Sanctification in the Word, 2 Peter 1:12-21

Peter is writing to the church at large near the end of his life, in order to shore up the foundations of the church, to strengthen the fortifications of the church, against the assaults by the enemy of the church.  And the enemy always assaults the church in the area of the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God.  The Word of God is always under attack.  It has been so since the beginning of the church, and it is even more so today.  

Back in Peter’s day, the assault of false doctrine took the form of Gnosticism.  Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge.  They professed a knowledge concerning God which came not from scripture, nor from divine revelation, but from a philosophical and experiential viewpoint.  Therefore, in sort of a rebuttal, Peter makes reference repeatedly in this epistle of knowledge, but especially the true knowledge of God which comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

We have a similar situation in the church today, when the truth of God is set aside for the sake of human philosophy, for the sake of science, and for the sake of spiritual experiences.  So we have today in operation in the church at large, a form of Christianity, which seems to reference many of the same terms and names and so forth, yet in effect it denies the authority of the Word of God.

Now Peter has just addressed a list of virtues that he said were to be applied diligently to our faith.  In other words, he gives a list of things that characterize how we are to live as Christians.  And that’s important, because both in his day and in ours, there is a tendency to think that you can have spiritual knowledge of God, and that alone is sufficient.  There is no need to worry about what you do, only about the spiritual realm.  In fact, one of Gnosticisms’s heresies was that you didn’t need to be concerned  about sins of the flesh.  The flesh was separate from the spirit, and so as long as you were spiritually connected to God, you could do anything in the flesh and it didn’t matter.  And I’m afraid that the same attitude is prevalent today as well in some evangelical circles.  The theological term for this type of thinking is called antinomianism. It’s believing that since salvation is by no merit of your own, once you are saved your sin no longer matters, or is even recognized.  It’s just a new twist on an old heresy; Gnosticism.

The fact is, God has decreed that without sanctification, that is the process of becoming holy, becoming like Christ in our behavior and attitudes, no one will see the Lord.  (Hebrews 12:14) But make no mistake, there is a constant battle going on in the Christian’s life between the flesh and the Spirit.  Paul cried out in Romans 7:24 “Who will deliver me from this body of death?”  The answer of course is that Christ delivers us from the body of death through the resurrection.  That is when we are finally, truly free from the body of sin and given a new glorified body without sin.  But in the meantime, while we are still in the body, we are told to crucify the flesh on a daily basis, and walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.

Now in order to walk in the Spirit, we must walk according to the word of God.  To be obedient to God’s word is counter to the natural inclinations of the flesh.  So to yield to the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, means to walk in agreement with the Word of God.  The word of God is our shield against walking after the flesh.  Psalm 119:11 says, “your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

As the old adage goes, “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.” And so Peter follows through on his list of virtues, the virtues of sanctification,  by emphasizing the importance of staying in the word of God.  Sanctification, remember, is the life of a Christian.  It’s the abundant life, the fruitful life of a Christian.  The Christian life is not intended to be an initial spasm followed by chronic inertia which is so characteristic of many so called Christians today.  But it’s to be a progressive, maturing way of life, in which we follow the example set by Christ, becoming more and more like Him in the process.

Concerning this life of sanctification, Jesus said in John 17:17  "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”  So as Peter indicates here, reliance and dependance on the Word of God is necessary for a life of sanctification.

Jesus also said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  That’s the way we live as Christians,  living by the word of God, being obedient to it, walking in it, and trusting in it’s promises, and in the process it keeps us from falling and leads us in the paths of righteousness.

So to Peter’s point, he gives us 7 characterizations of the word of God, which serve to establish us in the truth.  The first characterization is what he calls the remembrance of the word.  In the NASB, Peter uses the word “remind” in vs 12, “reminder” in vs 13, and in vs 15 he says “to call these things to mind.”  In the KJV, it uses the word “remembrance” in all three examples, and that’s the basis for the way I make this first point.  

Notice Peter speaks of his intention to remind them of the truth, and the need for stirring them up by way of reminder, and then being able to bring to remembrance these things after he was gone.  Peter says that he is fully aware that he will soon leave this world.  The Lord had revealed to him that his departure from this life was imminent.   Some of us might think that to know the day of our death would be a curse.  We would rather not know when we’re going to die.  I overheard some one say the other day that they hoped to die in their sleep.  

But on the other hand, what a blessing it was for Peter to know that there was appointed a time for his death, and that the few days he had left were to be used for a divine purpose.  In reality, we all ought to consider our time on earth that way.  None of us know the day or the hour in which we will die.  But one thing we do know, that the Bible says “it is appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment.”  We ought to all live our lives in the full expectation that today might be the last day we are on this earth.  And if we truly lived that way, I believe we would live so much more differently. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom.”

Did you know that if the average life span is 75 years old, that is 27375 days?  Doesn’t sound like a lot, does it? I am now 67 years old.  That means that I have 2920 days left, if I live as long as that standard.  That should motivate us to make sure we use each day wisely.

Now how was Peter going to bring about this reminder, this remembrance to the church, especially after he was dead?  Was his ghost going to come back and haunt the church like Ebenezer Scrooge? I don’t think so.  Peter still speaks today to the church through his epistles.  That’s the means by which he reminds the church of the doctrines of the gospel for ages to come. Peter remembered the teaching of Christ, brought to his mind by the Holy Spirit, and he wrote them down for us that we may be stirred up, that we might know the truth of the gospel, and that at any time we may turn again and again to the scriptures for assurance and remembrance of these essential truths. 

Having the word of God available in our language, at our fingertips, available whenever we need it, is a blessing that we far too often take for granted. The Bible is the actual words of God.  Listen, we can only really come to know God by the word of God. We don’t worship the word, but we worship through the word.  When we come to worship God, we speak to Him, but more importantly, He speaks to us, and He does so by the scriptures.  And implicated in these verses, is the principle that we need to be reminded on a regular basis.  We need to set aside time to study the word,  we need to regularly attend church to be reminded of these eternal truths, and we should endeavor to commit the word of God to memory.  It is the source of life.  As Jesus said, we live by the word of God.

The second characteristic of the Word of God is that of endurance.  The endurance of the Word. Peter relates this principle in vs 15 saying, “And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”  In the providence of God the scriptures have been preserved for us.  Peter’s diligence was in writing it down for that generation and for future generations.  But God has preserved His word down through the ages.  And certainly, the greatest advancement of the gospel came with the invention of the  printing press in the 15th century and then the translation of the Bible into English by William Tyndale in the early 16th century.  It was never the intention of God to have His word in only one archaic language which only a learned few were able to read and translate.  Now today, the word of God is available as never before on the internet, radio, television and every language known to man, and yet unfortunately, it is also under more attack than ever, and is more neglected than ever.

In 1 Peter 1:24 Peter quoting Isaiah says,  “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.”  Some people think that when the Lord returns at His second coming and we are in the glorified kingdom, that there will be no more need for the word of God.  I disagree.  I think that the word of God will continue to have a place of prominence in our worship in heaven.  The scriptures speak of the eternality of the Word.  Psalm 119:89, “Your word, O LORD, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens.”  So the Word of God is not something that was created by Peter when he sat down in AD 67 with a pen and paper.  But it’s eternal and it endures forever.  That means that it’s unchanging, it’s never going to be revoked.  It’s promises are something that will never expire.  We can trust it and count on it.

The third characteristic of the Word that Peter gives is the eyewitnesses of the Word. Vs.16, “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”  There is a pseudo intellectual approach to scripture which tries to say that a lot of the early stories in the Bible, like creation, or the flood, or things like that are actually not literally true historical events, but they are allegories that were passed down verbally from generation to generation. And I don’t have time today to spend a lot of time on apologetics.  In fact, I’m not even going to attempt to defend the Bible.  I believe God can defend the Bible perfectly fine.

Peter though is speaking of the fact that the things which he writes are because he and the other apostles were eyewitnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I’ve noted before that according to civil law, eyewitness testimony is critical to establishing fact.  Someone can be tried and found guilty of murder and put to death on the basis of two or three eyewitnesses.  Paul relates in 1 Cor. 15 that not only did Christ appear  after His resurrection to the 12 apostles, but also to more than 500 witnesses. That’s impossible to refute. And it means that the things of which he writes are facts, they are not clever morality tales.  Peter is writing at a time when many of those people who were eyewitnesses were still alive, and so what he is saying could be corroborated by people who witnessed the risen Savior. 

