“…dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. DO THESE THINGS, and YOU WILL NEVER FALL AWAY. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should KEEP ON REMINDING YOU as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life…” (2 Pet. 1:10-14) Earlier, Peter warned believers that living WITHOUT the Christlike qualities listed in verse 5 through 7 makes us INEFFECTIVE and UNPRODUCTIVE in our knowledge of Jesus.
These qualities are FAITH, VIRTUE, KNOWLEDGE, SELF-CONTROL, PERSEVERANCE, GODLINESS, BROTHERLY KINDNESS, AND LOVE. It’s important to understand what Peter is NOT SAYING here. In no sense is Peter indicating that eternal salvation is based only on our behavior. Along with the rest of the New Testament authors, Peter has already been very clear that FORGIVENESS OF SIN IS THE GIFT OF GRACE.
Those who negatively criticize our faith often suggest that we believe things that are NOT HISTORICAL CORRECT. Things “constructed” by humankind to meet one or another of our “felt” needs. Peter explains, “…we did not follow CUNNINGLY DEVISED FABLES when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” (2 Pet. 1:16)
Peter begins this brief letter to Christians by reminding them they are not missing anything they need to lead the good and godly lives they are called to. They must work, then, to add to their faith the goodness and qualities of Jesus. This requires effort, unlike eternal salvation which is not based on our work. Those who lack these positive attributes will live as UNPRODUCTIVE and INEFFECTIVE servants of God, nearly as blind as unbelievers and forgetting that their sins are forgiven. Peter, near death, insists that his eyewitness testimony about the transfiguration confirms that the prophecies about the Messiah ARE TRUE. Jesus IS coming back.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham