Daily Devotional Saturday 16th October 2021

by William Moody

2 Peter 1

Greeting

1:1 Simeon1 Peter, a servant2 and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirm Your Calling and Election

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to3 his own glory and excellence,4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,5 and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities6 are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,7 be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 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.

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body,8 to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,9 with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Footnotes

[1] 1:1 Some manuscripts Simon
[2] 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
[3] 1:3 Or by
[4] 1:3 Or virtue
[5] 1:5 Or excellence; twice in this verse
[6] 1:8 Greek these things; also verses 9, 10, 12
[7] 1:10 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
[8] 1:13 Greek tent; also verse 14
[9] 1:17 Or my Son, my (or the) Beloved

(ESV)

Peter’s great passion here is to see godliness in the life of these Christians (v3). He encourages us that all that is needed for godliness has been provided by God and here he mentions four crucial things.

  1. knowledge of God (v3). It is knowing God and being in a relationship with God through Jesus that transforms our lives. Peter later speaks of being an eyewitness of ‘His majesty’ (v17). It is what scripture reveals about Jesus that leads to a radically new life in regards faith and behaviour.
  2. the promises of God (v4a) are a tremendous encouragement and strength in living a life of godliness. Peter speaks of believers today being in a better position than the Old Testament prophets in regards their certainty of God’s promises because of what Jesus has revealed and fulfilled (v16-21).
  3. sharing in the divine nature (v4b) is one of the most amazing things about being a Christian. We’re born again, we’re a new creation, the nature of Christ has entered us. It is this truth that leads to godliness.
  4. a description of godliness (v5-7). Take time to read about these qualities and pray for each of them to grow in your life through Christ’s grace.
Scripture quotations 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.