Good Faith Effort (2 Peter 1:5-9)

The beginning of the year is a time when many people give increased attention to their health. You start or re-start that gym membership. You download that food tracker app. You schedule your annual with your doctor.

If we were talking health and I said, “How are your numbers looking?” Certain metrics might come mind. Maybe your weight. Maybe your cholesterol. Maybe you’re paying attention to your A1C, or your blood pressure. Cancer survivors watch their white count, and some of you fellows are taking a look at your PSA. There are levels we pay careful attention to.

But then there are numbers we don’t really think much about. When I was last in for blood work, I asked how my numbers looked. In the list, my doctor said my kidney function looked good – I had a good eGFR. And I realized, number 1, that I don’t even think about kidney function and, number 2, I had no idea what eGFR was, what the range is, or whether it should be high or low.

Blood tests provide all sorts of markers showing what’s going on inside us. They uncover how well or how poorly the systems of our bodies are functioning. And we often use those measurements to set targets or goals for ourselves. We want to get our weight to a certain number. We want to keep our blood sugar in a certain range. We compare the good cholesterol and the bad cholesterol.

In our text today, Peter shows us how we can assess our spiritual health. Chapter 1 is all about the character and nature of a healthy Christian life – what it really means to be a Christian. And these verses are like a blood test where we can look for the presence – or absence – of certain virtues to evaluate whether our Christianity is thriving or whether it is languishing.

2 Peter 1:5a – ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith…

Peter has been explaining how God, out of His lavish generosity, has given us this life-transforming, world-changing faith, full of grace and peace and many other good gifts – in fact everything we could possibly require for life and Godliness so that we can share in the Divine nature.

Ok, so because of that, for that very reason, here’s what Christians should be and do. God gives you these gifts to be activated, exercised, experienced, and applied in your life.

If someone bought you a car as a gift, what would they want you to do with it? Drive it! Enjoy it. Go somewhere with it.

A Christian’s faith is meant to grow and thrive. You’re meant to be like a tree plant beside flowing streams that bears fruit season after season, whose leaf does not wither.^[1]

So, because God wants us to actively share in the Divine nature – here’s how we do it. Here’s our part. Peter says, make every effort to supplement your faith, and he’s going to tell us what with in just a moment. But first let’s talk about what he means.

He does not mean that you’re going to go out and make Christ-likeness happen on your own. That you sort of dead-lift Godliness through your own drive or ability. No, remember: You already have what you need to be Godly. All the things he’s going to list in these verses already belong to you!

He means that, in our day-to-day experience, we use what God has given us. We exercise the faith by implementing the virtues of Christianity. We get to participate and cooperate with what He’s given, what He’s doing. He gave you the car, you drive it. Or in Biblical terms, we walk with Him. Peter’s word is supplement. Your version may say “add.”

That’s a Greek word from which we get the English words “chorus” and “choreography.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary writes, “In ancient Greece the state established a chorus but the director paid the expenses for training the chorus.”^[2]

Our Director has lavishly furnished us with everything we need for life and Godliness. And now we get to furnish our lives, our activities, the scenes we’re in, with what He’s provided and join His supernatural choreography. Peter says we should make every effort to do so.

Sometimes actors go to shocking lengths for a part they’ve been cast to play. All these superhero actors talk about how they only eat chicken breast morning, noon, and night and how they’re at the gym 10 hours a day, they’re taking HGH, and doing all this crazy stuff so they can embody that part.

Or those playing real, historical figures will say, “I grew my hair out,” or, “I learned to play piano,” or whatever else so that they could conform to the image of the part they’ve been cast to play.

Peter says, “Make every effort to cultivate the growing gifts God has given you as a part of your Christian faith.” It means we are to have a “watchful interest” in these things. Zeal, diligence, haste.^[3]

Do you ever ask your kids to go find something and they come back like 5 seconds later and say they can’t find it? Imagine for a moment you’re at home and you had to come up with $5 in the next 10 minutes. Your wallet is empty, so then you go to the change jar, then you check the pants pockets in the laundry, then you pull up the couch cushions, you go out to the garage and check the car ashtray. You make every effort. Peter says we should devote our efforts to:

2 Peter 1:5b-7 – …supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, ⁷ godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

This isn’t a step-by-step list. Peter isn’t saying start at goodness then move to knowledge, then and only then can you tackle self-control. The order is random.^[4] There are certain pursuits that you take in order. AA’s 12 Step program is designed to flow from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, and so on. In higher education, you don’t start with a PhD and then move to a bachelors.

