A.In our previous lesson, we considered the qualities that every Christian should possess in his or her character from 2Peter 1:1-11.Those qualities are:
1.Faith
2.Moral excellence (virtue)
3.Knowledge
4.Self-control (temperance)
5.Perseverance (patience)
6.Godliness
7.Brotherly kindness
8.Love (charity)
B.Now that we understand the meanings of these qualities, we will consider why every Christian should apply diligence in order to acquire these qualities.
II.TO PARTAKE OF THE DIVINE NATURE
A.Notice in 2Peter 1:4 that God has granted unto us the opportunity to “become partakers of the divine nature.”
1.This divine nature is in contrast to the “corruption that is in the world by lust.”Thus, God has provided a way for us to escape corruption (decay) and become like Him (eternal).
2.This is a tremendous blessing.It is the difference in heaven versus earth, the spirit versus the flesh, or the eternal versus the temporal.
3.In verse 4, we see that He has done this by means of His promises.Verse 3 tells us that the promises are granted and communicated to us by the knowledge of Jesus Christ, by which we can know “everything pertaining to life and godliness.”
4.So, to summarize, God has given us an opportunity to escape corruption and become like Him by telling us what we need to know and do to receive His promises through Christ.
B.Therefore, if we are going to partake of the divine nature, then we must begin building character that is like God’s character while we are still in this temporal world.
1.Verse 5 says, “Now for this very reason also,” which directs us back to verse 4.
2.In other words, because God has given the opportunity to partake of the divine nature, we must diligently seek to add the characteristics of verses 5-7.These are characteristics that are divine in nature, and so we should pursue them.
III.TO BE USEFUL AND FRUITFUL
A.Peter assures us that if we possess the qualities he describes in this passage, we will be “neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2Pet. 1:8).
1.“Useless” describes someone or something that is idle and yields no return because of inactivity.James used this word to describe faith without works in James 2:20.
2.The word “unfruitful” is used in the New Testament to describe persons or things that produce nothing of benefit (Matt. 13:22; Mark 4:19; 1Cor. 14:14; Eph. 5:11; Jude 12).Any effort given toward the unfruitful has been wasted.
3.Peter’s assurance provides comfort to Christians because we desire to be of service to God and to His church.No matter how small our service to God may seem, we are assured that we are useful and fruitful in the eyes of God if we have these godly characteristics.
B.Conversely, Peter implies that if we do not possess the qualities described in this passage, we will be useless and unfruitful.
1.Jesus compared a useless Christian to salt that had lost its taste, saying, “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out” (Luke 14:34).
2.Likewise, Jesus described the fate of an unfruitful Christian, saying, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away…” (John 15:2).
3.Therefore, we see the necessity of having the qualities commanded by Peter for the preservation of our souls.
IV.TO SHOW REMEMBERANCE OF OUR PURIFICATION FROM SINS
A.In 2Peter 1:9, Peter teaches us that if we fail to put on the qualities of Christian character, then we are not properly aware of the purification from sins that we have received.
1.Every Christian should be constantly aware of the terrible price in Christ’s blood that was paid for him.Consider 1Peter 1:17-19.
2.Christians should also be aware of the purpose of that redemption.Consider Titus 2:14.We are purified by God through Christ in order to be useful to God.As we saw before in 2Peter 1:8, we are useful and fruitful if we possess the qualities of 2Peter 1:5-7.
B.Therefore, remembering our purification from sins is more than just a mental exercise.It is an overt, active life of faith that gives evidence of our memory.
V.TO MAKE CERTAIN HIS CALLING AND CHOOSING OF YOU
A.In 2Peter 1:10, Peter reveals to us that God’s calling and choosing (election, KJV) of individuals is made certain by the godly conduct of those individuals.
1.Again, Peter’s words bring comfort to Christians because of the assurance we can have of our calling and election by God.By putting on these godly characteristics, we can have confidence that we are His people.
2.Notice how this confidence is directly linked to a Christian’s conduct: “…for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble” (2Pet. 1:10).As we noticed before, the qualities of Christian character are really the things that we do, and those are the things that keep us from falling from God’s grace.
B.Conversely, we must understand that ungodly conduct will disqualify a person from God’s election.
1.One who fails to “practice these things” has violated the conditions of God’s election.Once he ceases to practice these things, then he will stumble and fall.
2.Peter’s teaching on election is opposite from the false teachings of “unconditional election” from Calvinism.
a.Calvinists teach that God calls and chooses persons without any conditions so that there is nothing that a person can do that will affect God’s choice.They teach that the characteristics described in 2Peter 1:5-7 are evidence of God’s choosing rather than conditions of His choosing.
b.However, 2Peter 1:10 clearly teaches a condition for God’s calling and election.In fact, all of the directions of the New Testament teach beliefs and practices that are necessary to make certain God’s choice of a person.
VI.TO RECEIVE ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST
A.Of course, the ultimate prize and reward for a life lived in service to God is entrance into Christ’s kingdom in His presence forever.
1.Consider the depiction of the judgment scene given by Jesus in Matthew 25.To the righteous, He will say, “Enter into the joy of your master” (v. 21, 23), and, “Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (v. 34).
2.Paul described the driving motivation of his life by saying, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).The prize he was seeking is entrance into heaven (Phil. 1:21-23; 3:20-21).
B.Peter tells us that entrance into the kingdom of Christ is abundantly supplied by practicing the things that he has commanded.
1.Notice that 2Peter 1:11 says, “For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”The way by which this entrance will be supplied is the way of practicing “these things” from verse 10, i.e., practicing the godly characteristics of verses 5-7 through Christ Jesus.
2.Again, Peter inspires confidence in Christians by saying that entrance to the kingdom will be “abundantly supplied.”A Christian who practices godly character does not need to worry about getting to heaven.Christ will provide the way with great abundance.Jesus said Himself, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