The fourth characterization is the confirmation of the Word. Not only were the apostles eyewitnesses of the life, death and resurrection, but even more Peter says, he, and we know also James and John, were eyewitnesses of the transfiguration, and witnesses of the voice of God speaking in confirmation of His Son.  Peter says in vs.17 “For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"--and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”  

The transfiguration was important for many reasons.  One obvious reason was that they saw Jesus Christ revealed in His glory as the Son of God. Matt. 17:2 says, “And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” It was as if the cloak of flesh was made transparent so that the glory of God shone forth from Him, which was a bright as the sun.

The apostle John who was present at the transfiguration said in John chapter 1 vs 14,  “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  It’s amazing that John’s gospel identifies Jesus as the Word which was in the beginning with God.  I don’t know how to describe that.  I don’t fully understand it.  But we know that in some way, Jesus was the personification of the Word of God, who existed in the beginning with God, who was fully God, and yet who became flesh and dwelt among us.  And Peter, James and John saw the Word of God manifested in all His glory and heard the voice of God confirming that He was His Son, and with Him He was well pleased.  And of course, the other confirmation of the gospel of Christ is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In raising Jesus from the dead, God confirmed that His life was perfect, His sacrifice was acceptable, and our debt was paid in full.  

The next characteristic is the certainty of the Word.  Peter says, we have the prophetic word made more sure.  The word bebaios in the Greek which is translated as more sure can be defined as stable, fast, firm, sure, trustworthy.  And I believe that what Peter is speaking of here is the certainty of the Word.  It’s not obscure.  It’s not untrustworthy.  It’s not the philosophy of man.  It’s not the wisdom of man.  It’s the wisdom of God.

It’s certainty is found in the fact that it was spoken by the Word made flesh, it was confirmed by God on the mountain, it was confirmed by angels, it was testified to by the apostles, it was witnessed by over 500 people, and I believe there is one other, which is that it was written down.  Jesus refers over and over again in His ministry to “it is written.  It is written.” The fact that God inspired the prophets to write down His word makes it more sure.  It’s something we can cross check against other scriptures.  It’s something we can study, evaluate, meditate on because it’s in written form.  It’s not just a verbal tradition that was passed down and added to.  That’s why the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls was so important.  It verified the fact that the Word of God has remained virtually unchanged for over 2000 years.  So it’s a sure word.

Now in addition to the certainty of the Word, Peter adds another, the illumination of the Word. Vs19  “So we have the prophetic word [made] more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Peter’s illustration there speaks to the illumination of the Word by which we can see truth.  “Pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”

Jesus referred to Himself as the light of the world.  He referred to the gospel as a light set on a hill, which draws people to God. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”  In the prophecy concerning the Messiah found in Isaiah 9:2 it says, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

Salvation is only possible when the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds, and opens the eyes of our hearts to see the light of truth.  Peter says give attention to that light, until the day dawns and the Morning Star, which is a description of Christ, arises in your hearts.   Rev 22:16 says, "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”  Having the illumination of Christ in your heart is the means of salvation, and enables us to understand the scriptures which are the words of life.

Then finally, the seventh characteristic of the Word is the divine origin of the Word.  Peter gives an extremely important statement here regarding the origination of the Word of God. Vs.20 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is [a matter] of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Unfortunately, the word translated as “interpretation” there does not give us the best understanding.  Rather than interpretation, it would be better translated as origination.  He’s not talking about interpreting the scriptures, but the origination of the scriptures. That is, it does not arise out of the prophet.  The prophets did not originate it, it came from God.

The context supports this view because the preceding verse says, “We ought pay attention to the word of God.” Why? Because it doesn’t come from the prophets. And then verse 20 says it comes from God. That’s why we ought to give heed to it. So what we have here is a statement of the origination of Scripture, its divine origination. 

Incidentally, the phrase “moved by”  as in moved by the Holy Spirit, means  to be carried along by some other power.  It was often used in reference to a ship being carried along by the wind.  Inspiration is the breath of God propelling the prophet to write the Word of God by his own hand, in his own words, and even flavored by his own experience and personality, but originating from the Holy Spirit.  They were not moved to write by their own designs or their perceived need, but according to the movement of the Holy Spirit in them.

That should remind us of the statement which Jesus made concerning the Word, which I quoted earlier, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  Our belief is that every word contained in scripture is inspired by God.  And the very words of God are our spiritual food and the means by which we grow  spiritually and are matured spiritually.  And we learned previously  in our study of 1 Peter 2:2 that the goal of our new birth, Peter said, “ like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”

Our sanctification is not possible without feeding upon the Word of God.  It is sufficient for every need. The apostle Paul, who like Peter was nearing the end of his life, wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy, about the importance of staying in the word.  I will close by reading his admonition to Timothy, which I hope you will apply also to yourself.  2 Tim. 3:14-17  “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned [them,]  and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;  so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

The qualities of the divine nature, 2 Peter 1:5-11

There are two extremes in view of salvation or Christianity today.  One is that which is based entirely on works, ceremonies, baptism, membership, rituals, confession, etc., and because of which they have virtually no assurance of their salvation, because they are really never able to achieve righteousness of such a degree that they can feel confident they will attain heaven.

On the opposite end of the spectrum in view of Christianity is that since salvation is all by grace, that is the unmerited favor of God, since you are saved by no exertion of your own, you are kept saved, kept perfect, if you will, through no exertion either, and therefore there is no condemnation, no duty, no sin, no need to ever repent, no confession, and no need for remorse when you sin, because in effect you cannot sin.  You’re on a glory ride to heaven, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

But what neither of those views fail to take into account, is that salvation is not completed when we are justified, but when we are glorified.  If I might be permitted to remind you of what I have said so many times in the past, there are three phases to salvation; justification, sanctification, and glorification.  In the first phase, justification, God graciously credits the righteousness of Christ to my account, and counts my sins against Christ’s account.  So in justification, we are delivered from the penalty of sin. 

And let me make a side note right here. Remember the severity of the judgment of God upon the Israelites who sinned with the golden calf.  Moses called forth the Levites and they took their swords and killed 3000 men because of their immorality in their worship of the calf.  And people today look at God in light of that and feel confused.  Because they are told the God of the New Testament is not like that any more.  God doesn’t punish people now.  God loves everyone just as you are.  And so God doesn’t punish sin anymore.  

But that is simply not what the Bible teaches.  The God of the OT has not changed.  God still hates sin, and has determined that the punishment for sin, even what we might consider a less than mortal sin, is death.  God still requires death for sin, even today.  And if any of you have ever sinned, of which I suspect is more than a few of you, then God has determined that you are condemned to death, both physical and spiritual death.  But the good news of the New Testament is that instead of putting me or you to death, God put Christ Jesus to death in our place, and let us go free.  But not that we might continue to live a life of sin.  But so that we having been set free of sin and death, might live righteous and holy lives for God.

So the first phase, justification, is accomplished by faith in what Christ did for us on the cross, taking our sin upon Himself, and transferring His righteousness unto us, that we might be credited as righteous, and as vs 4 states, become partakers of His divine nature. Now I explained that last week that being partakers of His divine nature means we have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who gives life to our spirit.  Now in Christ we have a new nature.  Having died to sin with Christ, we now live through the Spirit of Christ in us.

So as we live in this new nature, the new nature informed and given birth to by the Holy Spirit, we are to live according to the Spirit, according to this divine nature.  No longer do we live according to the old nature.  Peter said that old nature was corrupted by lusts of the flesh.  That’s not talking just about sexual lusts, but lusts for sinful passions, which could be pride, greed, hatred, etc.  But those things we are to consider ourselves dead to and live for the things of God.

This second phase of our salvation, is living out this new nature which is led by the Holy Spirit, which is born of God, which is called sanctification. In sanctification, we are delivered from the power of sin.  The power that sin had over us, we are no longer subject to.

 We just finished  several weeks going through 1 Peter, the theme of which is sanctification, or holy living, becoming conformed to the image of Christ. The problem with much of modern Christianity today is that we have a warped view of God, and therefore a warped view of Christ.  Many Christians today have taken the commandment of God to have no idols, to make no graven image, and have turned it on it’s head.  What I mean by that is that we have redefined God according to our own image.  The purpose of creation was that God made man in His image, in HIs likeness.  But today we find people making God into our image, according to what we think God should be like.  And so we worship a god we have created in our image, instead of the God who is unchanged from eternity past.  Modern theology  changes God into something we think is acceptable, and that is just a new twist in idolatry.

