2 Peter 1:1-11 NKJV
1 Simon 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:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 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.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord…” What a beautiful and edifying greeting Peter gives to his fellow Christians! The grace of God – the offer and promise that, through God-given faith we have His acceptance of us based on Christ’s suffering and death for all; and the peace of God which, as Paul says elsewhere, “passes all understanding” – that peace which, as Jesus says, “the world cannot give” – the divine peace and confidence which comes from knowing that our sins are paid for and that with God on our side we also will conquer death because of Christ. May those things always be multiplied to us and stir us on to love and good works in thankfulness to God for His love and forgiveness.
Peter also preaches to us that we have been given great and precious promises – that we have the certainty of sins paid for by Christ’s substitutionary suffering and death in our place, and the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven. There is nothing more important or glorious to look forward to.
In v. 10, Peter says, “Brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure…” And we understand these words this way: that, of our sinful selves, we have no ability to secure our heavenly calling and election to Christ’s Church. But, as we avail ourselves of the ways in which Christ comes to us – receiving His Absolution, receiving His Gospel, receiving His Supper, and living in our Baptism – God is the one Who works through those things by His Holy Spirit not only to bring us to faith in Him but also to keep us in the one true faith. And when God works through His means of grace, we will show forth virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love for our fellow brothers and sisters as well as to all of our neighbors. May our good and gracious God bring all of that to fruition in you!
Let us pray: O God, pour into our hearts such love toward You that we may obtain Your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.