Remember These Things

Introduction

When we consider an individual’s last words or dying wish, often we can learn a lot about them. Certainly we can learn something of their priorities, who or what they cared about most. Entire movies and novels have been based on individuals seeking to fulfill the dying wish of someone they love and honored, and we often feel inspired by last words. Tonight we are going to be looking at the book of 2 Peter, and we will consider what Peter described as his dying wish, the desire he was content to spend his last words (in the New Testament) explaining. He does not describe his audience in much detail, apart from acknowledging that they are believers. He does mention that this is the second letter he is writing to them, and if 1 Peter is the other one, then we may guess he is writing to believers dispersed by persecution. At any rate, these are still his last words, and the Spirit inspired him to write them for our benefit today.

Turn to 2 Peter 1:12-15, where I will read our initial text and then pray before we begin:

12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been strengthened in the truth which is present with you. 13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has indicated to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

Pray with me now. Wisdom and clarity of thought to understand this letter accurately.

You may have noticed that I called the verses I read our “initial” text, and that is what they are. Twice Peter refers to what he calls “these things,” and those things are what he wants us to remember. So we will start by looking at why he was so focused on stirring us up to remember “these things.” Then we will move on to understand what he meant by that phrase before considering why they are important and then finally how to cultivate them. So we will start here in verses 12-15, but we will actually survey all three chapters as we seek to understand the message of this letter.

Remember “these things” (1:12-15)

The key thing to observe in verses 12-15 is the urgency with which Peter writes. This passage summarizes for us the heart behind everything else the Spirit moved Peter to write in this letter, it gives us a behind-the-scenes perspective.

I will be ready to remind you (1:12)

In verse 12, Peter says, “I will always be ready to remind you of these things.” Notice how he adds ‘always’ to the verb ‘will be ready.’ He means that he is ready now, and that he will be ready later too. However, it also seems to imply that some opposition may arise, that something may try to undermine his constant state of readiness.

That is exactly what we find in the second half of this verse. Peter anticipates and dismisses two objections we might raise in response to his reminder of these things. First, we might think that we “already know them,” as in, this is old news and we feel like we’re watching a boring movie over again. We’ve already heard these things. Second, we might think that we “have been strengthened in the truth” already, that we have already put these things into practice. We might even go so far as to think “the truth… is present with us,” as if it is right beside us like an open answer key!

These objections do not thwart Peter, though. He does not merely say, “I am ready for now.” No, but with determination he declares, “I will always be ready!” Our objections matter little, they will not stop him. He will remind us.

But consider this. How often do your eyes glaze over in a sermon because you’re thinking, “I already know this stuff”? Or how often have you brushed off an exhortation thinking, “I’ve already tried that before”? Do you hear how Peter responds to these objections? He doesn’t care! In God’s economy, these excuses are not valid.

So we can observe that Peter was ready to remind us of these things. He knew that there would be opposition, that we would have excuses, but he anticipates those objections and declares that we will not thwart his intentions.

I am right to remind you (2:13-14)

But that is not all. In addition to being ready to remind us, Peter also says in verse 13 that he “considers it right… to stir you up by way of reminder.” This means that he considers it necessary and correct to stir us up with reminders. He felt a sense of duty and obligation, a sense of accountability. His knew that it was right to remind us.

He provides two inspired reasons in verse 13-14 for why he is right to remind us, why it is necessary. In verse 13, he defines the period of his duty by saying that he will remind us “as long as I am in this earthly dwelling,” which means that he believed this was the purpose for which God had left him on the earth. Then in verse 14, he adds that “the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent,” which heightens the first reason. He knew God’s purpose for his life, and he also knew that he didn’t have much time left. The clock was ticking, and he felt a sense of homestretch urgency.

Therefore we can add that Peter was right to remind us, in addition to the fact that he was ready. This is the reason why he was still alive, and he knew he would not have time to do much else before he left his earthly body.

