The Proof of Godliness

2 Peter 1:8–11 ESV

For if these qualities 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. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The story is told of a big lumberjack who went to a store and looked at a new chainsaw.

The manager said, "You can cut down at least 100 trees a day with this baby."

So the lumberjack bought the chainsaw and set out to cut some trees.

On the first day, to his disappointment, he only cut down 25 trees.

The second day he worked harder and longer but only cut down 36 trees.

The third day he worked from sunup to sundown but could still only cut down 48 trees.

Angry that the chainsaw performed so poorly, he took it back to the store and said to the manager, "You told me this here chainsaw would cut down 100 trees a day and at best I’ve only been able to cut down 48!"

The manager, puzzled, replied, "Well let me see what the problem is."

With that, he pulled the starter cord and fired up the chainsaw.

Startled, the lumberjack jumped back and exclaimed, “Hey, what’s dat big noise?”

We have seen from this first chapter of Peter’s 2nd letter to the church, his swan song

No matter how hard we try, we cannot get God's results if we refuse do things God's way. But when we do what God tells us to do, we will get results that count.We have seen from this first chapter of Peter’s 2nd letter to the church, his swan song

A swan song is a person’s final performance, work, or effort before retirement or death

And here Peter is on death row, awaiting execution, and he pens this letter to the saints

Now if you had one last time to tell someone something before you died, what would it be?

But Peter, forever the preacher, gives what some would call a mini sermon. (this is the third for me in just the first 11 verses!)

And the purpose of this sermon is to exhort believers on the importance of living a life of godliness

And like any good preacher, Peter gives us this mini sermon on life and godliness in 3 points

The first is the Power for Godliness (vs.3-4)

The power to live a life of godliness comes from God Himself and we receive that power through our knowledge of Him and because He promised it to us

The second is the Pattern for Godliness (5-7)

Virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love

These qualities are a process, all dependent on one another - none independently

Finally, he shows us the Premise for Godliness (the proof of godliness)

The power, pattern and premise(proof)

It may be easier to think of it in three questions - How, what and why

How do we live a life of godliness - through God’s power

What does a life of godliness look like - through virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love

Why live a life of godliness - we’re going to find out this morning

Picking up in

2 Peter 1:8 ESV

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again Peter is using a conditional clause - just as we saw in vs. 5 (for this reason) - here he says “for if”

If - noun - a condition or supposition

Referring us back to those 7 qualities - if (supposing) you have these qualities there is going to be an effect on your life.

Peter is revealing the purpose of cultivating these virtues.

Peter then reveals the purpose of cultivating these virtues. We don’t engage in these things to earn salvation—that’s already ours by grace through faith plus nothing! In fact, we wouldn’t even have the necessary power available to us if we weren’t already saved. Rather, Peter says that if these things are present in our lives and increasing through diligence, we will be useful and fruitful in our Christian lives

We don’t engage in these things to earn salvation—that’s already ours by grace through faith plus nothing!

In fact, we wouldn’t even have the necessary power available to us if we weren’t already saved.

But

So listen to what he's saying. 

When in your life all of these things previous elements are true, faith and virtue and knowledge and self-control and patience and godliness and brotherly love and love, when all of these things are manifest, what happens? 

You are neither ineffective (barren - KJV) nor unfruitful.  

Do you know that God wants to produce in you fruitfulness. 

You see the Gnostics were teaching falsely that God doesn’t care what you do with your physical life, He only wants your soul.

Ironically, that’s the same message being pumped out today by our culture but it’s still a lie!

The whole point of us being connected to Christ is so that we can bear fruit

Look at what Jesus says in

John 15 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 15:1–6 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

Now understand that it is possible to be connected to Christ and to not bear fruit

But if you’re not bearing fruit Peter says you’re ineffective, Jesus says you wither

The whole point of living our life in godliness is so that we may be effective and useful

God wants to produce fruit in your life but He can't do it unless you’re following the pattern for godliness in the previous verses. (vs. 5-7)(making every effort)

But He can't do it unless you follow the pattern in the previous verses.

The reason some people have so hard a time figuring out what Christianity's all about is because there are so many Christians who aren’t bearing any fruit. 

