.)
Once we believe what God has said, Peter gives some actions we can take to enhance, strengthen and release that faith so that it has the maximum effect in our living. There is a thought that because salvation is by grace that nothing else is necessary. We do not need any works because what we have is by grace. Everything is ours legally by grace, but salvation is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8.) Grace is what provides all we need, and faith is how we access it. James 2 tells us faith without some works or corresponding actions on our part is dead.
The promise we are actively believing here is that God has given us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness as we partake of his divine nature through the great and precious promises of the Bible. He then gives us a list of things to add to faith. These are the works or corresponding actions we are to take to help us walk in the promise. We see in the verse above he says clearly that how much we walk in “all things that pertain unto life and Godliness” is connected to what we add.
One of the differences between law and faith is what is emphasized. Law focuses on the cost. You must do this because it is necessary. That is not wrong. There are some things we must do. That is life both in the natural and the spiritual. I believe it produces a more accurate understanding if we focus on the reward not the cost. If you go into a car dealership, they are going to tell you all you get by purchasing their vehicle. They will tell you about rebates that amount to a very small fraction of the cost. They will do there best to keep your focus away from the tens of thousands of dollars it will cost you to buy the car. If they can convince you that what you get is greater than what you have to pay, you will pay the price.
Neither Jesus nor any of the New Testament writers ever try to deceive you. Jesus is very clear as to the cost of following him.
Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV) 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
The cost for being a disciple of Jesus is that we must be willing to take up our cross and follow him. If we are willing to lose our life, we will find it. If we try to protect our life, we will lose our effectiveness and power as his disciples. In the first post of this series, I pointed to many scriptures where Paul makes it clear that there are things we must do if we want to be successful in our Christian walk. The question is not whether there is a price. The question is whether it is worth paying. What do we receive in exchange for the price paid? This verse gives us things God promises here to those who are willing to walk according to what he requires.
We have already touched on some of this, but as I began to write today, it became clear to me that I needed to emphasize it again. The NKJV says that if these things abound in you, you will be useful and fruitful in your knowledge of Jesus. Look at how the New Living Translation says this.
2 Peter 1:8 (NLT2) 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to be productive and useful to the Kingdom of God. I do not want my faith in Christ to simply be some religious practice. I want my faith to spill out into my life and into the world around me. I want my knowing God to change things in my life. I want my knowing God to produce freedom for the people I encounter. I think that is what it means to be productive and useful in the knowledge of Christ.
What if I do not have these things?
2 Peter 1:9 (NLT2) 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
I already looked at this, but I want you to see it in the New Living. If I fail to develop in this way, I am shortsighted and may even be blind to what is really going on around me. That includes the challenges of life, the attacks of our adversary, the devil, and our own weaknesses. The symptom is that we can lose the gratitude that comes with understanding what Jesus did for us. He cleansed us from our sins. We were not good before meeting him. We can only be good as we yield to him and walk in what he has provided.
We did not look at verses 10 and 11.
2 Peter 1:10-11 (NKJV) 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The New Living clarifies the idea of being diligent. It says “work hard to prove that you really are among those that God has chosen.” We really do not like that kind of statement. If what we have is by grace through faith, why would we have to work hard or be diligent to prove anything? The hard work is because our flesh does not automatically respond to the things of God. The more we try to draw near to God, the more our flesh rebels. The devil will make certain of this if he can. If we add this list of things to our faith this verse says we will never stumble.
Wow! I wish I could say I never stumble in my Christian walk. I cannot say that. So, I have a choice. I can say that I am only human, and God understands. He is not mad at me and I will still go to heaven. That is very true. Peter is showing us a better way. I can add to my faith certain things. If I have them actively working in my life, I will come to a place where I never stumble.
Finally, he tells me that in this way I can obtain an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God. This cannot just mean heaven. I will go to heaven because I believe on Jesus as my Lord and savior and because of God’s grace. I believe the entrance he is talking about applies more to access to the holiness, power and strength of God’s Kingdom as I walk right here on earth.
Now, given what we get for what we pay, how many want to know what we need to work hard to add to our faith?
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