2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 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. (2 Peter 1:2-3)
There is a formula in these two verses. The formula includes the call of God plus God's grace plus God's peace plus God's divine power equals a godly life. This formula underscores a progression we see in all relationships: Trust, Testimony and a Task.
What is God's call on our lives? What is His grace and peace? What is His divine power? The answer to these questions is the subject matter of today's blog. So, let's consider the answers to these questions.
What is God's call on our lives? God's call on our lives is the same, yet it has different expressions. The call on all of our lives is that we might know Him and then play a role in the reconnection of fallen man with his creator.
What is God's grace? The grace of God is accessed by receiving the free gift of God's forgiveness through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Grace is so powerful that it produces life and godliness in the believer. When our personal knowledge of God dries up, His grace does not flow in our everyday lives. This does not mean that we lose our salvation, it means that the settling acceptance of God in the life of the believer is limited in his experience. The believer accesses God's infinite reservoir of grace into and through his lives through his knowledge of God.
What is God's peace? There are two parts to God's peace and we cannot know the peace of God until we know the God of peace. Our sinfulness created enmity or hostility between us and God. We gained peace with God when Jesus Christ died on our behalf and we trusted His payment for our sin.
Paul writes in Romans 5:1-2, "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." This peace leads us into a relationship with God wherein we experience His peace.
Peace with God is different than the peace of God. The peace of God is something that fluctuates in the life of the believer. The more we rejoice, pray, trust, obey, give thanks, and present various requests to God, the more the "peace of God" seems to fill our soul. There is a strong correlation between our choices and our peace, or the lack thereof. Sometimes our heart is tranquil. At other times, our emotions are tossing and turning.
What is God's divine power? In 2 Peter 2:19-20, Peter says of the false teachers, "They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first." In other words, if the way of godliness is rejected so is the hope of eternal life. The hope of life and the way of godliness stand or fall together.
When it comes to life and godliness, we must have everything provided for us from outside. Of course, this does not mean we are passive. As Paul says, "Work out your salvation . . . for God is at work in you" (Philippians 2:13). But it does imply that we could never be godly or attain eternal life if we do not rely on God's divine power.
#2 Peter #Discipleship #Divine Nature #A.C.T. Intl
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