I will be diligent to remind you (2:15)

Thirdly, in verse 15, he wraps up this section by stating that he “will also be diligent that… you will be able to call these things to mind.” He recognizes that this task is not simply a one-and-done kind of job, and he warns us in advance that he will be persistent and repetitive, there is a very strong sense here of motherly oversight.

It feels like a motherly reminder because he issues his reminder in the context of his departure. Like with parenting, he recognizes that his diligent oversight must give way to faithful independence. His goal is not simply that we remember these things while he's still talking, but that we remember it on our own after he leaves the house.

Furthermore, he is already putting this into practice. In 3:1, he states, “this is the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.” This is not the first, but the second letter of reminder.

Peter’s repetition is evidence of his diligence, just like in parenting. He knew that he would have to repeat himself, and the Spirit blessed his work with inspiration—it became a part of the canon, a permanent reminder for the ages. Peter was diligent to ensure that we would be able to call these things to mind at the drop of a hat after he left.

I am ready, right, and diligent

Pulling these three sections of our text together, we observe that Peter was ready, right, and diligent. He determined that he would still be ready to remind us despite our objections, he felt it right to remind us because he knew it was God’s will for his final days, and he was diligent to remind us because he desired our spiritual independence.

So we find that the Spirit’s intent in these verses is very simple: you must remember “these things.”

Understand these things (1:5-7)

Naturally then, you are probably wondering what Peter means by “these things.” We want to understand what he means, and thankfully we do not have to look too far to find some clues. First of all, we know that Peter is referring to more than one thing, that the answer is plural. Then, we find that Peter repeats the same phrase, “these things,” in verses 8, 9, and 10. In verse 10, he mentions “in doing these things,” which implies the things must be able to be done. In verse 9, he talks about one “in whom these things are not present,” which means the things may be present or absent in us. And in verse 8, he starts a conditional statement by saying, “if these things are yours and are increasing,” and from this we gather that we can possess these things and demonstrate some level of increase over time. At this point, we might feel reasonably confident that the answer to our question lies somewhere in the first seven verses of this chapter.

And that is the case. All of these lines of thought converge on verses 5-7, where Peter exhorts us,

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

This list of godly virtues meets all of our search criteria. It is plural and includes seven things, and these things can be possessed and increased over time, they can be either present or absent in us, and they are things that can be done. Without a doubt, this is the antecedent, these virtues are what Peter meant when he said “these things.”

Therefore, these virtues are what he wants you to remember! They are what he was ready to remind you about even though he knew you would have objections. These virtues are what he felt it right to remind you about because God had left him here on earth to stir you up before he passed away. These virtues are what he was diligent to remind you about because he desired your spiritual independence. This is the answer! Pay attention to these virtues!

Now that we understand the general concept of “these things,” we want to look at each of these virtues Peter referred to so many times, to make sure that we understand all of them. This is crucial to understanding his letter.

To that end, notice the grammatical structure that Peter uses in this passage.

Starting in verse 5, Peter exhorts us to supply moral excellence in our faith, and each subsequent virtue in the one that preceded it. If he had had Legos to play with as a kid, surely he would have been thinking of them now. He describes the virtues like building blocks, and he lists them in an explicitly sequential order. As a result, the final virtue, love, becomes the most significant because it is the capstone achievement, the final project. It orients us like a moral compass.

Similarly, the verb “supply” is important because it is the glue, or the mortar, that holds all of these building blocks together. It binds each virtue to the one that precedes it. In the broader Greek culture, it was the verb used to describe what a rich benefactor would do for a stage production or a play. He would personally and lavishly provide for all that was needed. No character would go without a costume, no scene would go with without a set. The same is true here. We are expected to labor at our own expense, and we must “apply all diligence” because our task is serious.

Faith - Now, before we begin this list of virtues, I want to draw your attention to one thing that is different from the rest in these verses. It is our faith. Notice that Peter simply assumes faith and commands us to supply moral excellence in it. He commands us to supply six more virtues after that, but he never commands us to supply our faith. It is just assumed. We will come back to this topic of faith later, but for now just note that it is the foundation of all that follows.