Insights on James and 1 & 2 Peter 1:4–9

Peter then reveals the purpose of cultivating these virtues. We don’t engage in these things to earn salvation—that’s already ours by grace through faith plus nothing! In fact, we wouldn’t even have the necessary power available to us if we weren’t already saved. Rather, Peter says that if these things are present in our lives and increasing through diligence, we will be useful and fruitful in our Christian lives

They make the claim- call themselves Christians - but there's nothing in their life to support it and that's very confusing.

Because so many “Christians” look like those who aren’t Christians

But Peter says “if these qualities are yours and increasing”...

There's an interesting translation in the use of this verb “increasing”

It literally means "to have more than is necessary." 

  In other words, there ought to be enough fruit in your life to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt to whom you belong.  God is not interested in marginal manifestation.

In other words, there ought to be enough fruit in your life to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt to whom you belong. 

God is not interested in minimal fruit bearing

In fact if you are ineffective and unfruitful, look at what he says in

And look at what he says in

2 Peter 1:9 ESV

For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Peter acknowledges that not everybody will make every effort that leads to maturity.

Peter acknowledges that not everybody will maintain the diligence that leads to maturity. Some blind believers fail to look back on their conversion, when God purified them from their sins. Shortsighted believers cannot look far enough ahead to see the coming of Christ and His reward to the faithful. So, those focusing on the present life and living for themselves will lack these qualities and squander the provision of power God has given them

Some blind believers fail to look back on their conversion, when God purified them from their sins.

A professing Christian who is missing the qualities mentioned in vs. 5-7 are unable to discern their true spiritual condition,

And if you don’t know where you stand with Christ how can you have any assurance of your salvation?

You may be saved and possess all the blessings of vv. 3, 4, but without the qualities of vv. 5–7, you only live in doubt and fear, hoping you’ll make it to heaven because you don’t see the fruit of your faith

And this happens to believers who can’t look far enough ahead to see the coming of Christ and His reward to the faithful.

If you forget that there will be a day when Christ comes back for you and you forget that he rewards the righteous and judges the unrighteous then what happens is that you live your life focusing on the here and now and living for yourself

So, those focusing on the present life and living for themselves will lack these qualities and squander the provision of power God has given them

And you may ask yourself, how does that happen?

How do you forget this truth?

forgotten. The failure to diligently pursue spiritual virtues produces spiritual amnesia. Such a person, unable to discern his spiritual condition, will have no confidence about his profession of faith. He may be saved and possess all the blessings of vv. 3, 4, but without the excellencies of vv. 5–7, he will live in doubt and fear.

The failure to make every effort, like Peter exhorts us to, produces this kind of spiritual amnesia.

Now let’s look at

2 Peter 1:10–11 ESV

Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter caps his exhortation to spiritual maturity with another appeal for diligence. He tells us to “make certain about His calling and choosing” (1:10). This doesn’t mean that we must do these things to secure our salvation or to guarantee our places in heaven. Rather, this is an urgent and passionate appeal to live out our calling, to demonstrate the reality of our salvation. The entire context supports the fact that Peter already regarded his readers as “brethren” who had been called and provided everything necessary for godly living. He appeals to them to subjectively live out that objective calling through spiritual growth. One commentator writes, “One’s godly behavior is a warranty deed for himself that Jesus Christ has cleansed him from his past sins and therefore that he was in fact called and elected by God.” The result of diligence is not salvation but stability, usefulness, and fruitfulness. With these things comes eternal reward upon Christ’s return.

Peter caps his exhortation to being spiritually mature with another appeal for "making every effort.”

Where he says “be all the more diligent” it’s the same phrasing as in vs. 5

Meaning to give it everything you’ve got!

So he tells us to “confirm your calling and election” (1:10).

Now the calling and election is referring to our salvation

We’ve talked before about the general call of salvation to all believers and the effectual call of believers

Not everyone who hears the the gospel, responds to the gospel

But for those who hear the gospel and respond to its message, they have effectually been called by God

These are the elect

So this morning, if you have heard the gospel, responded and made a profession of faith through obedience to God’s Word, then you my brother and sister are the elect.

