In 1 Peter 2:15 we are told that it is the will of God that His people DO WELL (by His standard).  In the following verse the apostle tells us that doing well is the primary characteristic of God’s servants. Note that the emphasis is on DOING–our words, thoughts and deeds. Note that faith is not mentioned. He was assuming that those who read his epistle would know that faith is the underlying possession of the elect of God (1:2). God’s elect KNOW what to do. God’s Very Elect not only know what to do, but DO it. This is what makes them His Very Elect and separates them from the elect and those in the Counterfeit Church who know what to do but do not do it. The principle of doing and not simply knowing is brought out in James 4:17 where we are told that to know to do well and not do it is sin. Knowing God’s Word/will and believing it are not enough to save the soul. One must DO whatsoever He tells us in His Word. Recall that Jesus told His disciples that He would die for His friends. He then told them that they were His friends “… IF YOU DO WHATSOEVER THINGS I COMMAND YOU” (Jn. 15:14). Note that He was talking to His hand-picked disciples who would take His message of the kingdom of God throughout the known world and would train those who would take up the ministry mantle upon their deaths. He was telling them that SALVATION WAS NOT GUARANTEED EVEN FOR THEM. They would inherit eternal life at His return only IF they obeyed His Words, which, as He said on several occasions, were given to Him by the Father. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, spoke every Word in the Bible–which He refers to as His Law.

The apostles, in writing their epistles, said of the Lord that He wanted every person who has ever lived to be saved. He wanted”… all to come to the knowledge of the Truth” (1 Tim. 2:4) in order to inherit eternal life. As the previously shown Scriptures pointed out, knowing the Truth (God’s Word-Jn. 17:17) is the first step on the long walk of righteousness that leads (1 Jn. 2:6) to the Kingdom of God. The following steps must be taken in order to inherit salvation: 1) know the Truth, 2) believe the Truth, 3) repent of disobeying the Truth, 4) obey (do) the Truth until the end of the age, at which point salvation will be awarded (Mat. 10:20).

In 2 Peter 3:9 God says through the apostle that it is God’s will that “… all come to REPENTANCE and not perish.” Repent of what? The breaking (transgressing) of the Law. The Ten Commandments summarize the entire Bible. Breaking the Law is Biblically called “iniquity.” Let us see how the Apostle Paul described those in the church at Corinth who had truly repented after coming to the knowledge of God’s Truth: “what carefulness, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal” they had exhibited (2 Cor. 7:11). Today, over three billion people who claim oneness with the Lord routinely break His Sabbath commandment, thereby forfeiting their place in the Body of Christ today and cutting themselves off from living eternally in His future kingdom. Unless they repent, turn from their evil ways and follow the Word of God, they will “perish” (vs 9).

How does God define sin? First John 2:6 tells us that “sin is the transgression of the Law”–summarized by the Ten Commandments. The Apostle James tells us that to break one of the Ten Commandments is to break all ten (2:8-11). The whole of professing Christendom breaks all ten of the commandments repeatedly, openly and proudly every Saturday (by not observing God’s Sabbath), and Sunday (by observing Satan’s Sabbath). In so doing they do for Satan what he could not do for himself–replace God. Truly, Satan has deceived the whole world (Rev. 12:9). L.J.