In addition, while Peter uses clear grammar and vocabulary to indicate that this list of virtues is carefully ordered, many commentators struggle to determine how we can progress through these in a strictly chronological order. For example, does perseverance always have to precede brotherly kindness? Maybe not, but we know that the Spirit inspired Peter to put these down in a particular order, so I hope we can make some sense of the way that it was written for us. Either way, you aren’t exempt from one just because you’re working on another. We are accountable for all of them.

Moral excellence - The first virtue is moral excellence. If you consider faith as the starting point of your journey, and love as the goal, then it makes sense that moral excellence comes first. It simply means that you do the right thing. This is exactly what we see when Zacchaeus comes to faith: he immediately vows to repay 4x all those whom he had defrauded while collecting taxes. The most basic thing you can do is obey your conscience and do the right thing.

Knowledge - Second, you are to supply knowledge. While it is good to follow your conscience and do the right thing, it will not be long before you start to ask questions about what the right thing to do is when you encounter difficult situations. Perhaps your conscience is ill informed and may lead you astray. This is why you must supply knowledge. You must become educated to differentiate right from wrong and to prefer that which is right.

Self-control - The next virtue is self-control. This virtue increases your precision. For example, if we are undergoing surgery, we all want a surgeon who is disciplined and has a steady hand, who is self-controlled. Similarly, you need to grow in your ability to be very precise about what is right, and even more importantly you need to increase the alignment between what you know and what you do. It takes self-control to apply your newfound knowledge.

Perseverance - Perseverance is a logical progression from self-control. Imagine a kid and cookie jar. The mom tells her child that she will make lunch for him later and that he can have one of the cookies after that, then she busies herself with something around the house. For a while, the kid entertains himself and stays away from the cookie jar. But then his self-control crumbles, and so do the cookies as he begins to devour them. This is why we need to have perseverance. First we need to be self-controlled, and then we need to persevere in our self-control.

Godliness - Godliness is the firth virtue on this list. This virtue is developed as your Christian character moves beyond the challenges of private perseverance and is exposed to the world and the devil. This will cause a nasty chemical reaction because the natures of both are violently opposed to your transformed living. However, James and Paul provide similar virtue lists that affirm Peter’s point here. God uses perseverance in trials to build godliness.

Brotherly kindness - Up next is brotherly kindness. It is only natural that once you feel the repulsion of the world and the devil, you will start to gravitate toward those who are likeminded, and you will seek out Christian fellowship. In this and similar contexts, you will begin to practice serving and encouraging others. Having grown in your vertical relationship with God, your next step will be to order your human and horizontal relationships properly.

Love - This transitions us to the seventh and final virtue, love. This is the agape love you’ve heard about before, it’s the one that sent Jesus to die a brutal death while praying for sinners. This is the love that drives you to pray for your enemies and to do good to those who hate you. Ultimately, you learn to sacrifice yourself, not just for those people that you like, but for those that you consider unlovely. You learn to give, expecting nothing in return. As Jesus confirmed, love is the sum of all God’s commands, so we aspire finally to love Him and our neighbor.

I hope this has helped you understand each of the virtues and their relationship to one another. You might think of this list like an instruction manual for a piece of furniture from IKEA. You can try just to stick things together in a haphazard order, but it usually works much better if you follow the instructions and add each piece to the step that preceded it. Peter writes with a similar assumption that you will make better progress if these virtues are practiced in order.

We begin with faith, the divinely granted bedrock upon which all these virtues are to be built, and then in our faith we supply moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love—with love being the capstone and crowning achievement of our efforts at Christlike character. Now we understand what Peter meant by “these things” when he said he was ready, right, and diligent to stir up our minds by way of reminder.

Consider these things (1:8-11, 1:16-3:18)

Now that we understand what he meant, I want us to consider why he felt such a burden to remind us. Specifically, we will consider why these things, why these virtues, are so important to remember and to practice.

