#48b- The Source And Description of Our Obedience??
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(English Standard Version)
2Pet 1 - Greeting - Make Your Calling and Election Sure - Christ’s Glory and The Prophetic Word
2Pet 2 - False Prophets and Teachers
2Pet 3 - The Day of The Lord Will Come - Final Words
COMMENTS and QUESTIONS
by J Neil Evans:
Read 2 Peter yourself then …
Watch the Bible Project video 2 Peter
Peter had been with Jesus and seen up close and personal as Jesus demonstrated His Deity in everything He said and did. But Peter also knew what it was like to fall away from Jesus. Remember it was Peter who denied Jesus three times the morning of His crucifixion. Yet Peter became a faithful leader of the first followers of Jesus. It was not Peter’s role as an Apostle that kept him faithful. It was not the satisfaction of the things he did for Jesus and for Jesus’ followers that kept him going strong to the very end of his life. I’m sure I do not know, nor could I really understand, the constant pressures and temptations that surrounded him. But something drew him, empowered him to ever faithful and effective ministry. He shared what some might call the secret in the two letters he wrote to the scattered Jesus- followers he cared for so deeply.
The source of Peter’s strong faithfulness is not a secret but it is often misunderstood. It is natural to think that after his dramatic denials Peter committed himself to work extra hard at never letting it happen again. Reading both of his letters, it easy to think that Peter immersed himself in making sure his behaviors were pleasing to Jesus. It is true that he admonishes his readers to live like Jesus, and did so himself. But obedience is neither the source nor the power of the life he lived and taught. The Bible is unrelenting in it’s declaration and demonstration of what convinces and sustains true and satisfying faithfulness. Our proud human nature says there must be more, but from the opening chapters of Genesis through the end of Revelation the source is the same “GRACE of God”.
Like Paul, Peter sandwiches everything he writes between the simple and profound phrase “Grace to you”. Peter’s letters, in fact the whole Bible, is full of admonitions to Christ-like attitudes and behaviors which are not mere suggestions. But they are not, like we often take them to be, conditions or requirements for receiving God’s Grace. All of the New Testament Epistles contain instructions for our Christ-like behaviors. But they also all begin with descriptions of what the Grace of God has done and continues to do for us. Browse back through them and see for yourself. Remember Peter’s description in the first chapter of his First letter. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
(1Peter 1:3-9)
And now re-read 2 Peter 1:2-4 “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 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…” It is on the basis of these truths that Peter, Paul, James, John, Jude can all challenge God’s people to live like Jesus rather than like the world.
In fact, notice the second half of verse four: “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.”
It is not through our behaviors but through God’s Powerful Grace (and our growing knowledge of it) through which He has promised and granted to us all things we need that we become partakers of Christ’s LIFE. And on the foundation of God’s Powerful Grace to us, Peter continues with the admonition: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love.” (1:5-7) Our Godly behaviors do not earn God’s Grace but are the result of it. This is why Peter and all the other Bible writers can be so bold as to command us to think and behave like Jesus rather than the world. God’s Grace is that amazing and powerful. My experience (and what I observe in others) is that any success at transforming my character is God’s doing and not my own. Yet, ironically my pride tends to seek the credit, glory, and exaltation that belongs entirely to God.
How did Peter know what Jesus accomplished in His life, death and resurrection? How can we know? Peter answers: 1:16 “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 were eyewitnesses of his majesty. :17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” :18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” Peter and the other Apostles and Bible writers saw and heard from Jesus and the Father directly. They didn’t get their information secondhand or “cleverly devised myths”. And then Peter says something amazing: 1:19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, :20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” We hold in our laps Bibles (“Scripture”) that is “more fully confirmed” than even a personal appearance of God. It is not uncommon to hear someone say: “God told me”. That claim has been made many times all down through history, and every time the same question should be asked: “how do we know”? The answer Peter gave is that the written Word is more reliable than any claim of personal revelation. Every claim can be checked against the written text. In fact the reliability of the Bible is absolutely unparalleled. If we cannot trust that the Bible has been accurately preserved for us to read, we cannot trust any ancient writings. There are many websites that address the question of the “reliability of the Bible”. One of them that is easy to understand is: “Is The New Testament Reliable?”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCeOjLQ61vo)
In the second chapter Peter predicted that the Gospel message of Jesus would be altered and denied in many ways, making it all the more important to have the original Good News reliably recorded. One of the distortions involved Jesus’ promise to return to earth. Referring the the written Word Peter reminds us that God has always promised to judge the earth and that the main reason Jesus had not, and has not, returned is because “the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (3:9) This is a good illustration that all questions about the Gospel of Jesus can and should be evaluated using the reliable Bible text.
In closing, Peter reminds us that our basic protection against error and instability is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. (3:18) This takes us back to chapter one and the truth that: “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”. (1:3) Aren’t we glad that we have a consistently reliable source of knowledge about life and godliness.
