2 Peter 1.1-15
Slogans can be helpful. By means of a well-crafted slogan you can proclaim an important truth very quickly. 'Give me liberty or give me death.' 'In God we trust.' 'Faith alone.' But slogans – because they are so brief – can be misunderstood and misleading. 'Faith alone' is a precious slogan summarizing a key aspect of the Gospel. Our efforts at obedience to God will gain us nothing, and that is true because those efforts at obedience will ultimately fail. Our only hope of rescue from sin and death is faith in Jesus, faith alone in Jesus apart from the works of the Law. And so, all we need is faith in Jesus, and it's all good, right? Well, yes – but. And that's why this portion of Peter's letter is so helpful. Whatever else Peter is saying in our text, one thing is clear. Faith alone is not enough. Peter wrote, 'But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith ...' Peter writes to a group of Christians. He knows that they have a true and living faith in Jesus. And he also knows that that is not enough. So, he calls them to action. He calls them to add to that faith. And by this Word of the Lord, the Spirit is telling us the same thing. We're going to look at why we should add to our faith and how we are to do that. But before we do either of those let's take a quick look at what we are to add to our faith. Let's start by looking at this list of things to be added.
There are seven items on Peter's list. I don't intend to say a lot about each, just enough to give you the flavor of what Peter is after. The first is virtue. The basic idea here is excellence, especially moral excellence. The opposite of excellent is not failing. The opposite of excellent is mediocre, adequate. So, there is striving toward real holiness or there is simply being satisfied with not being all that bad or even just not as bad as some. Next, there is knowledge. But, knowledge of what? Is Peter talking about knowledge of Jesus? Of holy living? Something else? I don't know. But it's clear that whichever knowledge Peter is referring to it begins with a knowledge of the Bible, a knowledge of Bible content. Who did what where, why and with whom – and what did God have to say about it? Without Bible knowledge all other knowledge – of Jesus, of following Him – is impossible. Then there's self-control. This can be seen in the life of someone who has set his sights on certain goals and who refuses to be distracted from them by less important things. Perseverance, next on the list, is related to self-control. It's pursuing the goals that you have set your sights on and not quitting, come what may, until they are reached. Godliness is a nearly forgotten quality in our day. That becomes evident when you consider some of its synonyms: piety, reverence, the fear of the Lord. The last two qualities – brotherly affection and love – seem to be related. The first is about love for those within the Church and the second love for those outside of it. That's Peter's list. It's not exhaustive. It isn't intended to be. He could have included many more qualities to be added to faith. But this gave his original readers – and it gives you – a sense of what he was thinking about. Maybe I can illustrate what's on Peter's heart with this. The student who asks, 'Will that be on the test?', is looking to just get by. The many who think that faith alone is enough have the same attitude. Peter was teaching those saints not to be like that. Instead, strive for more when it comes to following Jesus. And that's why at the beginning of his list he tells the saints to 'make every effort' to add to their faith. '... make every effort...' The Spirit calls us to work at these things, to strive for excellence in these things. This is to be a priority of us. And that's because faith alone is not enough.
Now, we're ready for the 'Why?' question. Peter actually gives two reasons why we should be working at this. The first is in verse 8. 'For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Do you see what Peter is saying? Developing these qualities leads to knowing Jesus well. Please understand what that phrase means. It's not about knowing the Gospels and the events recorded in them. It's not about understanding certain doctrines of the Scriptures. It's about getting to know a person, and developing a friendship with Him. And Peter tells us that as a disciple gets to know Jesus in this sense, his life will blossom in such a way that he will have a powerful affect for good on those around him. This disciple will not be 'ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.' So, beside whatever benefits there may be to a disciple himself – and there are significant benefits – the reason why a Christian needs to make every effort to add to his faith is for the sake of ministry and mission. Those who are growing in the knowledge of Jesus, growing in their friendship with Jesus, are those who are best able to care for others and spread the Gospel. Or to put it another way, those who know Jesus well, love others well. Loving other people – whether saints or lost – is hard. It takes effort. It is costly and not convenient. It is not something that comes naturally. But this is what Jesus did. He loved. And it cost Him His life. Who can love like that except those who draw closer to Jesus so that He can teach them how to do it? So, here's the first reason why you should work at adding these and other qualities to your faith: so you can love like Jesus did and does.