The link between remembering and practicing, or doing, is very clear in Scripture. Biblically, remembering should result in action. In Genesis 8:1, God remembered Noah and stopped the Flood; in Genesis 30:22, God remembered Rachel and opened her womb; and in Exodus 2:24, God remembered his covenant and rescued the Israelites. On the other hand we also have the bad example of the chief cupbearer in Genesis 40:23 who forgot Joseph and did nothing for him.

Therefore, we are going to skim through the rest of 2 Peter, mostly 1:16 and onward, to consider three litmus tests by which you should evaluate your life. They are related to the authority of Scripture, the lifestyle of false teachers, and the advent of the day of the Lord. For each, you must choose whether you will remember his exhortations and take action or disregard them and drift spiritually. The contrast in response to each of these things is quite stark. First we will evaluate behavior in the presence of faith and godly character, and then in its absence.

We will cover several lists here, and I will mention the verse numbers before the verses so you can mostly follow along. I will also summarize each section so that you can understand the gist of Peter’s message. Pay close attention to the key themes, the contrasts related to Scripture, false teachers, and the day of the Lord. That is our main objective.

Presence of Faith and Godly Character

With that said, let’s consider the fruit of faith and the results of growing in godly character.

Overview

In chapter 1, Peter declares that if you are diligent to supply these virtues in our faith, then you will…

1:8 - Be neither useless nor unfruitful in the full knowledge of Jesus

10 - Absolutely not stumble ever

11 - Be abundantly supplied with entrance into the eternal kingdom of Jesus

This is like the fruit of Eden, beautiful and desirous. We want to be useful, fruitful, stable, and secure. Think carefully about these big picture promises because now we are about see them play out in each chapter of this book.

We will be convinced of Scripture (ch 1)

Later in chapter 1, we find that faith and godly character will produce conviction about Scripture’s divine authority. Peter declares that if we possess these things, then we will demonstrate their presence…

1:16 - By accepting eyewitness accounts of Jesus’s majesty

19 - By paying attention to the prophetic word

21 - By believing that the Holy Spirit moved men to speak from God

Test your own heart and take personal inventory. Do you accept the precise historical accuracy of eyewitness accounts in Scripture? Do you take action when God’s Word demands it? Do you believe in total and perfect inspiration? If these things are true of your heart, then be encouraged! You are producing some fruit of faith and godly living.

We will discern and reject false teachers (ch 2)

In chapter 2, Peter moves on to discuss false teachers and their worldly lifestyle. Early on he states that it is inevitable that you will encounter them, so the question to ask is this: how am I to respond? He explains that you can respond…

2:5 - By preaching righteousness

8 - By feeling your righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds

9 - By trusting that the Lord knows how to rescue you from trial

18 - By escaping the enticingly sensual lusts of your flesh

20 - By escaping the defilements of the world by the knowledge of Jesus

21 - By knowing the way of righteousness and receiving the holy commandment handed on to you

Paul, in 1 Timothy 4:16, says that pastors need to “pay close attention” to themselves and to their teaching, and Peter is saying the same thing to you as a Christian in the pew. You need to pay close attention to your conduct and your doctrine, to what you do and what you believe. On the one hand you are responsible to escape lust and defilements even though you may feel miserable when you look around at the lawless deeds of worldly men, and on the other hand you know and declare the way of righteousness because you’ve received the holy commandment and trust that the Lord can rescue you. All of this is only possible if you already have deep convictions about Scripture’s divine authority.

We will anticipate the day of the Lord (ch 3)

In chapter 3, now, we will consider the importance of anticipating the day of the Lord. This is related to your view of Jesus’s second coming, your interpretation of eschatology. You can anticipate the day of the Lord…

3:2 - By remembering the words spoken beforehand by the prophets and apostles

8-9 By noting that the Lord is patient, not willing for you to perish but for all to come to repentance

10 - By trusting that the day of the Lord will come like a thief and that your works will be found out

11-12 - By being holy and godly, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God

13 - By looking for a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells

14 - By being diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless

15 - By considering the patience of your Lord as salvation, just as Paul also wrote

17-18 - By being on your guard and growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus

Consider the words of the prophets and apostles, and learn from them that the Lord does not delay because he has forgotten or not remembered. Instead, they say it is because He is “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.” Jesus has patiently withheld his wrath because He wanted to save each of us.

