Lesson 1--Advancing (2 Peter 1:1-11)

Introduction

If you pulled up to an intersection that crossed a railroad track and the lights flashed, bells rang, and the crossing arms came down, what would you do?

Would you ignore it?

Some do. I remember watching such a scene unfold.

I was going to a job I had as a graduate student in Abilene, TX. In Abilene, the

town is bisected by an east-west train track. You need to cross the train tracks to go north to south.

One morning I was approaching the intersection to turn. At that moment, a train was coming, and all the warning signals started flashing and sounding. This was a track without crossing arms.

As you saw the train coming, a car approached the intersection out of the corner of my eye but did not slow down. Instead, he sped through the signals just in time for the train to hit him. The train pushed the car down the track for about a hundred feet until it all stopped.

Inside was an older man. I learned later that he died in that crash.

That's what happens when people ignore warning signs.

And it is true about spiritual warnings. Peter writes this second letter as a warning

to Christians as they face a changing world. He sees danger coming and, if we heed his warnings, we can avoid so much trouble in our lives and in our churches.

Let's look at the book and Peter's prescription for staying on track

Discussion

A Look at the Book

2 Peter could sit in a corner, lonely and forsaken. It seems to be a neglected and for- gotten book. When we study Peter, it is almost always 1 Peter, not 2 Peter. We dip into a couple of verses in 2 Peter but ignore the bulk of it.

It was a book never quoted by second-century Christian writers. They quoted Paul, and they referenced 1 Peter, but not the second letter. The first list of "authorized books" called the Muratorian Canon did not even mention 2 Peter. But to be fair, it was only a fragment.

But Peter writes this letter as his own death is approaching. Eusebius indicates that Peter was crucified head down by Nero around 67 AD, the end of Nero's reign. So what he says is vital to him.

The book reflects dangerous times.

The church is most in danger in two specific ways.

One is from without. Persecution can crush and mangle the faith. It is what Peter addressed in his first letter.

The second is from within. False teachers draw the naïve believer away. Second Peter focuses on this danger.

How does the second come about?

The inflection point of change comes with changing generations. A changing generation brings a changing church. No longer are eyewitnesses alive. No one can say, "I saw." Now it is "I heard someone say what they saw." Witness wears into history.

A few months after Pearl Harbor, Jimmy Doolittle led a raid on Japan from the deck of the carrier Hornet. Each year, the group had a reunion where they swapped experiences. Two years ago, the last of the Doolittle raiders died. No one can say, "I was there." Now all will be filtered.

The story is told of two Jewish brothers who worked for their father in their small grocery store. The pious Jewish father would close the store on Sabbath. His sons argued that was bad for business, but his faith held firm. The boys told others, "when Father is gone, we're opening on Sabbath."

Such is the problem with faith in the hands of heirs.

It happens because of how truth is transmitted. The Bible contains the teaching of the apostles. They taught what Jesus taught them. But over time, that connection gets loosened. The practice of the next generation may not appreciate their teaching. Then their actions will not reflect the apostles' teachings and, therefore, not look anything like Jesus envisioned.

That is where many churches are today. They have "moved on" from all the old things to "do what others do." Such is a dangerous proposition.

So for Peter, this is his last will and testament, and he writes of the danger ahead. The book reflects three different kinds of blight.

The first is moral corruption. The morality of the faith displayed in living well slides and morphs into what the culture around feels is acceptable.

The second is doctrinal corruption. Teachers arise teaching precepts that depart from the path.

The third is practical apathy. Ritual replaces faith and "we just do these things" without thinking or caring.

To address them, Peter writes in three ways. He has warnings. Here are the dangers ahead. The book also contains reminders of what was taught. The last are promises of what faithful living and believing gains Christians.

So Peter's keyword might be "Urgency." In this book, you find a sense of urgency in his voice as he writes the word.

The Faith We Share

Most Christians see the apostles as a different class than they. Peter saw and walked and talked with Jesus. He stood at the opening of the empty tomb and witnessed the transfiguration. He spoke to the multitudes on Pentecost and crossed the threshold into Cornelius' house to offer the gospel to the Gentiles.

He had a different faith than we have.

But Peter protests that is not true. He says we share a faith with him and all other Christians.

"Simeon Peter, a servant 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:" (2 Peter 1:1, ESV)

We have "equal standing." God sees us the same. Whether it be the Pentecost preacher or the new Christian, they are alike without distinction in God's sight. He doesn't see men as man does. Instead, they are all his children.

Why is that? We haven't done impressive things, so why do we have equal standing? It's because it is not what we did but what. God did.

According to verse 1, he says it was our faith that was "obtained."

Josephus, the Jewish historian, found this word in his vocabulary. The Jews at Antioch, even though they were not native to the area, were "given equal honor and privileges as the Greeks who were born in Macedonia."

The difference is not in the achievement but in the declaration to be so.

All of this is ours through God's grace and power.

Our standing happens "by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ."