But Peter’s list isn’t sequential. “I’m sorry, I can’t do self-control yet, I’m still working on goodness.” Goodness, by the way, is the same term Peter used to describe Jesus’ character. So, we could say, “Supplement your faith with the character of Jesus.” We might be stuck on that one a long time!

Rather, Peter is describing markers of a growing Christian life. It’s a soup, not a sequence. These are the ingredients of healthy Christianity. It starts with faith – I believe that God’s Word and His ways are true – I believe in His choreography for life, and so I live out these things accordingly. I use my life, my mind, my time, my efforts to cultivate these things that God says He wants to grow in me.

Goodness in a larger sense refers to the character of Christ. In a day-to-day sense it can also refer to moral courage.^[5] That we hold to the heading the Lord has given us, even when all the world around us it screaming for us to turn to the right or the left.

Peter has been using the term “knowledge” a bunch – growing in our knowledge of Christ has been the focus of our last two studies. But here he’s using it in a new sense. This knowledge refers to the discernment of God’s will and purposes.^[6] That I look at the situation I’m in and endeavor to understand what God wants for me and from me in this particular circumstance.

Self-control is straightforward. But let’s remind ourselves that self-control isn’t only about, say, lust. It is about that, but Christians are called to bear the fruit of self-control in all aspects of life. What we eat. What we say to others. What we say to others online. Our spending habits. Our driving habits. Like all the fruits of the Spirit, it’s not confined to one area, but permeates all areas.

Endurance is also translated perseverance, patience, steadfastness. As Christians, we’re called to faithful steadfastness in the face of evil. In the face of suffering. Endurance in our service to Jesus. Not growing weary in our service to Him. That we faithfully continue, not only when it’s easy, but as long as the Lord asks. Continuing not with grumbling or resentment, but with grace and peace.

Godliness we talked a lot about last time. Brotherly affection refers to our active care and kindness for fellow believers. That we not only cultivate care for them, but work on rooting out hostility toward other Christians. Not always easy.

And then finally, love. This is agape love – the way God loves. Love “by deliberate choice.”^[7]

I don’t know about you, but this list makes me feel pretty convicted. You get those blood work results and you see, “Ok, got some numbers in the green. Few more reds than I was expecting.”

Peter does not give us this list to condemn us. He’s reminding us that this is who Christians are. This is what Christianity is about. You don’t have to go out and make yourself more agape – you can’t on your own – but you have what you need. Our part is to join the choreography. Our part is to cultivate growth by walking with God and by pursuing these characteristics He’s put in our lives.

So, don’t be condemned. But, at the same time, we must take this seriously. Peter certainly does. Listen to what happens if we don’t make an effort to cultivate these markers in our faith.

2 Peter 1:8 – ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of you have had to hear some very hard diagnoses from your doctor. We really don’t want our Great Physician to have to come in and say, “The results are in: You’re useless and unfruitful.”

God says your Christian life is like a fruit tree. Fruit trees bear fruit. If they don’t, something is very wrong. More importantly, if they don’t, the Master Gardener sometimes has to take serious action.

John 15:1-2 – “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.

Now, we’d be making a mistake if we read 2 Peter 1:8 and just assume the apostle is talking about unsaved people. “Oh, they’re not really Christians, that’s why they’re not producing fruit.” But verse 9 contradicts that argument. These are people that have been saved. And, the fact of the matter is, there are a variety of places in the New Testament that describe Christians who have stalled out in their growth, become stunted, or never really developed at all.

Both 1 Corinthians and Hebrews talks about Christians who were still babies in their faith. They couldn’t handle solid food, they could only take in milk. They were immature and unproductive.

A Christian can live in such a way that they are useless and unfruitful. Your version may say “barren.” The term “useless” can mean, “out of work.”^[8]

We see throughout the New Testament all the things that are supposed to overflow from our lives – streams of living water flowing from deep within us^[9] – but if we don’t exercise our faith, if we don’t live it out, well the diagnosis isn’t good.

Peter says we can have all these things in verses 5-7 in increasing measure. In human endeavor, there will be certain thresholds you cannot beat. You’ll have a mile time that can’t improve, a bench press weight you can’t increase. But Christian growth can always increase. None of us are done.