As a result, you cannot sit on your hands and watch the millennia tick by while He delays. Remember the Flood! Seek to be a people of holy conduct and godliness. Stay on guard and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Your goal is to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless. This is absolutely essential to your walk with the Lord.

If you are growing in faith and godliness, then you will readily and eagerly anticipate Jesus’s return.

Conclusion

Summing up this first half, we examined three fruits of faith and godly character. First, you will have deep convictions about the divine authority of Scripture. Second, you will be protected from the sensual lifestyle and heretical doctrine of false teachers. And third, you will grow in eager anticipation of Jesus’s return and the day of the Lord. These are the developmental milestones that you should be able to observe in your own life as a result of faith and godly character.

Absence of Faith and Godly Character

There is another side to this equation, though. Now I want to walk you back through the same three chapters, and this time we are going to investigate the underbelly of the dragon, the dark side of the force. We will discover the bad fruit that grows in a person’s life, that might be growing in your life, if faith and godly character are absent.

Overview

Turn back to chapter 1 with me, and look at verses 8-11. Here we have one explicit statement about the danger of neglecting “these things,” even though more could be added by implication. Peter states that the one “in whom these things are not present” is “blind, nearsighted,” and has “forgotten the purification from his former sins” (1:9). He means that this man has no eternal perspective, no appreciation for the atonement he claimed. A lack of faith and a lack of godly character will absolutely undermine a man and drive him to apostasy. Let’s look at the roadmap for disaster.

We will begin to doubt Scripture (ch 1)

This slippery slope toward apostasy starts with doubts about Scripture. Peter writes that you begin…

1:16 - By following cleverly devised myths

19 - By not paying attention to the prophetic word

20 - By thinking it comes from people’s own interpretations

21 - By thinking that it was made by the will of man

Like sun-bleached skulls along a desert path, I see evidence of these traits everywhere I look at Christianity in the Bible belt and in the broader American culture. My question for you is this: has this bitter seed taken root in your heart? This questioning of Scripture’s authority may take different forms. Perhaps you are never content with the accuracy of any Bible translation, or maybe you go further and doubt the authenticity of certain passages or entire books. You may find excuses and far-fetched interpretations that insulate you from believing the clear teaching of God’s Word on topics that strike near the heart of the sin you harbor within. Beware! This is a slippery slope. Many have backslidden here.

We will begin to fall prey to false teachers (ch 2)

In chapter 2, as if rolling down this hillside, when you bounce off a rejection of Scripture’s divine authority, you will land further down in the jaws of false teachers and their sensual lifestyles. God says you will fall prey to them…

2:1 - By secretly receiving destructive heresies

2 - By following their sensuality

3 - By being greedily exploited with false words

10 - By going after your flesh in its corrupt lust and despising authority

13 - By feasting with them and reveling in their deceptions

14 - By being enticed with their eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin and with their hearts trained in greed

18 - By being enticed by sensual lusts of the flesh

19 - By conducting yourselves in error while being enslaved and overcome

20 - By becoming entangled again in the same sins, ending in a worse state than at first

21 - By knowing the way of righteousness but still turning away from the holy commandment handed on to you

22 - By returning to your vomit and wallowing in the mire after washing

Notice that Peter identifies the nature of destructive heresies: they are secretive. Do you watch YouTube videos or read blog posts written by “teachers” that you wouldn’t dare mention at church? Have you been lured in by some spiritual conversation with a stranger that seems a little off? It doesn’t take long for their false words to produce misconduct.

You will begin to follow your flesh, and you will revel in deception to salve your conscience. All of a sudden, then, you will be sucked into their sensual and adulterous enticements. You will finally be enslaved and overcome.