(English Standard Version)
2Pet 1 - Greeting - Make Your Calling and Election Sure - Christ’s Glory and The Prophetic Word
2Pet 2 - False Prophets and Teachers
2Pet 3 - The Day of The Lord Will Come - Final Words
COMMENTS and QUESTIONS
by J Neil Evans:
Read 2 Peter yourself then …
Watch the Bible Project video 2 Peter
Peter had been with Jesus and seen up close and personal as Jesus demonstrated His Deity in everything He said and did. But Peter also knew what it was like to fall away from Jesus. Remember it was Peter who denied Jesus three times the morning of His crucifixion. Yet Peter became a faithful leader of the first followers of Jesus. It was not Peter’s role as an Apostle that kept him faithful. It was not the satisfaction of the things he did for Jesus and for Jesus’ followers that kept him going strong to the very end of his life. I’m sure I do not know, nor could I really understand, the constant pressures and temptations that surrounded him. But something drew him, empowered him to ever faithful and effective ministry. He shared what some might call the secret in the two letters he wrote to the scattered Jesus- followers he cared for so deeply.
The source of Peter’s strong faithfulness is not a secret but it is often misunderstood. It is natural to think that after his dramatic denials Peter committed himself to work extra hard at never letting it happen again. Reading both of his letters, it easy to think that Peter immersed himself in making sure his behaviors were pleasing to Jesus. It is true that he admonishes his readers to live like Jesus, and did so himself. But obedience is neither the source nor the power of the life he lived and taught. The Bible is unrelenting in it’s declaration and demonstration of what convinces and sustains true and satisfying faithfulness. Our proud human nature says there must be more, but from the opening chapters of Genesis through the end of Revelation the source is the same “GRACE of God”.
Like Paul, Peter sandwiches everything he writes between the simple and profound phrase “Grace to you”. Peter’s letters, in fact the whole Bible, is full of admonitions to Christ-like attitudes and behaviors which are not mere suggestions. But they are not, like we often take them to be, conditions or requirements for receiving God’s Grace. All of the New Testament Epistles contain instructions for our Christ-like behaviors. But they also all begin with descriptions of what the Grace of God has done and continues to do for us. Browse back through them and see for yourself. Remember Peter’s description in the first chapter of his First letter. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."
(1Peter 1:3-9)
And now re-read 2 Peter 1:2-4 “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 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…” It is on the basis of these truths that Peter, Paul, James, John, Jude can all challenge God’s people to live like Jesus rather than like the world.
In fact, notice the second half of verse four: “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.”
It is not through our behaviors but through God’s Powerful Grace (and our growing knowledge of it) through which He has promised and granted to us all things we need that we become partakers of Christ’s LIFE. And on the foundation of God’s Powerful Grace to us, Peter continues with the admonition: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love.” (1:5-7) Our Godly behaviors do not earn God’s Grace but are the result of it. This is why Peter and all the other Bible writers can be so bold as to command us to think and behave like Jesus rather than the world. God’s Grace is that amazing and powerful. My experience (and what I observe in others) is that any success at transforming my character is God’s doing and not my own. Yet, ironically my pride tends to seek the credit, glory, and exaltation that belongs entirely to God.
How did Peter know what Jesus accomplished in His life, death and resurrection? How can we know? Peter answers: 1:16 “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 were eyewitnesses of his majesty. :17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” :18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” Peter and the other Apostles and Bible writers saw and heard from Jesus and the Father directly. They didn’t get their information secondhand or “cleverly devised myths”. And then Peter says something amazing: 1:19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, :20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
:21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” We hold in our laps Bibles (“Scripture”) that is “more fully confirmed” than even a personal appearance of God. It is not uncommon to hear someone say: “God told me”. That claim has been made many times all down through history, and every time the same question should be asked: “how do we know”? The answer Peter gave is that the written Word is more reliable than any claim of personal revelation. Every claim can be checked against the written text. In fact the reliability of the Bible is absolutely unparalleled. If we cannot trust that the Bible has been accurately preserved for us to read, we cannot trust any ancient writings. There are many websites that address the question of the “reliability of the Bible”. One of them that is easy to understand is: “Is The New Testament Reliable?”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCeOjLQ61vo)
In the second chapter Peter predicted that the Gospel message of Jesus would be altered and denied in many ways, making it all the more important to have the original Good News reliably recorded. One of the distortions involved Jesus’ promise to return to earth. Referring the the written Word Peter reminds us that God has always promised to judge the earth and that the main reason Jesus had not, and has not, returned is because “the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (3:9) This is a good illustration that all questions about the Gospel of Jesus can and should be evaluated using the reliable Bible text.
In closing, Peter reminds us that our basic protection against error and instability is to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. (3:18) This takes us back to chapter one and the truth that: “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”. (1:3) Aren’t we glad that we have a consistently reliable source of knowledge about life and godliness.
Check out these LINKS:
Watch Bible Project summary of 2Peter
Read "Bible Words to Ponder" related to this week study
Read "The Gospel"