II Peter part 1

II Peter 

part one

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ(II Pet.3:18)

“Knowledge is power”

> Knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ is eternal life <      (John 17:3)

Chapter one:

1) Faith – of the same kind as “ours” (the Apostles) = true saving faith, grounded in truth.
“The Faith” – once for all delivered to the saints = the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Jude 3).
Faith is the beginning point of the Christian life, it is the foundation upon which Christianity is built; but faith is not all there is to Christianity, it is where we begin to build towards the fullness of Christian maturity and Christ likeness; faith is the first step.
If we desire to grow up into spiritual maturity, then there are additional steps that we must take in order to achieve that goal.
Peter begins this epistle, his last written words to the Church of Jesus Christ, with a comprehensive, and I believe, chronological list of those steps recorded for us.

To begin with we need to establish the fact that everyone has some capacity for faith;
Faith is a natural component of human nature; all people exercise faith every day all day.
Ro.12:3 – God has allotted to each (man) a measure of faith.

This epistle is written specifically to instruct and enable believers to put their faith in the true things of God as taught by the Apostles and as recorded in the Holy Scriptures;
and to avoid the heresies and false teachings that challenge and distort the pure gospel; particularly the problem of the “secret knowledge” cults like the Gnostics of Peter’s day and in our day groups like the Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and so on. It is only through the knowledge of the true that we can recognize and avoid the false.

1b) By the righteousness of our God – our faith is to be in the provision of God’s own personal righteousness on our behalf through the person and work of His Son Jesus Christ and by that righteousness alone.
Ro.1:16-17 – In it (the gospel) is the power of salvation to everyone who believes (everyone who puts their own personal faith in it)...for in it (the gospel of God concerning His Son, vs.1) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
You see then that life and salvation are to be found only in the true Gospel as presented in the Holy Scriptures (vs.2) and that they must be received through faith.
As stated earlier; this is the necessary and first step that we must take in entering into the Christian life.
Furthermore it is a one time event (Heb.6:6) that results in the new birth (I Pet.1:3-5).
Just as it is in the natural realm; a child cannot begin to grow towards maturity until he is born into this world, so it is also in the realm of spiritual life in the eternal family of God.
It is now that our journey of growth toward spiritual maturity can truly begin!
1c) Our God and Savior Jesus Christ – What better or more important doctrinal statement of truth and clarity could Peter possibly have chosen to begin his last declaration of his own personal faith with, than his firm and unequivocal proclamation of the deity of his friend, his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

2) Grace precedes peace – the simple fact is that it is only by God’s grace that peace with God is even available to man. As a consequence of Adam’s sin; in addition to expulsion from the garden, no access to the tree of life and death passing on to all of Adam’s descendents; mankind has been at enmity with God ever since; the fleshly desires of unregenerate men and women, untempered by the influence of the Spirit of God, are in conflict with God and His laws (Ro.8:7-8); mankind as a whole is at war with God. God is the offended party. We as individuals and as a race are incapable of bringing reconciliation to the conflict; we cannot undo what has been done; it is not even in our nature to do so. God must intervene and take it upon Himself to reestablish peace with men. He has done so, as we know, in the person of Jesus Christ (II Cor.5:19).
Ro.5:1-2,8-10 – We have peace with God...we have obtained our entrance into this grace (peace with God) by faith; God demonstrates His own love for us...while we were yet sinners Christ died for us...we shall be saved from the wrath of God...while we were enemies (of God) we were reconciled to God...we shall be saved by His (Christ’s) life.
TREMENDOUS TRUTHS !

Eph.2:1-9 – We were dead (under a death sentence from birth with no way out) in trespasses and sins...we all formerly lived in the lusts of the flesh...we were children of wrath (as the offspring of Adam and according to our own choices and behavior)...but God, because of His great love for us...made us alive together with Christ...by grace you have been saved through faith.

2b) Grace and peace be multiplied to you – how can we receive even more of this blessed grace and peace from God?
Through knowledge!
The knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
How marvelous and exciting to think that God desires to not only add to our blessings but He wants to multiply them!
I Cor.2:9 – but just as it is written,
"THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."

2c) In the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ – This is such a critical concept and unfortunately, it is one that is often overlooked, ignored and even attacked by some individuals within the nominal Church.
The value of knowledge is often overlooked in the sense that credulity (naive, untested, gullible belief) is often portrayed as superior faith;
And experience (emotional, sentimental, shallow and often fleeting) is often overemphasized at the expense of sound teaching;
Many modern preachers are guilty of sensationalism, exaggeration and of pumping up the crowd by making outright false promises based upon erroneous exegesis and just plain old fashioned eisegesis.
The need for knowledge is ignored by way of under emphasizing the need for continued personal bible reading and study by many in church leadership (particularly in certain denominations); accompanied by a general lack of interest for deeper study by a large segment of church members.
And finally, the very idea that one can even hope to understand the deep things of God and of Christ is very often rejected and even attacked by many; in a spirit of pietistic, skeptical, anti- intellectualism; based upon a puerile understanding of passages such as Is.55:8-9 – “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.”
(A careful reading of the text in context reveals that the difference in view is specifically regarding compassion, mercy and forgiveness. If in fact the meaning was that there is no similarity between God’s thoughts and ways with man’s thoughts and ways in all categories {no analogy of being whatsoever} then there could not be any communication at all between them; and we know that this is not the case).

But, what does the scripture say concerning the value and necessity for the continual pursuit of godly knowledge?
II Tim.3:15 – Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

3) Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness – please just let that sink in for a while. God has left nothing undone concerning His provision for your eternal life and for your current needs in order to help you to live a godly life here and now.
How has He done that?
By giving you access to His life giving truth through presenting you the opportunity, ability and assistance to know Him and to know Jesus Christ in truth;
By His divine power, calling, glory and excellence.

4) He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises,

In order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature.

5-9) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence,
In your faith supply moral excellence,
And in your moral excellence, knowledge,
And in your knowledge, self-control,
And in your self-control, perseverance,
And in your perseverance, godliness,
And in your godliness, brotherly kindness,
And in your brotherly kindness, love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,
They render you neither useless nor unfruitful
In the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted,
Having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

These are the eight steps to spiritual maturity.
We will examine them in detail.