Peter gives a second answer to our question 'Why?' Listen. 'Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' Please note what Peter just did in writing these words. He gives a label to His earlier command to add to faith. Here, he calls it 'making your calling and election sure.' And he says that those who heed his instructions in this, 'will never fall'. In fact, those who heed his commands will find that their path into heaven will be made clearer and clearer and thus easier to follow. To put this into more familiar language, Peter is talking about assurance of salvation. It used to be that one of the really big problems for so many Christians was knowing, with some degree of certainty, that they are among the saved. That's less pronounced these days because most no longer even pause to raise the question of assurance. It's just assumed based on the flimsiest of reasons. And yet, when the busy noise of life is quieted and the fears of life come out of the shadows, the questions loom. 'Is this all for real? Am I really one of Christ's? Am I going to make it to heaven?' Doubt. The longed-for solution is assumed to be some special experience or a change in feelings which results in that mystical something called 'assurance'. 'Aha! Now I know that I'm a Christian and that all my sins are forgiven and that I'm really on my way to heaven.' There's nothing of that here. Peter speaks of no special experience or any surprising 'Aha!' moment that comes out of the blue. No, for Peter assurance develops – 'making your calling and election sure' – by making every effort to add to your faith. It is as these qualities he's listed – and others – grow that assurance also grows. Faith alone is not enough.
This matter of assurance is so important but not just for the sake of peace of mind. Doubts about the state of one's soul are, at the very least, a distraction. The goal for the Christian is not to be assured of his own salvation. The goal is for him to love his God and love his neighbor. The sooner that doubts about his soul are put to rest, the sooner he can get at the important matters of life: heartfelt worship, love of the brethren, living and proclaiming the Gospel before a world that is on its way to hell and that with increasing speed. Being diligent to add to your faith – with its resultant assurance – prepares a foundation for faithful living and for that reason it is important. So, what I labeled as Peter's two answers to our question 'Why?' actually end up pointing to the same thing. We work at adding to faith so that we can be about the Father's business in ministry and mission. Faith alone is not enough.
Now for the 'How?' question. How are you to actually put the Spirit's commands here into practice? Peter has already told us. Listen. '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.' Now, that's a fairly complicated sentence. So, let me take it apart for you. We've been rescued from the corruption that is such an essential part of this world. The Spirit has done His work, and we are now Christians. Peter tells us that the point of this is that we might be 'partakers of the divine nature'. Here, think of 'nature' as 'character'. The point is that we might share in God's character. Or to put it in more familiar terms, that we might be like Jesus. If you think about it, that's what these qualities – excellence, self-control and all the rest – are about, being like Jesus. That leads to the key to the answer to 'How?' '...He has granted to us His precious and very great promises... ' It is through these promises that we will be able to add to our faith, that we will be able to become like Jesus. '...He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature...' How else could such a thing happen? It's all about the promises.
It seems fair to say that all the promises boil down to Jesus saying this: 'I will take care of you'. There is great variety in the specific promises, but I think that they all echo that one thought. There is this variety because, for one thing, we're dense and don't get it very easily. Repetition and variety help the promises to penetrate our hearts. Sometimes He offers a promise in a certain way because of the specifics of the need He is addressing. Sometimes the promise is phrased differently because of something else that He's already said. But understanding all of that, the promises all seem to be some aspect of this pledge. 'I will take care of you.' The way it usually happens, the Spirit points to some specific expression of that promise, some particular verse that renews the pledge in a specific way to your life. Most often when He does this, the first thing He has us do is to repent. Though this isn't always the case, He often nudges us because we have doubted Jesus' pledge. Repentance is appropriate and needed. But then He calls us to renew our faith in Jesus and in His pledge to us. So, having been reminded by the Spirit that Jesus has promised, 'I will take care of you', we reply, 'I'm sorry. I do believe you. I trust you.' But living faith doesn't just sit there and say, 'Yep, I believe that.' It also acts. How it acts depends on the specifics of the situation.
