Foundations for Grace

August 26, 2022

It amazes me how I can repeatedly read a Bible passage over many years and still miss a significant portion of what is being said. This morning I was reading 2 Peter 1, where Peter tells us that God has provided everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Here it is in his own words:

“Grace and peace 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 by glory and virtue…

That much I have known for years. God has already given us all we need to live a godly life. He does this through the agency of knowing his Son, Jesus Christ. The more I get to know Jesus, the more power I have to live the life I want to live. He goes a step further however, when he says God has made certain promises to us that enable us to avoid the corruption we see in the world all around us”

“…by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” —II Peter 1:2-4 

Living free of corruption isn’t merely a vain wish, which if what we see in the world were all we had to go by, would seem to be the case. God has promised us that no matter how weak or vulnerable we may feel, his power is enough to hold us steady. What follows is the part that for years didn’t register with me. God has provided, but we must make use of his provision. Holiness isn’t something he just drops in our lap. 

If I want a healthy body, I must eat right, exercise, and avoid habits that are physically destructive. Junk food, tobacco, alcohol, drugs are off limits, while exercise, no matter how distasteful it may seem, is a necessity. In the same way, spiritual health requires certain things of us: 

“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, and to brotherly kindness love.”  (1:5-7)

If I neglect these spiritual disciplines, I cannot expect those “exceeding great and precious promises” to manifest in my life. The “diligence” Peter mentions in v. 5 is what enables us to receive the promises. It’s an educational principle: I cannot expect to do algebra if I haven’t first learned to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Some things are foundational for greater gifts.

Here’s what I hadn’t before noticed: “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” (V.10) He doesn’t say, “You’ll only stumble occasionally.” He says, “You will NEVER stumble.” That’s an enormous claim! “NEVER stumble.” I’ve fallen flat on my face many times, but the good news is, I never have to. When I’ve stumbled, it’s because I haven’t engaged the spiritual disciplines that enable God’s promises to take root in me. So the only question is, “Will I do what is required to allow God to pour his holiness into me?” If I am full of myself, of my wishes, my plans, there will be no room for God’s.

Making room for God’s plans takes us back to what Peter said at the outset. It happens when we make it a priority to know Jesus. I’m working on that, and hope you are, too.