2 Peter 1
2 Peter 1:1-21
1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
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.
12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.
13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.
15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
It’s not enough to just have received the great and precious promises.This would be like only receiving the gift of a new car. Until something is done with the provision, it lies dormant and ineffective. Just like becoming a driver requires movement, so becoming a partaker of the divine nature with its benefits requires great diligence in adding to faith virtue, knowledge, perseverance, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and love. To claim a divine nature apart from activating these characteristics of that nature is like never taking the driver’s seat, starting the car, putting it in gear, and pressing on the accelerator. Though our gift of life in Christ is free with no requirements of merit, for it to be effective in its purpose of abundant life, a great deal of effort must be given to its implementation. Peter indicates that his whole purpose in ministry is for this effect, something that he desires to continue as an influence beyond his passing. For there to be failure in this regard is like never gaining sight with regard to what it means to truly be a Christian. Where there is lack in any of these areas there is falling short of the potential. What is encouraging and gives reason for hope, though, is that the Spirit will empower and instruct in each of these areas where there is a heart that humbly draws near to God in passionate desire to take on these characteristics and effectively portray them. Just because there has been a void in one of these areas doesn’t mean they can’t be developed. There’s something we can do about it with diligence that makes an eternal difference.