All the while, you know the way of righteousness! But you turn aside from the holy commandment and conduct your life in error. Peter cries out with rebuke, “You dirty dog! You sin-sick sow!” You must turn back! This is real danger.

When your faith is absent and your godly character is compromised, when you doubt God’s Word and mentally undermine its divinely inspired authority, then false teachers and heresies will surely prevail over you.

We will begin to disregard the Lord’s return (ch 3)

Turn with me now to chapter 3, for one last warning. Here Peter warns us of the third pitfall known to those who wander from the safety of faith and godly character. He says you will disregard the Lord’s return…

3:3 - By following after your own lusts

4 - By thinking that all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation

5-6 - By overlooking the fact that by the word of God, … the world… was destroyed, being deluged with water

16 - By distorting hard texts in Scripture to your own destruction

17 - By being carried away by the error of unprincipled men and falling from your own steadfastness

The final nail in this depressing coffin is the step from being a passive agent to becoming an active agent.

First, you reject divine authority and get pulled into the weeds by false teachers. Then your own lusts overcome and enslave you. As a result, you wind up despising the reality of the Lord’s return and his final judgment.

You become a mocker and a hardened skeptic. You find ways to insert evolutionary thought about millions and billions of years into Scripture because it explains away the reality of historical judgment when God sent the Flood. You deny His authority over you as one of His created beings, accountable to Him for all that you say and do and think.

Lastly, you go apostate. It makes no difference whether you do so publicly and leave the church, or privately and lurk in sin. In the end, it is not your church membership that matters. Your lifestyle speaks louder than words and papers.

Conclusion

So now we can finally step back. We’ve inspected the brush strokes and now we see the whole canvas. No wonder Peter felt such an urgency to remind us of these things! He asks us: do we have faith and are we growing in godliness? In summary, we have found that the answer to that question will determine three key decisions for you:

You will respect the divine authority of Scripture, or you will reject and reinterpret God’s Word

You will stand your ground against false teachers and sensual living, or you will plunge into lust

You will eagerly await the day of the Lord, or you will ignore it and excuse your ungodly living

As Moses declared in Deut 30:15, so I say to you now, “I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and calamity.” Now you must consider which way you will go. Choose wisely because it is a matter of life and death.

Cultivate these things (1:3-4)

Now that the significance of faith and godly character is fresh in our minds, we must turn our attention to cultivating these things. However, we often encounter a problem at this point. I have anyways, and I am sure you have too.

Look with me at 1:12, specifically at those objections that Peter anticipated, “even though you already know them, and have been strengthened in the truth which is present with you.” What do these objections communicate?

It is as if you are saying, “Peter. I already know I need godly character, and I’ve already tried to cultivate it… and it didn’t work. These things didn’t work because of my sin. I’m still enticed, I still go after the flesh, I’m still entangled, I keep returning. I already know these things, and I’ve already tried these things, but I’m still enslaved and overcome by my sin. It didn’t work. How am I supposed to cultivate this godly character? I know I am going to fail again!”

This is the great objection: your failure. When you come to church, it is as if you show off your life like an apple. You hold it carefully in your hand and make sure that people only see certain sides of it. Most of the sides even. But not the one with the hole of a worm, not the one that proves you still harbor private sin in some deep, dark, dank dungeon within. There is a worm that has burrowed deep into your heart and squirms, happily munching on your flesh. There is a sin hidden deep within that gnaws at your heart and deflates your best attempts at godly living.

For some, there is a sin that is so entrenched, so longstanding, so immovable that it leads you, and rightly so, to question your faith altogether. Do you even believe? Is this all a show? How are you to know up from down and left from right? You cannot discern light from darkness, you are thoroughly confused about your spiritual status.

For others, there is marked progress over time. The sin you wrestle with today is not the sin you wrestled with ten years ago. Nonetheless, you still have struggles, you still live in the flesh. You still get discouraged and weary. We talk of feeling burnt out, and that’s often a result of this very thing; after a while, you say you just can’t take it anymore.

