We commenced discussing 2 Peter 1 last week, which talked about divine power given to the people that believed in Christ, so that we can live eternally and to have a godly life which will work effectively through our introduction to God. In other words, God’s purpose to provide His power and to work inside us is that we can attain eternal life and to have a godly life. Where do we get this? We get this from divine power that encouraged us.
Today we will talk about verse 5 – 11, especially from verse 5 – 7 that give order that begins “For this very reason, make every effort”. This is the command based on the previous verses, especially verse 3 & 4, not the command that we must work. Verse 3 & 4 already provide us with the source of divine power and facilitated us with the introduction to God through His promises so that we can attain eternal life and to have a godly life. All of this is what God has worked for us, He has given us His divine power, He has given His promises, so that we know Him, so that we can live a godly life, the life that pleases God and to attain eternal life. “For this very reason, make every effort.” This is an important principle in the New Testament, that God has given His divine power for us to live a godly life, so we must fight to live a godly life. We serve God because God already served us and continuously working inside us and through us so that we can serve God and to serve one another. We serve based on our strength that God provided to us. For this very reason, we attempted to fight to serve what God wills us to do and to live according to God. Do not overturn it, as this gospel is not the gospel. Many Christians believe that God helps those who helped themselves, but this is not the gospel, and this sentence contradicts Christian gospel. Why contradict? God helps those who helped themselves, therefore where did this begin from? Ourselves. Why God helped us? Because we helped ourselves, because we fight and make effort that God helped us. No, on the contrary, we need to say like Paul said, that I work out my salvation because God has worked inside me, whether through will, deed according to His willingness. Therefore, it begins from God, and God also works inside us, so His grace and salvation given to us will work and revive that salvation and to obey God. This is a crucial difference that we need to understand, for example, the marriage. We also really need to understand the basic difference, not only outside but also inside our deepest soul, this is the reformed theology.
Verse 5 – 7 pictured what we need to work with, after experiencing the grace of God, the power of God and promises of God to us. Therefore, we need to make real effort. It begins with faith and it ends with love, which is the principle of a New Testament. This is because love is the result of the true faith that has been based on the God’s promises. We also cannot keep ourselves on status quo, that we are the same from before to now, that our lives have been like this, that we are fine at our current situation. God’s word encourages us to keep moving in our faith. We also need to increase our knowledge on our faith from everything that we learned. We as Christians are not allowed to stop and we need to keep continuing in every aspect from the faith that God provided to us.
There is a book called “Glenda’s Long Swim” that has been based on the true story. The moral of the story is Christians that are floating, they will not remain idle at the same place. Because there are powerful world currents that will either push or pull us far away from God’s word and far away from God’s will. Christians who are idle and at status quo, who thinks they can stay at their place need to know that there is no static place because we live in a world that is not static. Should we have not seriously attempted to add a benevolence to our faith, our knowledge, our self-control, our perseverance, our godly life, and our love, that we will fall far behind God’s will. Verse 8 and 9 provided us with the crucial contrast, between those people who are attempting seriously with those people who are idle and status quo. Verse 10 explained the dangerous of Christians being idle and not moving forward. That’s why, this verse explained “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.”.
The warning is that if you are not moving and not maturing or struggling to do God’s will and not maturing in God’s faith, it will be dangerous for you, that you will be excluded from God’s chosen people. If we are God’s chosen people, that God will care us and protect us. Should you remain stuck and not attempting to move forward, then you are in danger. Therefore, should you read and hear the word of God, that you will be moved and you ask for God’s forgiveness, like Charles Spurgeon asked for God’s forgiveness. God will then move us, help us and lead us to keep moving forward in our faith so that we can became called and chosen.
