Second Peter

Verses one through four: In verse one the Apostle Peter reveals his position within the Body of Christ–he is a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church of God. Then Peter makes a very important but usually overlooked statement. He states that he is writing to those who “have attained (received) LIKE (THE SAME) PRECIOUS FAITH WITH US (THE APOSTLES). He is saying that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have given all true saints the same faith They gave the apostles. Note the word “attained” relative to the saint’s reception of divinely given faith (without which salvation is impossible–Eph. 2:8). Note also the final Words of verses one and two where Peter states that faith (believing God’s Word–Rom. 10:17) is made available by God and Jesus Christ Who is BOTH the saint’s SAVIOR AND LORD. Before He can be one’s future Savior, He must be one’s present Lord. In order to live the next life WITH HIM one must live this life LIKE HIM. As the Lord tells us in I John 2:6, if we claim to be His we must “walk even as He walked.” In 3:3 John goes on to say that anyone who hopes for eternal life “purifies himself even as He is pure.”

In verse 3 Peter tells us how the above takes place in the believer and what must be the final outcome of these actions. It is through the Godhead’s divine power (Holy Spirit) that the saint receives divine faith to appropriate “all things that pertain to (present) life and GODLINESS” which is necessary for eternal life. And how do we attaint divine faith? Through “KNOWLEDGE OF HIM who has called us to share His glory and virtue.” This knowledge comes only from the Holy Bible. In verse 4 the apostle tells us that we must have the “divine nature” (of the Godhead) which is possible only if we have “escaped the corruption that is in the world.”  Note it again: One must possess GODLINESS and the DIVINE NATURE in this life in order to live with the divine Godhead in the next life. Godliness and the divine nature do not include sin in that sin separates us from the divine God (Isa. 59:2), thereby preventing us from receiving His divine nature/godliness.

Man cannot accomplish this. Only God can do so, and will do so if man will humble himself before Him in total, unconditional surrender to Him. God will not only accomplish this incredible feat, but will also give man the faith necessary to allow Him to accomplish it. In order to appropriate His godliness and divine nature one must totally die to self. Paul voiced this principle when he said, “I die daily” and “I am crucified with Christ.” This was his way of saying that he died to self-will, self-desire and self-power. Jesus Himself admitted, “I can do nothing of Myself,” thereby confirming that His every word, thought and act were given to Him by the Father. It is only through such an attitude that we can become godly and develop the divine nature necessary for salvation. And as Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, only those who exhibit such qualities until the end of their lives can be saved. Knowing what God requires for salvation to be granted, it is easy to understand why He said only a “few” would be saved (Mat. 7:13,14). Is God being unfair? No. If my son had given up his physical life so that men could receive salvation, I would require those men to give up their self lives in order to receive it. L.J.