Like Paul, you cry out, “19 … the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. … 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom 7:19, 24). You cry out for help, and the question before you now is, where do you turn? How can you cultivate “these things,” the virtues of godly living?

Well, that is the reason Peter wrote this letter, so let’s turn back to the beginning to see how he sizes things up. Remember in 1:5 that he assumed his audience had faith when he started the list (“in your faith supply moral excellence”), and also when he opened the letter in 1:1 (“to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours”). In between, he digs into the source of this faith, the foundation that is required for godly character. Turn to 1:3-4,

2 Pet 1:3-4, “3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

Consider the theology that Peter is sharing with us. He says that Jesus’s “divine power” is the fountain head, the source of “everything pertaining to” what we might call godly living. In addition, He dispenses His power through our full knowledge of Him, particularly in regard to our knowledge of His glory and excellence. We need His power! So this is a crucial point to understand, He dispenses it through our full knowledge of His glory and excellence.

In verse 4 Jesus’s glory and excellence seem to play a dual role. In verse 3, we saw our knowledge of them enables access to his divine power for godly living. And now, He uses them to grant us “His precious and magnificent promises.” He means that it is only by His benevolent glory and excellence that the promises of Scripture ring true. Then he says that by these promises we “may become partakers of the divine nature.” By this he means Christlike character, that we will become partakers of Jesus’s communicable attributes. Lastly, he says that by them we “will have escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust,” which implies that we will have found power over sin!

These verses teach that by learning and meditating on Jesus’s promises, you can grow in your knowledge of His glory and excellence, and that as a result of this knowledge and His promises, you will be able to access His divine power necessary for escaping worldly, lustful corruption and for becoming partakers of Jesus’s nature via godly living.

All of this is encapsulated by your faith. By faith, Jesus gives you the ability believe His precious and magnificent promises and to see His glory and excellence in them. Faith is the catalyst for godly living and Christlike character.

We are reminded of the same thing by the author of Hebrews. After walking through the great hall of faith in chapter 11, he brings his observations to a pointed conclusion in the opening verses of chapter 12:

Heb 12:1-4, “1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary, fainting in heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.

Here we find many of the same truths. How is it that we run with endurance the race that is set before us? We fix our eyes on Jesus! We fix our eyes on his precious and magnificent promises. We fix our eyes on his glory and excellence. He is the author and perfecter of faith, and it is by this faith his divine power grants to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. It is by this faith that we become partakers of the divine nature. It is by this faith that we lay aside every weight and sin which so easily entangles us. It is by this faith we consider him who endured hostility so that we will not grow weary or faint in heart. And it is by this faith that we will strive against sin to remain steadfast in godliness.

Therefore, I urge you, whether you are overcome and enslaved by sin or whether you are just laying aside another weight, look to Christ! Fix your eyes on Jesus! If you have no faith and you do not know our Savior, repent of your hardheartedness and pray for the power of His Holy Spirit to indwell you and help you become like Him. If you have some faith but still wrestle with sin, pray like the child’s father, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” He will help you! In either case, whether you have no faith or just little faith, you need more faith. Beg God for it, and He will supply it.

And then, remember Peter’s words. Remember that once God supplies faith, you must diligently supply virtue in it. While Jesus’s promises and power provide all that you need for godly living, you must also expend effort to build upon the foundation he has laid. In your faith, you must supply moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are the things Peter was ready, right, and diligent to remind us about.

You will find yourself returning to these things again and again. When you are wrestling with a stubborn sin, go back and plead for greater faith, and then press on in building godly character. Every time you stumble, go back and ask for more faith, and then apply even more diligence in your efforts to supply each of the virtues. Do it again and again. There is power here, it does work after all. This is why Peter disregarded our objections. We may have tried it before, but have you tried it with more faith? Go and seek more faith, then try again and see what a difference it will make.

Stay the course. Remember these things. Put your faith in Christ, and labor to grow in godly character. These are the oldest ruts in all of Christendom. These are ancient paths. Do not forget them, but remember these things.