The Christian’s Call and Election – 2 Peter 1
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
The Christian’s Call and Election
3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
12 Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, 14 since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
Eyewitnesses of Christ’s Glory
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
What does the passage say?
V. 1-2 Peter starts 2 Peter with a greeting to the people who he says, “I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours”v. 2 The Message. Encounter with God had changed Peter’s life, and this encounter continues in the history to our days.
V. 3-11 Christians are called to live a life of holiness. Holy means Having Our Life Yielded. We are called to live a life giving up our wills, so the will of God can live with us. The grace we received from Christ is the very reason we live in this manner. Peter says, “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with…” (v. 5 NRSV). PH describes this more as a process of reaching holiness.
goodness -> knowledge -> self-control -> endurance -> godliness -> mutual affection -> Love
He says that these characters are an add on to our call, as we enter into the kingdom.
v. 12 – 21 Peter says that it is his responsibility to constantly remind us of this call. “Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you.” v. 12 NRSV
As an eyewitness of the life of Christ, and a person who continues the call of Jesus to live in this dark world as a light, Peter commands the people of God to endure in holiness until the morning comes.
“You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” v. 19 NRSV
What does this mean to me/us
“I know that I’m to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me.” 2 Peter 1:14
2 Peter is a book of the Bible written by Peter at the end of his life. As a person who witness the life of Jesus, his death, and how the Holy Spirit started this movement of believers, it is as if he is sharing his last thoughts. The one thing he thinks matters the most. TO LIVE HOLY.
Even as a pastor, it is hard to live holy. The concept of living holy is even vague.
Of course living in holiness will mean that we add the characteristics, Peter is describing in v.5, in our lives. However, it is something that the Holy Spirit does, not us.
Then it means that we need to do one thing: reminding ourselves that we are chosen people for this call and how the Holy Spirit is working in our lives. Peter is giving the exact reminder for the people of God.
“Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you.” v. 12 NRSV
Remember that God has a plan for us. God will continue to mold us to be holy, and be a reminder to others of His plan. It is a matter of us remembering God’s plan, and becoming a reminder to the world.
Do all this in the ‘Remembrance of Me.’
What does this MEAN to you?
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