Sunday, January 7, 2018

Encouragement From Peter

It appears that second Peter was written from
Rome toward the end of Nero's reign in 66 AD.
It was toward the end of Peter's life.
See 2 Peter 1:14

Peter's big concern is that Christians had gotten
sloppy in how they were living their lives, their
character, and so he calls them to repent and go
a new way. But before he does that in verses 5-8,
he gives the reasons why it is possible to live
those verses.
(See the list below)

"Grace...be multiplied to you in the knowledge 
of God and of Jesus our Lord. as His divine 
power has given to us all things that pertain to 
life and godliness through the knowledge of 
Him who called us to glory and virtue.
2 Peter 1:2,3

Peter starts with grace, knowledge of God, and
divine power to live the Christian life. He then
says:

"by which have been given to us exceedingly 
great and precious promises, that through 
these you may be partakers of the divine 
nature..." 2 Peter 1:4

Divine nature? Partakers? Exceedingly great pro-
mises? Peter is saying that we have everything
we need inside in order to live a victorious Chris-
tian life. He wants us to know the grace that is
multiplied to us through the knowledge of our
Lord. He wants us to grasp through faith that we
have exceedingly great and precious promises,
and that we have access to His divine nature.

Reader, the 'oughts' that are given by Peter in
verses five through eight have been held up to
me as something I must attain and must keep
attaining all of my life. All it did was to make
me feel unworthy of Him and it burdened me be-
yond belief.  No one, not one person, called my
attention to the verses that led into the list of vir-
tues. These verses clearly tell us that it is by faith
in God's great promises, and it is by entering into
what we all ready have--His divine nature--that
we can live out the verses below.

But also for this very reason, giving all 
diligence, add 
to your faith virtue
to virtue knowledge,
to knowledge self control,
to self-control perseverance,
to perseverance godliness,
to godliness, brotherly kindness,
to brotherly kindness love. 

For if these things are yours and abound, 
you will be neither barren 
nor unfruitful 
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1: 5-8






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