Let's take one promise, a promise for the fearful. 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Jesus promises peace instead of fear. 'I will take care of you.' And faith, believing Jesus, will result in enjoying that peace. But notice that the promise calls for faith to act, in this case to pray. Be anxious for nothing but in everything pray. A living faith will pray. Part of the prayer will be requests, not generic requests but requests specifically about the things that that person is anxious about. Another part of the prayer will be thanksgiving, even including thanks for that situation that tempts the person to fear. And then, there is supplication. But what is that? It must mean something. If the person doesn't know what it means he will find out so that he can incorporate that also into his prayers. That is one example of being diligent to add to your faith. And what quality was being added? Fearlessness, enjoying the peace of God in the face of trouble. 'And if these qualities are yours and are increasing they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
Let me close with this. For some of you this sermon is an encouragement. The Spirit has been doing His work in your life. You know that faith alone is not enough. You're working at adding to your faith. You're aiming at excellence in following Jesus. Today's sermon has reminded you of 'why' and of 'how' and maybe even some of the 'what'. As you continue to work at adding to your faith, you will see your faith become stronger and more fruitful. You will see marked progress to your goal of excellence as a disciple of Jesus. So, let me urge you to keep at it, depending on the grace of the Spirit. He will bless your efforts.
I fear, though, that there may be some of you who are not being diligent to add to your faith, who are content with who you are, who assume that faith alone is enough. So, there is no striving after excellence, knowledge, self-control or any other aspect of Jesus' character. Where you are is good enough. It's adequate. If I have just come uncomfortably close to describing you, then understand that for Peter and for the Spirit there is no category called 'adequate'. Peter, himself, warns you. 'For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.' I'm not going to get into the details of that blindness. I don't need to. It's enough to say that it's not good. According to the Spirit who inspired this text, there are but two alternatives. There is being diligent to add to faith or there is becoming blind. There is no other category. So, just as I encouraged those who are working at these things I would warn any who aren't.
Slogans can be helpful. By means of a well-crafted slogan you can proclaim an important truth very quickly. 'Give me liberty or give me death.' 'In God we trust.' 'Faith alone.' But slogans – because they are so brief – can be misunderstood and misleading. 'Faith alone' is a precious slogan summarizing a key aspect of the Gospel. Our efforts at obedience to God will gain us nothing, and that is true because those efforts at obedience will ultimately fail. Our only hope of rescue from sin and death is faith in Jesus, faith alone in Jesus apart from the works of the Law. And so, all we need is faith in Jesus, and it's all good, right? Well, yes – but. And that's why this portion of Peter's letter is so helpful. Whatever else Peter is saying in our text, one thing is clear. Faith alone is not enough. Peter wrote, 'But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith ...' Peter writes to a group of Christians. He knows that they have a true and living faith in Jesus. And he also knows that that is not enough. So, he calls them to action. He calls them to add to that faith. And by this Word of the Lord, the Spirit is telling us the same thing. We're going to look at why we should add to our faith and how we are to do that. But before we do either of those let's take a quick look at what we are to add to our faith. Let's start by looking at this list of things to be added.
