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February 26, 2023
Seeing Into The Eternal Kingdom

In 1 Peter, one of Peter’s main themes was that heavenly hope equips the church for endurance. This morning we are going to see that heavenly hope drives the churches to holiness. ¶ As we leave here today, we will be more equipped for holiness if we apply the words God wrote to the Church through Peter.

The title of the sermon is "Seeing Into The Eternal Kingdom."
I. Believers’ resources 1:3-4
II. Believers’ needs 1:5-9
III. Believers’ potential 1:10-11 (adapted from Constable)

We are going to see, this morning, a typical sounding greeting in this NT letter. But I agree with Moo: "We make a big mistake to skip over these [introductory] verses as if they were a mere formality. They set the tone for what follows by mentioning some of the foundational experiences that the writer and readers share in common. (Moo, p 37).

• 1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
• Hebrew name of Simeon = (another spelling of) Simon = harkening = respectful listening
• Greek name of Peter = rock or stone
• servant - doulos = slave (The same tile was used of Moses and David, et al.)
• We can do no better for ourselves than to become the slave of God.
• To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

• But the full membership of Gentiles into the new covenant people of God-and the terms on which they would be accepted-was the biggest theological issue the early Christians faced (see, for instance, the book of Galatians). When Peter, therefore, briefly reminds his Gentile readers that they enjoy “a faith as precious” as that of Jewish Christians, he is touching on a matter that most of us assume but which was of recent and overwhelming significance for him and his readers. And we should not forget that it was Peter himself whom God used to bring about this full inclusion of Gentiles. God sent Peter a vision to help him understand that Gentiles could not be excluded, and God used Peter to bring to faith the first Gentile convert (Acts 10). And it was Peter, with his impeccable Jewish credentials, who spoke out decisively in favor of allowing Gentiles to enter the new covenant on the basis of faith alone (15:7-11). We can better appreciate the phrase “to those who… have received a faith as precious as ours” when we hear the echoes of this struggle in the background. (Moo, p 37 f)

• obtained = to lot, i.e. determine (by implication, receive) especially by lot: his lot be, cast lots, obtain (Strong; cf. et al.)
• “equal standing with our”
• “by” is the how = righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus (Heb.= Joshua = God saves, delivers) Christ (The Anointed One)
• 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
• grace
• peace = #1 the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; #2 peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord
• Peter greeting wishes more and more of these two attributes to his audience.
• But how is it multiplied? Look at the preposition: “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
  • “Knowledge” being in the greeting is unique to 2 Peter. (Moo, p 36)
  • Peter uses knowledge as the book ends of his letter. >> Check out verse 3:18 quickly.
  • In the ESV, 2 Peter has words translated “knowledge” more than any book in the NT—save 1 Corinthians (which is 5x the size in chapter count).¹
  • It is important to say here too, that “knowledge” involves relationship. (Moo, p 36).

  • For Peter, in other words, “growing in knowledge” is a key idea in this letter. In the Bible, “knowing” is a very personal activity. The Old Testament writers use the word to describe intimate relations between one person and another, including sexual relations. The New Testament also uses the word this way, as when Paul asserts that “Jesus knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, when Peter begins his letter by referring to “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,” he is saying that the readers of the letter will only enjoy “grace and peace in abundance” as they grow in their relationship to God and to Jesus. (Moo, p 38)

I. Believers’ resources 1:3-4

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness,

• Here Peter explains that God’s power–His perfect and divine power–His power not man-power–
• This “power” we get here from God is the Greek word dynamis … where we get our English word “dynamite.”
• God’s power created a universe with nothing.
• His power > granted us all things regarding two additional things: life and godliness.
  • Life
  • Godliness
• This power is given but is measured by something into our lives
• look at 3b through the knowledge of him
  • Chambers wrote, “The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control.” (Feb. 10)
  • The preposition “through” is telling: we only receive this power through knowledge.
  • The words of the Bible is much of God’s conversations toward us. His word communicates His plan of salvation, what is important to Him and should be to us , our future with the saints.