The verb Peter uses here suggests an increase to the point of excess.^[10] It’s an estate agent’s word, which refers to property which one fully possesses and is fully at your disposal.^[11]

2 Peter 1:9 – ⁹ The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.

Let’s be clear: If verses 5-7 don’t describe our Christian life, it’s not just that we’re underperforming. It’s not just that we’re missing the cream in our coffee. It’s indicating serious trouble – serious spiritual disease. Peter says it shows that we’re blind, short-sighted, and have amnesia!

How can you be blind and shortsighted? Well the terms can mean a person becomes blind because they’ve shut their eyes.^[12] But the words he uses also refer to a disease. It’s not something a new eye-glasses prescription will fix.^[13]

When we become spiritually blind, we not only won’t bear the wonderful fruit God wants for us, but we also won’t be able to distinguish between good and evil.^[14]

To close our eyes to the reality of what it means to be a Christian means we’ve forgotten that we’ve been cleansed. Why do you clean things? I know there are some things you clean just so they look nice on a shelf, but why do you wash dishes? Why do you wash clothes? Why do you wash your car? We clean them to use them. We clean them so that they don’t sully or contaminate things.

Christians have been cleansed from sins. We’re purified from them. But false teachers were coming into the church convincing people to go back to old, sinful things. It was putrefying them.

So, imagine going into your doctor and he says, “your blood shows you’ve got almost no platelets, no hemoglobin, your ferritin is non-existent, and you’re way under-oxygenated.” Your response would not be, “Actually, I’m doing great. I have higher knowledge than you do, doc. So I’m going to go on my merry way.”

I hope you wouldn’t do that. And Peter hopes we won’t neglect these markers of a growing Christian life. These are gifts God has given us. They’re ours to enjoy and exercise so that we can be full of His powerful energy and effectiveness. Let’s make it our business to join the chorus, learn the choreography and continue to have God’s work increase in our lives.

Called Collect (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Phone calls used to be awfully expensive. Who here remembers putting off long-distance calls until nights and weekends?

The younger among us may have never seen a payphone in the wild, let alone used one. But in the era before everyone had a cell phone with flat monthly fees, you might find yourself needing to make a call, but without much change in your pocket. In such a case, you could place a collect call. When you did so, the person on the other end would be notified that someone wanted to talk to them, but they would have to agree to pay the charges for the call.

For decades, AT&T had a monopoly on collect calls, but in the 90’s, other, smaller companies were finally allowed to provide collect calls to customers.

Once there were options, when a person wanted to make a collect call, they would pick up a phone, dial 0, and an operator would ask them which company they wanted to use. That’s when a phone company called KTNT had a stroke of genius. They opened collect call provider subsidiaries under the names, “I Don’t Care,” “I Don’t Know,” “It Doesn’t Matter,” and even “No Me Importa.”^[1]

All well and good until you find out that KTNT charged 50% more for collect calls than AT&T. And just to connect you, they’d add a surcharge that would cost more than $20 today.

In our text this morning, Peter reminds us that we have been called by God. And it’s a collect call – not because we pay to accept it, but when we answer, we are able to collect amazing, spiritual supplies from God. Great and precious promises. Power to live a Godly life that pleases our Savior.

The Lord could charge us for the connection – saying if we want His help or His attention or His intervention in our lives, it will cost this much for the first minute and then a little more every minute after that. But Peter explains that through this call, God lavishly gives to us moment by moment.

Last week we began our study with his opening greeting in verses 1 and 2. We’ve already seen some of the wonderful things God has done for those who believe Him and receive salvation. As we begin verse 3, Peter dives right in to his message. And from the get go it is dense and urgent.

It took Margaret Mitchell a decade to write Gone With The Wind. Peter doesn’t have that kind of time – he’s about to be martyred. He has a lot to say and very little time to say it.

The themes of his letter break up right along with the chapter divisions. In chapter 1, Peter talks about the character of the Christian life and commands us to live it well. In chapter 2, he switches to warning us about the corruption of false teachers, but then comforts us with the reminder that God knows how to rescue us from their attacks. And in chapter 3, Peter closes by addressing the coming of Christ and correcting those who say He won’t.

Today we continue what he started in the intro – a discussion of the nature of the Christian life. What does it mean to be a Christian? This faith that Peter said we’ve received – how does it operate? How should it look and feel day to day? What does it really accomplish other than getting us out of hell and into heaven? Is it really anything more than fire insurance?

