07/10/19 ONE FOLLOWS THE OTHER

07/10/19 ONE FOLLOWS THE OTHER

God's grace is always sufficient.
But if our acquisition of grace fails, blindness and corruption enters and our election is unsure.

NOTES ON THIS POST...This passage addresses the importance of growth in grace for the believer and points out that failure to grow in grace eventuates in the loss of spiritual sight, due to a deliberate choice not to remember their personal cleansing from previous sins.

This is a short overview of the passage.

(vs. 3) Through our knowledge of God, He has given us EVERYTHING that pertains to life and GODLINESS,

(vs. 4) Through His grace, He has given us great and precious PROMISES, which imparts Divine nature to us, along with DELIVERANCE from lustful corruption.

(vss.5-7) In these verses, God gives us a list of Divine graces (virtues, attributes), which WE MUST ADD to our new life in Christ. This is a great list, but it is not the focus of this post.

(vs. 8) God promises that the person who DILIGENTLY ADDS these graces (virtues, attributes) will be SAVED FROM SPIRITUAL BARRENNESS, by the power of the life giving, light imparting, knowledge of Christ.

(vs. 9) However, those who lack these graces (virtues, attributes) is blind because of DELIBERATELY REJECTING salvation's cleansing from sin and it shuts out light. The Greek word is literally, "HAVING TAKEN FORGETFULNESS." In 2 Timothy 2:5 Paul said that he, "HAD TAKEN REMEMBRANCE..." We can LAY HOLD of that which we know or we can LET GO of that which we know. In this passage, God said, through Peter, that those who LACK these things (because of refusing to add them) is blind (short sighted) because he is closing out the light (Greek indicates squinting to close out light). DON'T SQUINT OUT THE LIGHT OF GOD.

(vs. 10) Rather than deliberately choosing to disassociate the cleansing salvation of Christ, the believer is encouraged to make his calling and election certain. IF A BELIEVER DELIBERATELY ADDS these graces, (virtues, attributes) to his life, he WILL NEVER FALL in his relationship with God. The failure to add these graces (virtues, attributes) results in our falling.

(vs. 11) In fact, those who deliberately and diligently add these virtues to His life will have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of Christ.

2 Peter 1:3-11
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.