2 Peter 1:3-11
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This scripture for me has always been the most clear and concise explanation of what the Christian “walk” entails. It is clear that we cannot choose God until He has chosen us and revealed Himself by supplying faith…which then enables us to walk in that faith as described above.
We are living in an age of “cheap grace” and secular religious understanding of the Gospel of Christ. Many today think that being a Christian is about a simple prayer and a claim on eternal life…”just in case it’s true”. I don’t believe that is what salvation is really about according to these scriptures. Then there are others who believe that by simply attending a church and doing good works will count them as a Christian and secure eternal life. Again, scriptures are very clear we will not be accepted by God for our good works alone. Without FAITH, it is impossible to please or know God.
In addition to this, faith is not something YOU generate or decide. It is supplied by the spirit of God. It is a calling and election by Him. That is very clear in this passage of scripture above along with many other like scriptures throughout the Bible. If you find yourself “faithless” or of little faith, you need to seek and ask the Holy Spirit to grant you the faith to believe what you can’t prove, then you are to continue in the faith by adding all these attributes in 2 Peter. You are either growing or dying spiritually. Our bodies are obviously dying daily and destined to nothingness, but our spirits are eternal and we will spend that eternity with or without God. The prospects are bad enough in THIS life for people living without faith in God. It will be one thousand times worse living in eternal damnation. You don’t want to go there.
So my questions to anyone according to these scriptures are: Have you heard the call of God’s spirit to salvation and thus yielded your will to His will? If you have not, have you tried to seek Him? His promise is “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). This is the part where YOUR free will comes in. It is perhaps the greatest paradox of the scriptures where God calls us in different ways to various levels to faith, but He still leaves us the freedom to disobey or ignore His calling. He didn’t create robots. The whole of God’s purpose for man rides on combined human reasoning with spiritual regeneration to participate with God in the ongoing evolution of His creation. We participate in His sovereignty by His invitation. The world is evolving to the ends that God has decided…not mankind. We blend our wills with His, or we fight against His will. It is as simple as that.
So what is your calling today? Do you sense destiny in your life that comes by faith, or are you void of any real purpose for your life because you have missed His call. In John 7:37-38 Jesus made this promise. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” “Living water” in the Bible is a metaphor for the spiritual change and salvation Jesus offers and died for. When we submit our wills to Him, He fills us with His Holy Spirit which rewards our faith in things we cannot see with results in our lives that we CAN see. We see results in the goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love Peter is talking about in the introductory passage of scripture. Are you ALIVE in Christ? Do you sense His living waters flowing through you? It is not so much of emotion but of purpose and confidence in faith.
If you are reading or hearing this message, you are being CALLED to action. Religion is not enough. Good works are not enough. Emotions are not enough. Are you willing to submit your life to God and receive such a great salvation and promise of eternal life? It is up to you to receive the faith He wants to impart to you by prayer and submission of YOUR will. Open your heart and mind to these truths and receive faith. Ask and it shall be given. Your eternal future depends on it.