That’s what chapter 1 is about. How Christianity is the richest, most empowered life you could possibly have. How this faith can change everything about your life experience. As Peter explains it, we sense his breathless excitement. Verses 1 through 11 are one long sentence in the Greek.^[2]

2 Peter 1:3 – ³ His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Let’s start on the phrase: Him who called us. Every person listening today has been called by God. He calls to you because He loves you. He calls each of us in two ways: Into faith and into fellowship.

That first call, into faith, is God reaching out to you with the Gospel, asking you to believe in Him so that He can save you. He calls us to come to Him, to be born again, to turn from out sin and receive His robe of righteousness. The Revelation illustrates it as God standing at the door of your heart, knocking, and that God hopes you will hear His voice calling, answer the door and let Him in.

But after you get saved, the calls continue. You’re not only called to faith in Christ, you’re called into fellowship with Him.^[3] Fellowship means sharing and participation and close mutual association.^[4]

Do you screen your calls? You look at the phone and think, “I can’t do this conversation right now.” Peter reminds us that it is very important to answer these calls – not just the first, but all that follow. In verse 10 he’s going to tell us, “Make every effort to confirm your calling.”

We most often think of calling as the kind of service we do for the Lord. And we do want to respond to God and understand the tasks and assignments and opportunities He gives us as His disciples and as members of His Body on the earth. But we want to remind ourselves of this fundamental call of God into a life of faith and into a life of fellowship with Him.

When we answer God’s call, we’re met with this reality: “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness.”

By the way – Peter once again identifies Jesus Christ as God Himself. His Divine power. If you deny the Deity of Jesus Christ, you are not a Christian.^[5]

Power is one of Peter’s favorite words.^[6] Here he references the power that only God has. And what does the all-powerful God do with His limitless, unrivaled power? He uses it to give things to you.

In just 3 verses, we’ve already seen the incredible generosity of God. We received a saving faith from Him. He gives us grace and peace in multiplied abundance day-by-day. In verse 4 we’ll see He’s given us promises. And here, Peter says God has given us everything required for life.

Now wait, Lord. I’ve got a wishlist with quite a few un-checked boxes. Does Peter mean we always get what we want in the physical life? Does he mean that if we have enough faith, God will always give us enough health, enough money, enough comfort, enough success, enough of whatever we’d really like to experience in our day-to-day lives?

That’s not what God promises. He gives us everything required spiritually speaking. We have every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.^[7] That doesn’t mean God ignores empty stomachs or cancer diagnoses. God loves and cares for every sparrow that falls and He cares much more for you. You are invited and commanded to cast your cares on the Lord because He cares for you.

The life Peter is talking about here is the everlasting life offered by Jesus. The Lord will not withhold the peace you need, the grace you need, the joy you need, the wisdom you need, the endurance you need. He gives it by His power. The Christian faith means you receive everlasting life now.

But notice: We don’t only receive everything you need for life, but also for Godliness. Christianity is not only about what we experience, it is also about exercise. The outworking of this faith.

When people hear the word Godliness, many think of it as a list of things we don’t do. But before understanding what God doesn’t want us to do, we should recognize that Godliness is actually about how we please God. It’s a term that means “worshipping well.”^[8] It refers to our reverence for God, our loyalty to God – that we do our duty in our relationship with Him.^[9]

If you’re a Christian, Godliness is not optional. It’s needful. It’s required. God has called us and says, “I’m calling you into fellowship with My Son, Jesus Christ – a growing relationship of love and devotion.” How can we say we’re answering that call if we think, “It doesn’t matter if I please God. It doesn’t matter if I live out Godliness. I don’t care about worshipping well?”

But the second reason Godliness is so necessary is because of what we’ll find in chapter 2: False teachers who were coming into the Church with immorality. They came teaching totally different standards of what Christians should do. And their un-Godliness was destroying lives. They were exploiting Christians. They were robbing people of the good gifts God wanted to give them. Those who followed in their un-Godly ways were becoming enslaved to corruption. We need Godliness.

Now listen to what Peter says: Everything you need today for life and Godliness has been given to you. You don’t accomplish Christianity in your own strength. Instead, we learn what God has given and we live out of those resources.^[10] We have received grace upon grace from His fullness.^[11] God has given you access to His limitless “bank” account and you can use it for your daily needs. You have continual access to everything required.