CAUTION HERE:

• But knowledge of God speaks to more than academia.
• There is a word for Christians that fall into the trap of worshiping the words of God instead of God. It’s bibliolatry, a form of idolatry.
• BUT THE WORDS OF GOD ARE MEANT TO CULTIVATE A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD OF GOD, JESUS.
• ILLUSTRATION: Some Jews held that the Law itself, what God said, was their savior. The words of God became god to them.

WE HAVE TO GET TO KNOW GOD-INTIMATELY

• Turn to Colossians 2:1-3, For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
• In other words, we receive knowledge as we grow in relationship to God.
• As we grow in relationship to Christ we receive equipping for godliness that Peter speaks of.
• So our power to change from lifestyles of the flesh is tied directly to our willingness to grow in our intimacy with God.
• who called us to his own glory and excellence,
  • God has not called us to some higher humanistic thinking. >
  • He has called us to His own excellence.
  • He called everyone of us believers.
• 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises,
  • “by” prep. = through
  • It gives glory and shows His excellence as He has granted promises to us.
  • These promises are modified by two words: “precious” and “great” (great is too modified by “very”)
  • Promises are always of the future!
  • These are guarantees but the nature of which must be apprehended through faith here.
  • If we do so there is great pay off.
• so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,
  • Moo wrote that “Peter’s language in this praise is strong and controversial. ‘Divine nature’ has a mystical or pantheistic ring to it—in Peter’s day and in ours.” (Moo, p 43)
  • We are made in the God’s image, so one could say, " We are made in the Divine image.
  • The Bible teaches that we are to have the mind of Divine Christ.
  • The Divine is in us, and one day we shall be released from the prison of our flesh to then live in the power of the Divine.
  • We look like God because of God.
  • Where’s the problem?
• having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
  • all sin is rooted in base desires.
  • the Bible always speaks to sin as have a source–a root.
  • having escaped = past tense = God wants us to put this way of life behind us.
  • What’s going on with us is us.
  • We always want to blame our sin our others.
  • Bible: my sin is my problem.

  • The Bible makes clear that our ultimate separation from “corruption (phthora) will come only with the resurrection of the body. Peter uses the word in this eschatological sense in 2 Peter 2:10, and this may be what he means by the phrase “escape the corruption in the world.”[9] But the reference to evil desires at the end of the verse, along with Peter’s focus on godliness in this passage, suggests rather that escaping corruption has to do with the renouncing of sin in this life.[10] Note that Peter also uses phthora with this moral sense (2:20) I think, then, that Peter sees our participation in the divine nature as consisting especially in the new ability to resist sin through our union with Christ and the indwelling of the Spirit.”[11] (Moo, p 44)²

ILLUSTRATION

APPLICATION

• Knowledge must come first in Christians’ lives. Without proper understanding, we cannot know the way forward in the things of God.
• Here again, we see that we are to be driven by God’s promises. - Peter has not given up on the Christian virtue of Hope.
• The first thing to know is that God has equipped us with everything we need to live a godly life.

TRANSITION

• Now that we have seen the believer’s resources, let’s now look at the believers’ needs.

II. Believers’ needs 1:5-9

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,

• “For this very reason,” because of the escape.
• “make every effort to supplement” = “to bring in besides” (Thayer) / to add to
  • supplement in the aorist

  • It is by faith alone that we are saved through grace, but this saving faith does not continue by itself (Eph. 2:8-10). Peter’s chain of eight virtues (vv. 5-7) starts with faith and ends in love. (The Expositor’s …, p 269)³

