Movement from My Nature to His
1 and 2 Peter • Sermon • Submitted
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As we have looked to "partake of the divine nature" what does Peter see as our role in that process
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude A. Opening Sermon (1:3–11)
We do not automatically become more virtuous as if God infused virtue into us intravenously; we need to make plans and expend effort
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude A. Opening Sermon (1:3–11)
We do not automatically become more virtuous as if God infused virtue into us intravenously; we need to make plans and expend effort
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude A. Opening Sermon (1:3–11)
that is, because of what has been done for the readers (escape from corruption) is being done for them (participation in the divine nature) and will be done for them (those promises that are yet to be fulfilled, to which our author will come in 1:11), they are to grow in virtue
Faith is the foundation from which we build
Read
22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 “For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. 30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.”
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
Diligence or effort is the force on all (6) of these virtues. Each of these virtues are attained by hard work, struggle and intentionality. But this effort is not outside of cooperation with the Holy Spirit
1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—
We have previously talked about faith, but it is worth mentioning again that the virtues are of little worth outside of the Faith we place in God and Jesus Christ
Peter asks us to “Supply”. ESV says “supplement,” NIV and KJV render “add to”
Movement from one to the next...
Faith -> Moral Excellence
Moral excellence -> Knowledge
Read Acts
Knowledge ->Self-Control
Self-Control -> Perserverence
Perseverance -> Godliness
Godliness -> Brotherly Kindness
Brotherly Kindness -> Love
Moral Excellence - is moral uprightness, blamelessness, goodness
not stealing, not murdering, not bearing false witness, not committing adultery, not being greedy, not being gluttonous (add some more*)
These are things we need to decide to be
Knowledge - understanding of Christ and God, His purposes, character, revealed will, etc.
Self-Control - enablement to control one’s own person (my drives, emotions, personality whims, likes/dislikes) volitionally
this is the practice and success of denying yourself
There is cake, I can easily not eat it - > I am angry, I don’t have to say something unkind or respond aggressively - > I am alone with a significant other, I don’t have to go there.
Perseverance - consistent practice of the three things before
Godliness - becoming consistent in persevering in the three other things
Brotherly Love - applying the those things to the breathern
Love - applying those things to everyone
2 Peter 1:8-9
8 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. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
The increase of these things in your life makes you useful and fruitful in the true knowledge of Christ
Not having these things or them not increasing makes one blind at worst or near sighted at best. (Idea is not to see what is ahead very well or at all). He also says that this makes one as having “forgotten” purification from former sins
the idea would be that one has no concept of what you were saved for
8 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.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude A. Opening Sermon (1:3–11)
That is, in the act of Christian initiation, by which we mean that complex of repentance from our past independence of God (including our specific acts of rebellion), commitment to Christ as Lord, the expression of this commitment in baptism, and God’s sealing of this commitment through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the sins of our pre-Christian life are forgiven. (For the initial readers of this letter our author assumes a pagan pre-Christian life.) This is a benefit that we should be grateful for, and out of this gratitude arises the desire to grow to be more like the one who cleansed us. If we neglect this growth and instead turn back to our former lives, then we have forgotten what was done for us and are, so the speak, slapping our divine patron in the face (cf. Paul’s expression of this idea in Rom 6:1–14; 1 Cor 6:9–11).
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
Addressing the idea of why we need to affirm our calling
Diligence
Addressing the idea of why we need to affirm our calling and why “practice” is necessary
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude A. Opening Sermon (1:3–11)
While in other places in the NT God is said to make the Christian steadfast or firm (1 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 1:21), here the Christian is to confirm his or her own calling and election. The way that this is done is through growing in virtue. In other words, this passages states “that the ethical fruits of Christian faith are objectively necessary for the attainment of final salvation.”
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Another helpful observation about the same thing
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letters of 2 Peter and Jude A. Opening Sermon (1:3–11)
This teaching may sit uncomfortably with some people’s theology, but it is the other side of the coin that has on one side that God makes us firm and on this side that we make our own salvation firm. And it is our side of the coin that the believers 2 Peter addresses need to hear, for they have among them some who think that their salvation is firm enough without their pursuing any of the virtues that our author recommends.
There is need to “make certain” the calling and choosing
James addresses this idea by saying that there is a difference in a real faith (or saving faith) and a dead faith - a faith that is not unto salvation)
stumbling is warned against. The metaphor is walking with God through this life, with his help enabling us to travail whatever path we come to
Stumbling (God is the one who keeps us from stumbling on the path to life) without Him we inevitably will
(NASB95)
13 For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.
13 For You have delivered my soul from death,
Indeed my feet from stumbling,
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
So that I may walk before God
In the light of the living.
Check out 2:17, 20, 22, 24 below
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
stumbling is warned against. The metaphor is walking with God through this life, with his help enabling us to travail whatever path we come to
Stumbling (God is the one who keeps us from stumbling on the path to life) without Him we inevitably will
13 For You have delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Who is allowed into God’s Kingdom. His faithful servants. There is no question what they are about or what they are looking forward to. There is no hint of “depart from me for I never knew you () That is his plan - and it is despite the exceptions which showcase God’s immense grace (Samson, Thief on the Cross, etc.)
“Both Jesus and Hebrews affirmed that only those whose lives are characterized by moral purity and practical holiness will “see” God. The vision of God must not be limited to the future eschatological vision (). To “see” the Lord is a common biblical figure meaning to encounter, experience and enjoy God and his salvation in this life. (; ; ; ; ).” Demarest, Cross and Salvationpg. 420