Peter is saying, in effect, that as partakers in the divine nature, we need to add the qualities of sanctification, that is the process of becoming like God, according to His nature, as informed by the Holy Spirit.  So he says, add to your faith… and then he gives us a list of qualities we are to add.  But I want you to notice, that in effect what he’s saying is add to your justification, sanctification.  Because faith is the means of justification, and this list of qualities is the means of sanctification. Then when we get to vs 11, we see the final stage of our salvation, which is glorification, as Peter says, entry into the eternal kingdom of Christ, that is the glorified realm of Christ that comes after the conclusion of this age when we will be glorified like Him. So in justification we are delivered from the penalty of sin, in sanctification we are delivered from the power of sin, and in glorification we are delivered from the presence of sin.

So let’s consider these things that Peter says we are to add to our faith, the necessary characteristics that we might be sanctified in Christ likeness. Notice first of all, that he says applying all diligence.  Diligence is simply hard work.  The dictionary defines diligence as “careful and persistent work or effort.”  So Peter says to apply these things to your faith with careful and persistent work or effort.  Hardly sounds like an all expense paid Love Boat cruise to heaven to me.  Our new nature needs to be exercised in the flesh, and that takes diligence. Because, let me assure you, these things do not come naturally.  The sin nature comes naturally, this new nature is something that takes diligence to put on.  James says that faith without works is dead. So to our faith we supply diligence.

And the first thing Peter says to be diligent about is to add  virtue.  Some versions render the word as moral excellence.  But I think virtue is a more literal interpretation.  Virtue has in mind being noble minded, integrity, goodness, morality.  I like the idea of noble minded.  I think that is a virtue that is lost in our society today for the most part. Noble mindedness was the ideal of the knights of King Arthur’s court.  But being noble minded today will find you ridiculed for being a goody two shoes, or a religious zealot, or something to that effect.  But a virtue of Christ is that He was virtuous and in Him all righteousness dwelled. His motives were always pure. His standards were always high.  He always exhibited integrity and goodness. And if we are going to be partakers of His divine nature, then we must add virtue to our character.

The second thing we need to add to virtue is knowledge.  Knowledge is simply the true knowledge which is found in the scripture.There is a false knowledge of God which comes from our own imaginations which is based on popular opinion, found in some sections of religion today.  But true knowledge of God only comes from scripture.  As we learn about Christ, we reprogram our mind and heart by the word of God to think and act like He acts. Peter has already talked about true knowledge of God back in vs 2.  It’s the true knowledge of Christ, by which we learn the truth about God, because Jesus is the exact representation of the nature of God, according to Hebrews 1:3.  This goes back to what I was talking about earlier in regards to not redefining God according to our image.  But as we study the word of God, we learn who God is.  Not by debating what we think God is like, or how we feel God should be, but by the knowledge which comes from God’s word. 

Then Peter says add to your knowledge, self control. In Galatians 5:22 the apostle Paul gives self control as a fruit of the Spirit. What that is saying is not that the Spirit gives you self control, but that the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is self control. And I think it’s important to point out that again in some churches today, they are teaching that to be filled with the Holy Spirit you have to lose control.  You have to let go.  And that gives way to all kinds of excesses of the flesh rather than to being filled with the Spirit.  Remember, being filled with the Spirit produces self control.  The Holy Spirit doesn’t produce contortions, losing control of your body so that you are rocking or shaking uncontrollably, or losing control of your mind so that you don’t know what you are saying or start barking like a dog.  The Holy Spirit does not produce uncontrolled laughter that goes on and on and on.  That’s not of the Holy Spirit, that’s of another spirit altogether.  Because the fruit of the Spirit is self control.

 As Paul goes on to say in vs 24,25, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”  I have often said that walking by the Spirit is simply walking according to the word of God.  It’s not about hearing a little voice in your head.  It’s not about having an emotional experience.  It’s simply being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit through the word of God, which is counter to the natural inclination of the flesh.  Therefore Paul says you have to crucify the flesh in order to walk by the Spirit.  And self control is the means of putting to death the lusts of the flesh.

In your self control, Peter says, add perseverance.  Perseverance is simply stick-to-it-iveness. It’s similar to diligence.  An old preacher named Bob Jones once said, “Do right till the stars fall.” That’s perseverance.  He also said “the test of your character is what it takes to stop you.”  Developing a godly character is not a one and done kind of thing, and neither is your sanctification.  It’s daily taking up your cross and following the Lord. Perseverance is getting up when you fall down.  It’s keeping going when you are tired, when you get discouraged.  Satan’s going to keep coming at you.  The world is going to keep spinning round and round and all of the troubles of this world are going to keep coming at you.  Just make up your mind right now you are not going to quit.  Persevere. 