There are seven items on Peter's list. I don't intend to say a lot about each, just enough to give you the flavor of what Peter is after. The first is virtue. The basic idea here is excellence, especially moral excellence. The opposite of excellent is not failing. The opposite of excellent is mediocre, adequate. So, there is striving toward real holiness or there is simply being satisfied with not being all that bad or even just not as bad as some. Next, there is knowledge. But, knowledge of what? Is Peter talking about knowledge of Jesus? Of holy living? Something else? I don't know. But it's clear that whichever knowledge Peter is referring to it begins with a knowledge of the Bible, a knowledge of Bible content. Who did what where, why and with whom – and what did God have to say about it? Without Bible knowledge all other knowledge – of Jesus, of following Him – is impossible. Then there's self-control. This can be seen in the life of someone who has set his sights on certain goals and who refuses to be distracted from them by less important things. Perseverance, next on the list, is related to self-control. It's pursuing the goals that you have set your sights on and not quitting, come what may, until they are reached. Godliness is a nearly forgotten quality in our day. That becomes evident when you consider some of its synonyms: piety, reverence, the fear of the Lord. The last two qualities – brotherly affection and love – seem to be related. The first is about love for those within the Church and the second love for those outside of it. That's Peter's list. It's not exhaustive. It isn't intended to be. He could have included many more qualities to be added to faith. But this gave his original readers – and it gives you – a sense of what he was thinking about. Maybe I can illustrate what's on Peter's heart with this. The student who asks, 'Will that be on the test?', is looking to just get by. The many who think that faith alone is enough have the same attitude. Peter was teaching those saints not to be like that. Instead, strive for more when it comes to following Jesus. And that's why at the beginning of his list he tells the saints to 'make every effort' to add to their faith. '... make every effort...' The Spirit calls us to work at these things, to strive for excellence in these things. This is to be a priority of us. And that's because faith alone is not enough.
Now, we're ready for the 'Why?' question. Peter actually gives two reasons why we should be working at this. The first is in verse 8. 'For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Do you see what Peter is saying? Developing these qualities leads to knowing Jesus well. Please understand what that phrase means. It's not about knowing the Gospels and the events recorded in them. It's not about understanding certain doctrines of the Scriptures. It's about getting to know a person, and developing a friendship with Him. And Peter tells us that as a disciple gets to know Jesus in this sense, his life will blossom in such a way that he will have a powerful affect for good on those around him. This disciple will not be 'ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.' So, beside whatever benefits there may be to a disciple himself – and there are significant benefits – the reason why a Christian needs to make every effort to add to his faith is for the sake of ministry and mission. Those who are growing in the knowledge of Jesus, growing in their friendship with Jesus, are those who are best able to care for others and spread the Gospel. Or to put it another way, those who know Jesus well, love others well. Loving other people – whether saints or lost – is hard. It takes effort. It is costly and not convenient. It is not something that comes naturally. But this is what Jesus did. He loved. And it cost Him His life. Who can love like that except those who draw closer to Jesus so that He can teach them how to do it? So, here's the first reason why you should work at adding these and other qualities to your faith: so you can love like Jesus did and does.
Peter gives a second answer to our question 'Why?' Listen. 'Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' Please note what Peter just did in writing these words. He gives a label to His earlier command to add to faith. Here, he calls it 'making your calling and election sure.' And he says that those who heed his instructions in this, 'will never fall'. In fact, those who heed his commands will find that their path into heaven will be made clearer and clearer and thus easier to follow. To put this into more familiar language, Peter is talking about assurance of salvation. It used to be that one of the really big problems for so many Christians was knowing, with some degree of certainty, that they are among the saved. That's less pronounced these days because most no longer even pause to raise the question of assurance. It's just assumed based on the flimsiest of reasons. And yet, when the busy noise of life is quieted and the fears of life come out of the shadows, the questions loom. 'Is this all for real? Am I really one of Christ's? Am I going to make it to heaven?' Doubt. The longed-for solution is assumed to be some special experience or a change in feelings which results in that mystical something called 'assurance'. 'Aha! Now I know that I'm a Christian and that all my sins are forgiven and that I'm really on my way to heaven.' There's nothing of that here. Peter speaks of no special experience or any surprising 'Aha!' moment that comes out of the blue. No, for Peter assurance develops – 'making your calling and election sure' – by making every effort to add to your faith. It is as these qualities he's listed – and others – grow that assurance also grows. Faith alone is not enough.
This matter of assurance is so important but not just for the sake of peace of mind. Doubts about the state of one's soul are, at the very least, a distraction. The goal for the Christian is not to be assured of his own salvation. The goal is for him to love his God and love his neighbor. The sooner that doubts about his soul are put to rest, the sooner he can get at the important matters of life: heartfelt worship, love of the brethren, living and proclaiming the Gospel before a world that is on its way to hell and that with increasing speed. Being diligent to add to your faith – with its resultant assurance – prepares a foundation for faithful living and for that reason it is important. So, what I labeled as Peter's two answers to our question 'Why?' actually end up pointing to the same thing. We work at adding to faith so that we can be about the Father's business in ministry and mission. Faith alone is not enough.
