I want to share something that I would entitle, “Do The Math.” Look at 2 Peter 1:1, the very beginning of the letter by Apostle Peter. It's important that we read the Word for ourselves. Case in point: One of the things that blew my mind when I got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit was when I read in the Scriptures that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Remember? She had a fever, He went to the house and healed her, and she got up and served them. I thought, “How could Peter have a mother-in-law when he was never even married?” Because I had been taught that if you’re going to be a priest, and it’s the same to this day in certain denominations, that you couldn’t be married! You have to take a vow. It’s kind of like being a monk.
A little side note, there is a story I heard about a monk. So there was this guy, and he wanted to be a monk, so he went to the monastery. Part of the rules/law of the monastery was that you had to not only take a vow of poverty, but also one of silence. Additionally, you could only speak two words every seven years. So after his first seven years, he went to the head monk. And the head monk said, “What do you have to say after being here for your first seven years?” He looked at the head monk and said, “Bed’s hard.” He went back about his business for the next seven years, and then came back to the head monk again. The head monk said, “Well, what do you have to say after being here at the monastery for fourteen years?” He looks at the head monk and says, “Food stinks.” He then goes back about his business for another seven years. Twenty-one years go by and he is summoned once again to see the head monk, and the head monk says, “What do you have to say after twenty-one years of being at the monastery?” The monk says, “I quit!” The head monk says, “Well, I’m not surprised since all you’ve done is complain ever since you got here!” That’s my monk story.
Anyway, back to 2 Peter 1:2, “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” What a great title. That struck me when I read it. He doesn’t come in so much under the title, “apostle.” “I’m an apostle; I’m the evangelist. I am the one with the title.” His first title is “bondservant” and then he states “apostle.” That might tell us something about effective apostleship. One of the primary elements is to be a bondservant, at least obviously in the opinion of Peter. “A bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you” (speaking of God’s favor).
We’ve made the point many times in the past, and it bears repeating, grace precedes peace. No grace, no peace. The Apostle Paul used this greeting oftentimes in his letters to individuals or churches: grace and peace. Grace always precedes peace. May it be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God. Are grace and peace going to be multiplied? In the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord as His divine power has given to us “all things”; you’ve heard that many times before. God has given to us “all things” that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. How did He give it to us? How do we experience it? We experience it through the knowledge of Him. The more knowledge we have of Him, the more we are able to experience the “all things” that He has made available to us. The more that we remain ignorant, the less we experience the fullness of His promises.
He said, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Look at verse 5: “But also for this very reason.” What reason? If somebody says, “For this reason, I . . .” Well, you have to know what the preceding portion says if you are going to understand what is about to follow.
The preceding portion points to these facts:
- Because God, through His divine power, has given you all things that pertain to life and godliness
- Because you have been given exceedingly great and precious promises
- Because you are a partaker of the divine nature of God
- Because you have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust
It’s because of all those things! Peter says, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.” We all get in by faith. That was the great Lutheran revelation, right? It is justification by grace through faith. So faith granted us access through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, and His shed blood, and all that’s been accomplished at Calvary and beyond.
Now Peter says that we are to add to our faith, virtue. What is virtue? When you hear that word, what does it conjure up in your mind? There are many different elements in the definition. To be virtuous means to be one who is busy in doing good things, well-doing, goodness, being benevolent, being beneficent, performing acts of kindness and charity. But if you study and research the word a little deeper, it also involves “fortitude” and “courage.” So it isn’t only an attitude of charity and kindness, it is also demonstrating courage and fortitude.
Peter knew that they would need to be courageous. They would need to be busy carrying out the Lord’s work and doing good things, performing charitable acts of kindness, and being virtuous. But they would also, in implementing that element of the Gospel, need to remain courageous and strong.
I’ll continue with this “math lesson” in the next blog. May grace and peace be multiplied to you this day!
~ pg
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