And aptly enough, to perseverance Peter says add godliness.  That’s really what the process of sanctification is all about.  We are being transformed into the image of God, into the likeness of God.  The first creation was corrupted by the deceit of the devil through sin, in the second creation God completes what He started through the atonement of Jesus Christ.  Old things are passed away, and all things become new.  We are being shaped, formed, remolded into the bride of Christ, and as such we better become godly people, reflecting the character of God in our lives.  As cliche as it may sound, becoming godly is really a matter of asking yourself what would Jesus do, or what would Jesus have me to do in every situation.

And once again the tool that God has given us to use is the mirror of the word of God, whereby we can see ourselves in the reflection of Jesus Christ.  Paul said in 2 Cor. 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”   The simplest way to become like Christ is to study the Scripture. Because in Scripture we spend time with the Lord, and in spending time with the Lord we are given the promise that we shall be transformed to be like Him.

There are two more virtues that Peter says we are to add to godliness.  Vs. 7 “and in [your] godliness, brotherly kindness, and in [your] brotherly kindness, love.”  Those of you who have been in church awhile probably know that in the Greek there are a few different words that are usually translated in English as love.  One is eros, which is an erotic love.  One is phileo, which is brotherly love, or familial love, and one is agape, which is a sacrificial love.  It’s interesting here that godliness exhibits both a familial love and a sacricificial love.  And I think that the distinction meant here by Peter is that we are to love the brethren, that is we are to love the church, other believers.  Christ loved the church so much that according to Ephesians 6 He gave His life for her.  And so being transformed to His image, we should love one another, love the church even as Christ did. 

But I think that  agape love is indicated so that we might love not only the church, not only our family, but that we might love the sinner, even as Christ loved the world so much, that He went willingly to the cross to bear their sin. Christ hates sin, but He loves the sinner.  He loves the sinner so much that He came to seek out the lost in order to save them.  He loves the person enslaved to sin so much that He died on the cross to set them free from their captivity.  And so we too must  have compassion for the lost.  So we must have  a love for the sinner so much so that we set aside our pleasures, our prerogatives, our personal fulfillment so that we might win the lost for Christ. 

Now Peter says" if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Notice there that Peter indicates these qualities are not a once and done kind of attribute.  But he says, if these qualities are yours and increasing.  That’s speaking of progressive sanctification. Our godliness should be increasing day by day as we walk by the Spirit.  And though we will never reach perfection this side of heaven, we should in fact be sinning less and becoming more like Christ as we mature in our Christianity.

Furthermore note that Peter ties knowledge with usefulness and fruitfulness in that verse.  Knowledge alone puffs up, Paul tells us.  But knowledge with application produces usefulness and fruitfulness for the Kingdom of God.  They say some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.  I’m not so sure about that saying’s doctrinal stance.  I would never encourage practicality above spirituality.  But on the other hand, having a knowledge of all the doctrines of salvation and never sharing the truth of the gospel with the lost is not the purpose of knowledge. Imagine finding the cure to cancer and not sharing it and watching people die around you without ever sharing the cure.  As Christians we have the knowledge of the  truth which leads from death to life.  How can we not share it?

True knowledge of Christ produces a reproduction of His nature in our lives according to the example of Christ.  As Peter said in his first epistle; “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” 

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me.”  Following Christ’s example is how we are to live now that we are saved.  But if you are lacking these qualities listed here, if you don’t apply them to your life, then Peter says you have forgotten why you were saved, and you are blind to the purpose of your salvation.  Vs 9 “For he who lacks these [qualities] is blind [or] short-sighted, having forgotten [his] purification from his former sins.”  We were purified by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ from the corruption of our sins, so that we might no longer live in sin, but in righteousness.  Never should we abuse the grace of God that we might return to that sin again.  Peter says it was “his former sins.”  Old things have passed away.  We have died to sin, and daily crucify the passions of the flesh so that we don’t return to those sins.  Peter classifies someone who returns to their former sins in the second chapter of this epistle, vs 22 as “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”  We may have been a drunkard, or a fornicator or adulterer, but by the grace of God we are not now.  Those are former sins, and now we live according to the qualities of Christlikeness described here.