  • Ephesians 2:8-10, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
  • Although some are specific to the individual, most of these good works are common to all Christians.
• and virtue [moral excellence, modesty, and purity] with knowledge,
• 6 and knowledge with self-control, [control yourself]
• and self-control with steadfastness, [or endurance]
• and steadfastness with godliness, [reverence towards God]
  • Holiness = godliness
  • I. Howard Marshall wrote, “Let us remember that holiness affects not only our personal relationship to God but all of our relationships. It affects all you do bracket (literally “your conduct”)…” (p 53)
  • “In the words of nineteenth-century Scottish theologian John Brown, ‘Holiness does not consist in mystic speculations, enthusiastic fervours, or uncommanded austerities; it consists in thinking as God thinks, and willing as God wills.’” (Bridges, p 32)
• 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, [philadelphia]
• and brotherly affection with love. [philadelphia w/ agapē]
• [love is where you find the end of self. Here we see two loves combined as the finish work of the Spirit with our tenacious participation.]
  • true love is completely selfless
  • willing to submit to God
  • willing to put others first.

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ILLUSTRATION

• Travel list

• Peter has given the travel list.

• We are traveling everyday.

• 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind,

• Metaphor: Blind Christians everywhere.

• The cause of blindness: having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

  • Is the problem that this Christian forgot that Christ died for him? No!
  • Forgetting that God forgave you is a driver of godless behavior.
  • Ephesians 4:32, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
  • We cannot show love because we become the ungrateful servant who keeps a record of wrongs all the while taking for granted the forgiveness the Lord provides—DAILY!
  • We cannot love someone properly because we will not forgive as Christ forgave us.
  • Humanistic forgiveness = I throw it back in your face when I need to re-weaponize it for my fleshly gain.
  • Self-righteousness
  • Taking the Lord for granted.

• What does it take to overcome this evil? Look at the application in v. 10. Look at the believer’s potential.

III. Believers’ potential 1:10-11

10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election,

• more diligent = to hasten, make haste; to exert oneself, endeavor (Thayer)
• to “confirm” your calling = stable, fast, firm; metaph. sure, trusty
• We have been called to love, when we make the call more real.
• What God said has become what we do! Not say!
• Look at the result: for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. COMMENT
• virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.
• No tripping >>>
  • never fall = literally to stumble or fall, to err, = make a mistake, to sin. The Greeks also used the word to mean to fall into misery or to become wretched.
• If we adhere we not only to not suffer the negative put look at the positive in verse 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• For = conjunction > no negative just positive
• In this way
• It’s not guaranteed. We have to be diligent = make haste; exert our self, endeavor for it!

Notes

¹ See here for the “knowledge” search and count used. Also, Peter uses two Greek words translated “knowledge,” epignōsis and gnōsis.

² Moo cited, Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter, 183 [9]; Mayor, The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter, 88 [10]; and wrote “See the “Bridging Contexts” and Contemporary Significance” sections [of his book] [11].

³ The The Expositor’s Bible Commentary cited, (cf. 1 Tim. 1:5; Ignatius To the Ephesians 14.1: “Faith is the beginning and love is the end”).

Works Cited

Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to access the works cited web-page for this document, save those marked as “Notes” or “Other Works Cited”–if any. Most of these cited works correspond to the verses they are outlined with. In the case of general background information and references, one will find cited material with the Bible books the citations are associated with. ¶ Furthermore, all numbered notes that are URL linked are retained numbered notes from Thomas Constable’s, “Dr. Constable’s Expository (Bible Study) Notes.” These links are preserved “as is” at the time of this work’s formation and sometimes include other citation information from Constable.

Other Works Cited

Bridges, Jeff. The Pursuit of Holiness. Navpress, 2006.

Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost For His Highest. Online and updated ver., utmost.org, 2022.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 12, ed. Frank Gaebelein, et al., Zondervan, 1981.

Marshall, I. Howard. 1 Peter. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Ed. Grant Osborne, et al., InterVarsity Press, 1991.

Moo, Douglas. 2 Peter, Jude. “The NIV Application Commentary,” ed. Terry Muck, et al., Zondervan, 1996.

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