Daily Bread 2011 - 2 Peter 1
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
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. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
What Does This Mean?
In the first verses of 2 Peter, the author claims to be the apostle Peter. There are not many examples of external evidence (early church fathers) who cite the apostle Peter as the author. 2 Peter struggled to gain acceptance into the New Testament canon (books that make up the final version of the New Testament), but by and large was accepted by the Church to make the final canon because of the internal evidence that Peter was the author. Many felt that the author used Peter’s name as a pseudo writer, but the style of the writing is so different from 1 Peter, than many doubt it was the apostle but probably one of his disciples.
Nonetheless, 2 Peter urges us to make our calling and election more sure and emphasizes how important knowledge is to be able to recognize false teaching. By that time false teachers had started to infiltrate (depending on authorship which changes the dating of the book) the Church. In this short book the word “knowledge is used” 16 times. The book is written to believers everywhere in the early church and for them to grow in their holiness and character (sanctification).
What Does This Mean For Us?
The author starts with the fact that we have been given everything we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Through participation and belief in God’s promises, we can grow in that grace and knowledge and participate in the Divine Nature. This is not to be confused with the Gnostic heresy that we become like “little gods”. The heresy of Gnosticism denied the flesh, and set up a dualism where the flesh was bad and the spirit was good. Therefore we needed to deny the body, and connect with spirit we can become our own god.
The difference in Christianity is that when we are born again, we are born of the Spirit and become part of God’s family. We are new creation in Christ, but we are not God. We have the ability to become more Christ-like, as we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus. Of course this is not head knowledge only, but transformation of our attitudes, behaviors and in our relationships in empowered by the Holy Spirit who lives in us. This is the sense in which participation in these promises, make us participants in the Divine Nature. This is also probably one of the reasons many of the early church fathers struggled with 2 Peter, because of the nature of these verses, but taken in light of the rest of the Scripture it can be applied properly.
Jesus, thank you for the grace that is ours in Jesus through the power of the Spirit. Help us to grow in that grace and the knowledge of Jesus as we become more like you in thought, word and deed. Amen.
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. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
What Does This Mean?
In the first verses of 2 Peter, the author claims to be the apostle Peter. There are not many examples of external evidence (early church fathers) who cite the apostle Peter as the author. 2 Peter struggled to gain acceptance into the New Testament canon (books that make up the final version of the New Testament), but by and large was accepted by the Church to make the final canon because of the internal evidence that Peter was the author. Many felt that the author used Peter’s name as a pseudo writer, but the style of the writing is so different from 1 Peter, than many doubt it was the apostle but probably one of his disciples.
Nonetheless, 2 Peter urges us to make our calling and election more sure and emphasizes how important knowledge is to be able to recognize false teaching. By that time false teachers had started to infiltrate (depending on authorship which changes the dating of the book) the Church. In this short book the word “knowledge is used” 16 times. The book is written to believers everywhere in the early church and for them to grow in their holiness and character (sanctification).
What Does This Mean For Us?
The author starts with the fact that we have been given everything we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Through participation and belief in God’s promises, we can grow in that grace and knowledge and participate in the Divine Nature. This is not to be confused with the Gnostic heresy that we become like “little gods”. The heresy of Gnosticism denied the flesh, and set up a dualism where the flesh was bad and the spirit was good. Therefore we needed to deny the body, and connect with spirit we can become our own god.
The difference in Christianity is that when we are born again, we are born of the Spirit and become part of God’s family. We are new creation in Christ, but we are not God. We have the ability to become more Christ-like, as we grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus. Of course this is not head knowledge only, but transformation of our attitudes, behaviors and in our relationships in empowered by the Holy Spirit who lives in us. This is the sense in which participation in these promises, make us participants in the Divine Nature. This is also probably one of the reasons many of the early church fathers struggled with 2 Peter, because of the nature of these verses, but taken in light of the rest of the Scripture it can be applied properly.
Jesus, thank you for the grace that is ours in Jesus through the power of the Spirit. Help us to grow in that grace and the knowledge of Jesus as we become more like you in thought, word and deed. Amen.
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