So, how do I actually draw from that account? How do I become empowered with the power I’ve been given? “Through the knowledge of Him who called us.” Once again, it’s about growing in knowledge. And, as we talked about last time, it’s not just academic knowledge. It’s intellectual and personal and relational. Studying, internalizing, and practicing what God has revealed in His Word.

Peter uses two different terms for knowledge in this letter. One refers to the fundamental knowledge that makes you a Christian. Your belief in the Gospel. The second term refers to the ongoing knowledge you develop as a Christian.^[12] So, to get what I need for my life – whether my circumstances are clear or cloudy, in triumphs or trials, whether I’m a sinner seeking salvation or a veteran follower of Jesus, the way forward is through the knowledge of Christ. Because, in reality, the Lord has already given me what I need. I don’t have to go get it. I have the Holy Spirit. I have grace and peace. I have all this and more. I don’t need to grow in access, but in understanding.

At the end of the verse, Peter reminds us that the Lord accomplishes these things by His own glory and goodness. God is kind, He is compassionate, He is present with us. All that He does for us flows from the glorious goodness of His character and nature. We can cheerfully answer His calls because we know He is always good.

2 Peter 1:4 – ⁴ By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.

What are the promises God has made to His people? Peter will focus especially on the return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign a new heaven and new earth in righteousness. But that is certainly not the only promise God makes to us.

Page through the Bible and you find many, many more. The promise of resurrection – that physical death is not the end, but that we will live forever. The promise of forgiveness and the cleansing of our sins. The promise to always give us a way out of temptation. The promise that He will never leave us. The promise that He hears our prayers. The promise to give us rest. The promise to work all things together for the good of those who love God and who are called by Him.^[13] Great and precious promises – yours and mine to discover and anchor our lives on.

But God’s promises are not only for a far off future. The accomplishment of His promises has already begun. Through them, Peter says, we share in the divine nature. Now, this does not mean that we become gods. What the New Testament teaches is that, as we answer God’s calls to faith and fellowship, He then is able to transform our hearts and minds, conforming us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. We become more and more like Him, until the work is finally completed and we are perfected and finished in eternity.

As we know God in a true, Christian sense, our hearts become purified from the evil desire that is endemic in this world. Evil desire – the sin nature – which corrupts and tears down and infects and pollutes our lives and the lives around us. The knowledge of God is the antidote to evil. It is the cure to the disease.

So, one day, Christians will be perfect. The finish line is when we pass from this life to the next. Meanwhile, we are continually being perfected on this side of eternity. Now, I’m not perfect. Neither are you. But Christianity means that we are able to participate in the moral, loving nature of Jesus Christ. In fact, we’re commanded to live out that Godly holiness. We’ll do so imperfectly, but we can do it. After all, we’ve received everything we need for life and Godliness.

Here at the end of the verse, Peter starts to set up what he’s going to talk about in chapter 2. You see, the false teachers of the time were coming into the Church and were saying, “You don’t need to live by calling. You can live by craving. Do what you want to do. Indulge your desires, even when they contradict the commands of God. Live according to human nature.”

But human nature craves that which is in contradiction to the will of God.^[14] Being a Christian means being called out of darkness and into light. It means we believe that God is true and so we allow Him to change our nature to be like His. That we live by calling, not by craving, because when we answer God’s call to faith in Him and fellowship with Him, we’re able to collect the treasures of true life – eternal life – and all these other gifts Peter has been referencing.

Back when people used to get collect calls, you’d hear who was trying to reach you and then presented with a question: Do you want to accept the charges? God is calling. Calling you to know Him. Do you want to accept the promises? The advantages? The charges? If you answer, He has many things that you can start to collect – the things you really need to navigate this life and become who God made you to be.

Now, don’t get me wrong – it does cost you something to accept these gifts God wants to give you. The faith we’ve received does require that we give our life to Jesus. That we turn from whatever direction we had charted for ourselves and follow Him in faith-filled devotion. It requires obedience, submission, confession, and surrender. But don’t think for one minute that we’re missing out on anything. God is calling. If we don’t answer the call to know Him, we cut off the flow of all He wants to supply. So today, answer His call to faith and fellowship, and collect what He has for you. He has everything you need.