Now for the 'How?' question. How are you to actually put the Spirit's commands here into practice? Peter has already told us. Listen. '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.' Now, that's a fairly complicated sentence. So, let me take it apart for you. We've been rescued from the corruption that is such an essential part of this world. The Spirit has done His work, and we are now Christians. Peter tells us that the point of this is that we might be 'partakers of the divine nature'. Here, think of 'nature' as 'character'. The point is that we might share in God's character. Or to put it in more familiar terms, that we might be like Jesus. If you think about it, that's what these qualities – excellence, self-control and all the rest – are about, being like Jesus. That leads to the key to the answer to 'How?' '...He has granted to us His precious and very great promises... ' It is through these promises that we will be able to add to our faith, that we will be able to become like Jesus. '...He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature...' How else could such a thing happen? It's all about the promises.
It seems fair to say that all the promises boil down to Jesus saying this: 'I will take care of you'. There is great variety in the specific promises, but I think that they all echo that one thought. There is this variety because, for one thing, we're dense and don't get it very easily. Repetition and variety help the promises to penetrate our hearts. Sometimes He offers a promise in a certain way because of the specifics of the need He is addressing. Sometimes the promise is phrased differently because of something else that He's already said. But understanding all of that, the promises all seem to be some aspect of this pledge. 'I will take care of you.' The way it usually happens, the Spirit points to some specific expression of that promise, some particular verse that renews the pledge in a specific way to your life. Most often when He does this, the first thing He has us do is to repent. Though this isn't always the case, He often nudges us because we have doubted Jesus' pledge. Repentance is appropriate and needed. But then He calls us to renew our faith in Jesus and in His pledge to us. So, having been reminded by the Spirit that Jesus has promised, 'I will take care of you', we reply, 'I'm sorry. I do believe you. I trust you.' But living faith doesn't just sit there and say, 'Yep, I believe that.' It also acts. How it acts depends on the specifics of the situation.
Let's take one promise, a promise for the fearful. 'Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Jesus promises peace instead of fear. 'I will take care of you.' And faith, believing Jesus, will result in enjoying that peace. But notice that the promise calls for faith to act, in this case to pray. Be anxious for nothing but in everything pray. A living faith will pray. Part of the prayer will be requests, not generic requests but requests specifically about the things that that person is anxious about. Another part of the prayer will be thanksgiving, even including thanks for that situation that tempts the person to fear. And then, there is supplication. But what is that? It must mean something. If the person doesn't know what it means he will find out so that he can incorporate that also into his prayers. That is one example of being diligent to add to your faith. And what quality was being added? Fearlessness, enjoying the peace of God in the face of trouble. 'And if these qualities are yours and are increasing they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
Let me close with this. For some of you this sermon is an encouragement. The Spirit has been doing His work in your life. You know that faith alone is not enough. You're working at adding to your faith. You're aiming at excellence in following Jesus. Today's sermon has reminded you of 'why' and of 'how' and maybe even some of the 'what'. As you continue to work at adding to your faith, you will see your faith become stronger and more fruitful. You will see marked progress to your goal of excellence as a disciple of Jesus. So, let me urge you to keep at it, depending on the grace of the Spirit. He will bless your efforts.
I fear, though, that there may be some of you who are not being diligent to add to your faith, who are content with who you are, who assume that faith alone is enough. So, there is no striving after excellence, knowledge, self-control or any other aspect of Jesus' character. Where you are is good enough. It's adequate. If I have just come uncomfortably close to describing you, then understand that for Peter and for the Spirit there is no category called 'adequate'. Peter, himself, warns you. 'For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.' I'm not going to get into the details of that blindness. I don't need to. It's enough to say that it's not good. According to the Spirit who inspired this text, there are but two alternatives. There is being diligent to add to faith or there is becoming blind. There is no other category. So, just as I encouraged those who are working at these things I would warn any who aren't.
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