So when Peter says “be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election”, this doesn’t mean that we must do certain things to secure our salvation or to guarantee our places in heaven.

to This doesn’t mean that we must do these things to secure our salvation or to guarantee our places in heaven. Rather, this is an urgent and passionate appeal to live out our calling, to demonstrate the reality of our salvation. The entire context supports the fact that Peter already regarded his readers as “brethren” who had been called and provided everything necessary for godly living. He appeals to them to subjectively live out that objective calling through spiritual growth. One commentator writes, “One’s godly behavior is a warranty deed for himself that Jesus Christ has cleansed him from his past sins and therefore that he was in fact called and elected by God.” The result of diligence is not salvation but stability, usefulness, and fruitfulness. With these things comes eternal reward upon Christ’s return.

Rather, this is an urgent and passionate appeal to live out our calling

To demonstrate the proof of our salvation.

If you’ll notice in vs. 10, the context is that Peter is writing to his brothers

Individuals who had been called and provided everything necessary for godly living.

In fact, verse 11 speaks of God abundantly supplying us with a grand entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This target of hope at Christ’s return should encourage us to press on, unwavering in diligence. If we do so, we will receive great reward. But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul sternly warns: “If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” ().

And this encouragement to confirm your calling and election is really what Peter has been shooting at in vv. 5–9.

Even though God is “certain” who His elect are and if you are, He has secured your salvation for all eternity

But sometimes, even as Christians, we might not always have assurance of His salvation.

So here is how it works...

As the Christian pursues the qualities enumerated by Peter (vv. 5–7) and sees that his life is useful and fruitful (v. 8), he will not stumble into doubt, despair, fear, or questioning, but enjoy assurance that he is saved.In fact, verse 11 speaks of God abundantly supplying us with a grand entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This target of hope at Christ’s return should encourage us to press on, unwavering in diligence. If we do so, we will receive great reward. But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul sternly warns: “If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” ().

As a Christian, when you pursue the qualities outlined by Peter in vs. 5–7 you begin to see that your life is useful and fruitful (v. 8),

And because you see these qualities in your life, the evidence of them help to keep you from stumbling into doubt, despair, fear, or questioning,

but enjoy assurance that he is saved.In fact, verse 11 speaks of God abundantly supplying us with a grand entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This target of hope at Christ’s return should encourage us to press on, unwavering in diligence. If we do so, we will receive great reward. But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul sternly warns: “If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” ().

And instead, help you enjoy assurance that you are saved.

That’s why he says there at the end of vs. 10 “for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”

In fact, verse 11 speaks of God abundantly supplying us with a grand entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This target of hope at Christ’s return should encourage us to press on, unwavering in diligence. If we do so, we will receive great reward. But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose reward at the judgment seat of Christ, as Paul sternly warns: “If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” ().

In fact, verse 11 speaks of God abundantly supplying us with a grand entrance into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

This is to be the goal of believers

Knowing that we belong to Christ and that He’s coming back for us, should encourage us to press on, resolved to make every effort to prove we are who we say we are.

If we do so, then we will receive our reward.

But if we fail to grow in our faith, we will lose the abundance of the reward at when we stand before Christ

Do we really want to face our Lord Jesus Christ, ashamed of uselessly and fruitlessly squandering those great and precious promises He gave to us at our salvation?

So Peter is motivating us to be diligent and to grow in godliness by showing us these benefits.

And so what Peter wants to remind us of here and to encourage us to remember what God has done for us in Christ.

By His divine power, He has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness (1:3).

He has granted us His precious and magnificent promises so that by them we have become a part of His divine nature (1:4).

We have the very life of God in us. And, He has cleansed us from all our sins (1:9).

He took the initiative to choose us and call us to salvation (1:10).

In light of these great benefits, be diligent ( make every effort) to grow in godliness.

And if you do, if you’re growing in godliness it will give you the joy of being useful and fruitful to the Lord, so that you won’t waste your life.

It will assure you of your salvation.

It will keep you from stumbling and falling away from the Lord.

And as a result, in the future, the Lord will welcome us into His eternal kingdom, where we will spend all eternity with Him forever.

So, in light of these great benefits, be diligent, make every effort to grow in godliness.

May He give us the grace to do so!