Peace Of Remind (2 Peter 1:1-2)

Final speeches are different than last words. Last words are often private or unexpected – given in whisper. But when a figure knows that this will be their parting message to their audience and the world, it’s interesting to hear what they consider to be the most important thing to say.

In 399 BC, Socrates was put on trial. After being condemned to die, he gave a speech defending the truth of his teachings. His closing line was, “The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways—I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.”^[1]

Plato records that, in his final hours, Socrates had a talk with his friends and followers about the soul, the afterlife, and truth. Sadly, Socrates came to the conclusion that we cannot know true knowledge or truth in life.^[2] And then he departed this world, drinking the poison hemlock.

This morning we begin a study of 2nd Peter. I bring up the story of Socrates because there are a few parallels but also important contrasts when it comes to this book. You see, this is the Apostle Peter’s closing speech. He knows that he is soon to die. It wasn’t paranoia – Jesus had told him it was about to happen. And so, Peter writes this closing speech, defending the truth of the Gospel message. But unlike Socrates, Peter’s conclusion is not that we cannot lay hold of eternal truth and knowledge in this life. Rather, Peter encourages us to grow here and now in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. And that as we grow in that knowledge, our lives will be dramatically impacted.

This wasn’t a new message. Peter will say, “I’m writing this letter to remind you of things you already know.” He reminds us that God’s promises can be trusted. That God knows how to rescue us when we’re in trouble. He reminds us that Christ Jesus is going to return one day and set all things right. He reminds us how to not be useless Christians, and how to never stumble! He reminds us of all we’ve received from God – everything we need for life and godliness.

But he also reminds us that we face opponents to the truth. Scoffers who mock God – those who laugh at the idea of Christ’s return. Even more dangerous is the fact that false teachers will continually work to infiltrate the Church to corrupt your knowledge with destructive ideas.

But unlike the defeated surrender of Socrates closing words, Peter’s final message gives us hope. It is a reminder that the Savior has revealed Himself so that we can have true, eternal knowledge of Him. And that knowledge brings power to life.

Now, 2 Peter has been called the “dark corner” of the New Testament.^[3] And I’m guessing that it’s not a book that most of us are very familiar with. It doesn’t usually make the same splash in our  minds as does Romans or Ephesians or Philemon. And yet, despite only being about 1,500 words long, it contains some deeply memorable and incredibly important gems of Scripture. Like: “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance,” and, “With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day,” and, “God is not slack concerning His promises,” and that we can, “hasten the coming of the day of the Lord.”

This book is usually categorized as a “general” epistle, alongside books like Hebrews, James, and the letters of John, but it’s very likely a prison epistle as well.^[4] Caesar Nero was violently, savagely persecuting Christians. He would soon order the execution of both Peter and then Paul.

Peter was likely in Rome awaiting crucifixion sometime around 65AD.^[5] His audience seems to be Gentile Christians living in Asia Minor.^[6] We know 1 Peter was written to Gentile believers in places like Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia.^[7] Peter will say that this is the second letter he wrote to his audience, but it’s possible he’s referring to a different letter we don’t have.

Though short, this letter has some wonderful language things going on. We’re not Greek scholars, but when you consult people who do read this letter in Greek, they will tell you that Peter is very purposeful and creative in his word choice. In fact, he uses 57 words that are not found anywhere else in the New Testament. He uses 32 that are not found in the Greek version of the Old Testament, and 13 that have so far not been found in any extant Greek literature.^[8]

One scholar writes, “The list…includes enough extremely rare words to show that the author is widely read, and fond of rather literary and poetic, even obscure words.”^[9] The burly fisherman. We so often imagine Peter as gruff and unrefined, yet this letter shows he had a love for language – that he was “captivated by a striking word.”^[10]

As always, there are those who want to convince you that Peter did not write this book. That it was written maybe a hundred years after his death by someone using Peter’s name. The reason is because of certain issues in the writing style and because there aren’t direct quotes from this letter in the 1st or 2nd century writings of the church fathers. And so, some modern scholars have decided that 2 Peter was what they call a “transparent fiction.”^[11] Meaning that it was a genre of literature that everyone knew wasn’t really written by the person the book claims.

Did any of you see that recent video of Glenn Beck interviewing an AI George Washington on video? He’s sitting there, asking George questions about society and politics. And, obviously, we all know that’s not really George Washington. Some scholars say that’s what 2 Peter is. A later person’s idea of what Peter would say if he were still alive.

