II Peter 1:1-11
Back to Peter, this time his second letter. Just in reading him again after a three-day break with Jude, I often find it difficult to figure out what he is saying. Part of my comprehension problem is his long (to my mind, convoluted) sentences. His first “content” sentence takes two long verses: 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. (vv. 3-4) Above I highlighted, “…through the knowledge of Him”, which to me sounded like “…through His knowledge”, which didn’t make sense – “through Jesus’ knowledge…??!!”. Then I wondered, could it mean “…through knowing Him”? And it all made sense. Substitute that yourselves and see if it’s clearer. Just a confusing construction!
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election… (v. 10) Peter calls us to be diligent in confirming our calling. Two summers ago our Creative Arts Camp theme was the Holy Spirit. For my teaching Kelly asked me to cover John 14-16, Jesus’ Last Supper discourse to the apostles. In trying to distill for the kids the essence of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit, I was surprised at how much I was able to see how the Holy Spirit had been at work in my life. For example the Holy Spirit: (1) will teach us and remind us; (2) will testify about Jesus; (3) will convict us; (4) will guide us into all truth; (5) will disclose the future to us; and (6) will take Jesus’ words and explain them to us. For each one of those attributes of the Holy Spirit, I could point to a specific time when the Holy Spirit had been at work in my life. That later became a sermon in the Czech Republic as to how we can ask ourselves if we have the Holy Spirit in our lives, using my own life applications as examples. Back to the verse cited above – as Peter calls us to be diligent in confirming our calling, we need to also be diligent in seeking the Holy Spirit and in recognizing His work in our lives. We need constant confirmation that Jesus and His Holy Spirit are working in our lives!
Slava Bohu!
Great clarifications, Fred. I got circled around in vv. 5-7 about goodness then godliness. Goodness seems to be morally virtuous, upright in heart and life. This goodness is a first step and could even be practiced, regardless of belief. (Good people who are not believers?) But godliness is reverence for and obedience to God. Humble submission to the will of our Lord, I think much harder.
Debbie, I like your differentiation for goodness versus godliness.
I too spent some time wrapping my mind around the list in verses 5-7, and including v. 8.
It is encouraging that these qualities can be growing in us, but need not be perfected, before we can expect to live productive, fruitful lives in Christ (v. 8).