2 Peter 1:8-10 “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.”
I
was read a study on this Bible verse tonight and hope that you re as blessed by
this Word of God as I was. In this first chapter of Peter’s last epistle,
he refers to “these things” (one word
in the Greek – ταῦτα, tauta) no less than six
times. That they are extremely important things is evident from our text, but
if these things are lacking, one is spiritually blind and has forgotten what
Christ did for him in salvation. However, if he does “these things,” he will never fall.
2 Peter
1:2-7 “Grace and peace be
multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 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, 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. But also for this very
reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to
knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance
godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness
love.
What
then are these things which Peter stresses so urgently? Verse 8 makes it obvious
that they constitute simply the hierarchical catalog of Christian attributes
listed in verses 6 and 7—that is, faith, virtue (strength of character),
knowledge, temperance (self control), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness,
and charity (unselfish love). The same word is used in verse 4, where it explains
how we are enabled to acquire these traits of Christian character. “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises: that by these [‘by these things’] ye might be partakers
of the divine nature.”
When
these things characterize our lives, we become nothing less than Christlike.
He, in His humanity, was all these things as He shared our nature, and we have
become partakers of His divine nature when we manifest them. Hallelujah! The
wonderful thing is that they are all mediated to us through the gracious
promises of the Word of God. God promises, we believe, and then receive! There
is an effectual promise for the achievement of each stage in the growth of a
Christlike character. Indeed, as Peter had already said by way of introduction,
“his divine power hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that
hath called us to glory and virtue”.
Have
a blessed day as you walk in these things.
In
Christ, Brian
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