One problem with that idea is that…no one knew it wasn’t Peter. There was never any name other than his connected with this letter.^[12] And the popular belief in the Church was that this letter was genuine in the late 100’s, and the late 200’s, and in the 300’s.

Now, there were New Testament books that were debated. Here’s why: During the early decades of the Church, there were many books and letters circulating around that claimed to be Apostolic. And the Church had to evaluate whether a book was truly written by an Apostle or an associate of an Apostle and whether it was inspired. You know, Paul wrote letters that aren’t in the Bible. In First Corinthians, he talks about an earlier letter he had already written them – First FIRST Corinthians.^[13]

But there were many false letters going around bearing Apostle’s names. For example, the early Church also took a look at books called The Apocalypse Of Peter, The Gospel Of Peter, The Acts Of Peter, and The Teaching Of Peter. All of those were found to be inauthentic.^[14]

The Church was very careful and very critical about what they acknowledged as inspired Scripture. Seven New Testament books really had to be evaluated, discussed, and ultimately recognized as canonical: Hebrews, James, Jude, 2nd Peter, 2nd and 3rd John, and Revelation. Pseudepigrapha was absolutely not accepted by Christians in the early Church.^[15]

I take the time to say all that because there are scholars who rush to tell you the Bible wasn’t written when it says it was and wasn’t written by who it says it was, but that’s ok, it doesn’t matter.

But it does matter. As one source notes, “fakes [and fakers] lie at the heart of Peter’s concern in this letter.”^[16] With some of his last breaths, he wants us to remember to watch out for those who would come in and undermine the truth of the Gospel.

The writer of this letter says he’s Peter, says he’s an eye-witness of the transfiguration, says Jesus has spoken directly to him. If it’s not him, how could we accept theological content from a deceiver?

This is the last testament of the one who walked on the water with Jesus. The one who ran to the tomb on Easter morning. The one who preached at Pentecost. The one who brought the Gospel to the Gentiles. The fisherman who became a fisher of men. He begins his last message in verse 1:

2 Peter 1:1 – ¹ Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

He starts by identifying himself as a servant and an apostle. The apostles were a special position established by Jesus for the Church in the first century. There are some who claim that title today, but we would say that the office has ceased. The apostles were a set of men, appointed by God, to be the foundation of the Church.^[17] It was through these men that the Lord delivered the doctrines on which the Church is built. In the book of Acts, we see the Christians in Jerusalem devoting themselves daily to prayer, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to the apostles’ teaching.^[18]

This is important because when Judaizers came along with a new teaching, when Gnostics came along with their teaching, when Joseph Smith comes along and says, “I’ve got a new revelation,” we can know that it is not from God. Because, as Jude explains, the Christian faith – meaning the body of truth taught by the apostles – has been delivered once for all.^[19]

Peter also identifies himself as a servant of Jesus. The word means a slave. It stresses dependence on the Lord.^[20] But here’s what we need to understand, especially as people who love autonomy and independence: To be a servant of Jesus is a title of honor. There are wonderful times in the Old Testament where God looks down with pleasure on a person and says, “Look at My servant Job. My servant Moses. My Servant Jacob. My servant David.”

We hear the word servant or slave and our minds are conditioned to recoil. To us, to be a servant means to be cordoned and shackled. A state to be avoided or liberated from. But understand, to be a servant of Jesus Christ is to be truly free.

Do you want to be free? All humans are slaves to some master. Boil it down and you are either a slave to sin or a slave to the Savior, Who bought you with His own blood. Here’s what God says about those who serve Him:

1 Corinthians 7:22 – ²² For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ’s slave.

If you want to know true freedom in this life, true fulfillment, true purpose and satisfaction, serve Jesus. He is the only Master Who will set you free and make you alive.

Now Peter we have received a faith equal to his. This is a mind-blowing statement.

First, what does he mean by faith? Does he mean the body of teaching – the doctrines of Christianity which form our spiritual understanding and practice – or does he mean our act of believing and obeying in faith? The truth is, both aspects apply.

There is one faith for all Christians. Every believer, no matter where or when you live or what God has called you to, has the same revelation given to us. But also it’s important for us to understand that the vitality of our faith does not have to be lesser than what we see in the New Testament.