Peter concludes in vs 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; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

Peter conjures up that word diligent again, this time saying be all the more diligent.  Take even more pains, make even more effort, to be certain about His calling and choosing you.  You know, a lot of Reformed preachers would spend a month of Sundays on this verse right here talking about the mysteries of election.  I’m just going to repeat what I said a minute ago which sums up election for me.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice and they follow Me.”  If you have heard the call of God, and have been chosen by God, then you will recognize His voice as the Chief Shepherd, and you will follow Him.  The proof of your election and choosing is that you follow Him.  You do what He tells you to do.  You obey HIs voice.  That’s the proof of your salvation.  The mysteries of election, predestination and foreknowledge are the purview of God.  My responsibility and your responsibility is to follow Him. I will trust God with the business of election. 

The key to the progress of our sanctification though is that we practice these qualities, Peter says. “As long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.” They say practice makes perfect.  We are not perfect now, but one day we will be.  In the meantime, we practice the things that Christ showed us by His example.  Back in 1 Peter chapter 2, Peter said “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” 

I’ve explained this before many times, but the word picture that Peter is using there is a type of writing book that had the letters written on the page, and the student would then trace over the lines of the letters.  And so here in 2 Peter, he is referring to the same kind of metaphor, to practice drawing over the examples laid down by Jesus, again and again.  And the more you practice these things, deliberately, diligently practice, purposefully practicing, studying HIs example and then following it, the more we will become like Christ and the more we mortify our old nature.

Then finally, Peter talks about the goal of our salvation, even our sanctification, which is our glorification. Peter says, if we are practicing such things as the qualities listed here, then  “in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”  Now at first glance that looks like it’s saying that the way to enter the kingdom of God is by practicing these qualities until you are perfect, and then you can  be assured of entrance into heaven.  But in homiletics, or the science of Biblical interpretation, the key is to compare scripture with scripture.  And we know from a preponderance of scriptures that works is not the means of righteousness.  I’m sure you are familiar with many such scriptures, but I’ll just give one from Eph. 2:8 for the sake of time, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

So if Peter’s not talking about gaining entrance into heaven by our practicing until we become perfect, then what is he talking about?  I believe he’s talking about our reception in heaven.  I think he’s talking about entering into heaven as a conqueror, to receive the reward of our King. I think it’s coming into heaven hearing the declaration of God, “Well done My good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.” 

There is inherent in this promise the final characteristic of our salvation, when we are glorified, and we receive a new and glorified body.  In that eternal kingdom there will be no more sin, no more sin nature, no more flesh that’s been corrupted by sinful passions.  All things will become new.  Peter even tells us in chapter 3 that there will be new heavens and a new earth.  And we will be forever with the Lord, and the church will rule and reign with Christ as the bride of Christ.

I think that’s what Peter is indicating there in the last sentence, that the glories of the eternal kingdom of God will be richly ministered to you when we reach our glorification.  These glories of the eternal kingdom should be what we are looking forward to.  The coming of Christ and the glorification of the church should be our goal. Keeping our eyes looking upward is what will make walking down here so much more endurable.  And keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and following the pattern laid down by Him will transform our lives to be a reflection of Him to a watching world. 

There’s a scene from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, in which Captain Jack Sparrow is seen coming into port on a ship that is rapidly sinking to the point that he has climbed up the mast and that’s all that is above the water.  And as the mast finally sinks beneath the water, he steps off with his usual bravado onto the dock at the last second.  I’m afraid that’s how a lot of us plan to make it to heaven, by the skin of our teeth, having done just enough to get in, and nothing more.  But while it may be theoretically possible to do that, I believe that the reward of those that were faithful to Christ, that have followed Christ, is much more than worth any loss of the temporal pleasures of this world.

The Bible scholar JB Meyer once said, “There are two ways of entering a port. A ship may come in, waterlogged and crazy, just kept afloat by continual working at the pumps; or it may enter with every sail set, all her flags flying at the mast-head. The latter is what the apostle Peter desires for himself and those who addresses. He desired that an entrance abundant should be ministered unto them.  And we can be certain of that kind of abundant reception into the glories of heaven, if we practice the qualities of Christ set here before us.