We naturally think, “Oh, the apostles…look at their faith. Look at their communion with Jesus.” But Peter is saying that the Gentile Christians in Asia Minor and we Christians in Central California are not second-class spiritual citizens. Every Christian has equal access to God.^[21] Every Christian has equal standing before God.^[22]

God supplies our faith out of His righteousness. He is just. He is not a respecter of persons. God wants to do meaningful, supernatural work through your life. That doesn’t necessarily mean He wants to work signs and wonders in your life – though He could – it means He wants to bear the same spiritual, supernatural fruit in your heart, your mind, your relationships and opportunities as He has done for believers in every other generation – including Peter’s generation.

Here’s why that’s so good and so important: The era of the apostles was coming to an end. James was dead. Peter was about to be dead. Paul was soon to follow. If church history is correct, within the next few years almost all of them would be gone. What would happen to the Church? The Church would continue because the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Yes, they had a unique calling. Yes, they were the foundation, but the Lord Jesus would continue to build and invigorate and empower His church in life after life, era after era, up to and including our lives today.

Now here Peter already gives us a very important piece of theology: He identifies Jesus Christ as God. The Greek grammar is clear: Both titles – God and Savior – are referring to Jesus.^[23]

There are many out there who deny the Trinity. They claim it isn’t taught in the Bible. It absolutely is. In type, in narrative, and in direct revelation as we see here. Jesus is God. He is the Second Person of the Trinity. Co-equal. Co-eternal. Identical in power, character, and nature with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. One God in three Persons.

2 Peter 1:2 – ² May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As God sends the eternal truths of life and salvation – He says, “Tell them I want grace and peace to be multiplied to them.” Not a one-time benefit. Not a single-use coupon. An ongoing, increasing filling of His grace and peace. Even when Nero is Caesar and Christians are systematically murdered. Even when we’re being laughed at. Even when the circumstances of life are difficult.

In the Roman system, “grace” was measured out depending on how important you were. In a judicial context, you received favor in proportion to your social or economic power.^[24] If you were wealthy and prominent, you got more grace.

But that’s not how God does things. God’s grace is for anyone who will receive it. Anyone thirsty who will come to Him for a drink of the water of life. He is the God Who gives grace to His enemies.

Now, peace and grace make a big difference in the experience of our lives. In a turbulent world, we need it. So how do we get this gift from God? Peter explains we lay hold of it through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As we grow in our knowledge of God and of Jesus, our lives become more and more filled by His grace and peace. As humans, we’re prone to think we must get what we need from God some other way. By some mystical experience, or by doing certain things to merit special access to God. But Peter makes it plain: It is through knowledge. In these three short chapters, he’s going to use the words know or knowledge 16 times!^[25] Remember those old PSA commercials – The More You Know? Or the old adage, “It’s all about who you know?” That really is true in the Christian life.

Now understand, growing in knowledge doesn’t just mean memorizing facts about God. Christian knowledge comes through education and experience. Because Christian knowledge of Jesus is intellectual and personal and relational.^[26] It is a devotion of head and heart and hands as we study, as we internalize, and as we practice what we know to be true.

But Peter, like Paul,^[27] reveals that the secret to the Christian life is for us to grow in our knowledge of Jesus. Knowledge here refers to understanding something completely, through and through.^[28] It’s something we progress in better and better no matter what stage of life or faith we’re in. All of us can grow and must grow if we want to receive the grace, the peace, the joy, the wisdom, the endurance, the strength we need for this life.

Now that doesn’t mean all we do is study. In a few verses, Peter is going to say, “Ok, your Christian faith is growing in knowledge, but each of you needs to supplement that knowledge with activity. With the exercise of faith.” Grace is a gift, but we must be sure we’re not receiving that gift in vain.^[29]

So here starts the last testament of Simon Peter. He says the best thing he could do is remind us of what we already know: That there is a gracious, attentive, all-powerful God Who wants to be known by you. That if you’re in trouble, He’s able to rescue. That if you are confused about the future, His promises can be trusted. That no matter what happens, we can face it with confidence and hope because Jesus Christ cannot fail. And as we walk with Him through life, He will continue His supernatural work through us because He is a Giver of faith and power and fruit and effectiveness.

You and I have everything we need for life and for godliness. And because of Jesus our lives have the potential to hasten His return to make all things right. What a testament! Not the Socratic whimper of defeat and resignation – but the triumphant rallying cry of clear sight, sure hope, and shining glory cultivated in us and coming for us!