We hear the terms of agency. It is the status of a gift, not a right. God acted through Christ to make us his own.

In addition, he employed his divine power to give us what we could not attain on our own. Listen to verse 3:

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence," (2 Peter 1:3, ESV)

Power from the God of heaven gave us all things we need. In that small tidbit of text is the veiled reference that nothing new or novel is necessary to live for Christ. Those who teach otherwise do not have the divine imprimatur but want-to-be apostles.

The power included making us "partakers of the divine nature." Many misunderstand that phrase and twist it to what it does not mean.

In recent years (and even in Peter's time), teachers and philosophers said we "become divine as God is." In fact, many go as far as to say we have the spark of God in us, making us on par with God.

That dangerous heresy gets snuffed out in this book. Instead, Peter is talking about sharing the experiences that Christ has in eternity. We will be partners at that moment.

Is this given by a God who pats people on the head and just accepts whatever? Peter says it is because we have escaped the corruption of the world.

The life of sin is a parasite rotting the spirit. Peter's corruption is about internal de- cay. A sin-clasped heart rots from the inside out.

Several years ago, we had friends who attended the elders' worship at Abilene Christian. On the way, my friend found a side-of-the-road fruit stand that sold watermelons. He thought that would be a good treat, so he stopped and bought one.

We all went to a park, prepared for a juicy feast. He cut into it and tasted it. You could tell from the twisted grimace of his face it was not good. The inside had rotted and was worthless.

The gospel frees us from a prison that deteriorates life and spirit.

Many reflect on this exalted passage, put their feet up, and want to relish in their faith. But Peter would have none of it. It's time to break a sweat.

A Developing Faith

In verse 5, Peter discusses what should happen because of the status God has granted us.

"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge," (2 Peter 1:5, ESV)

Effort? In the Christian life? Isn't God supposed to do everything for us?

Many Christians feel that way. I'll sit in church, and God can work on me. They want God to do a spiritual makeover.

Get off the chair because Peter says to exert "effort." It's a common word that means to come alongside someone. When you have a flat, and someone stops to help, they are "coming alongside."

Peter teaches us we need to bring something alongside what God has done. He has done the hard work, but we have to roll up our spiritual sleeves and start working. We bring our desire and determination to live as Christ would have us and, coupled with God's power, move forward in spiritual development.

This is done to "supplement" what we have. In the ancient world, a town would have a chorus. That chorus depended on a generous benefactor who supplied what was needed. His gifts provided salaries, props, and costumes. Here Peter says, "we need more supplies above and beyond what is asked or demanded."

Christianity is a life of putting more into being God's person each day. It seeks more than the bare minimum.

There is a curse to church attendance. Many come, sit in their pew, try not to snore through the sermon, and go home, thinking that's all they need. It's a great starting place but not a great resting place.

As the Brooklyn cop told the vagrant, "if you want to stop here, you have to keep moving."

And Peter, as was the custom of the day, gives a list of developmental traits.

Faith

He starts with faith, our trust in Christ to see us. In the initial obedience that leads to salvation, Jesus asks, "do you trust me?"

When my youngest daughter was a toddler, she scared me to death. I would be in the bedroom and turn around, and she was flying off the end of the bed, expecting me to catch her. It is only by the grace of God that I never dropped her, but she was saying, "I trust you." That's what we do when we become a Christian.

Peter says to add to faith something called in many translations, "virtue."

Virtue

It is a trait steeped in Greek literature. Ulysses took his journey and showed himself the hero, making himself someone who stood out for his bravery. But that doesn't sound much like virtue?

But it does mean that your life exhibits traits that are so noticeable that it stands out. Does your life stand out as an example to others? That's Peter's driving point. We should have a faith that goes even further than saves us but provides something others notice and admires.

To virtue, we are to add knowledge.

Knowledge

William Barclay calls this practical knowledge, or how to choose and make decisions. A Christian must develop a sense of what is right and wrong and what is good and better. It is an insight into life that makes better choices for self and others.

Some don't. My grandson was looking under a bench when he saw a spider web with spiders. He said, "I eat spiders." I promptly told him, "No, you don't." Yet, some Christians make decisions akin to eating spiders.

Self-control

After virtue comes self-control, a term which literally says, "to hold oneself in." It is holding back when tempted. The person with self-control knows the difference between what you can do and what you should do. They are not the same.

As someone has observed, the greatest freedom is found in self-discipline.

That provides the stepping stone to steadfastness.

Steadfastness

It means sticking it out when times are tough. It is a primary work in the vocabulary of suffering during persecution.

Perhaps it is best stated by the wise man in Proverbs 24:16

"for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in

times of calamity." (Proverbs 24:16, ESV)

When you fall down, you keep getting up. Do you let life crush you when it is

hard? It will, only if you let it.

Next comes godliness.

Godliness

The primary term means piety, but it is not limited to folded hands in prayer.

For Peter, it refers to the ability to relate to both man and God appropriately. We

cannot serve God if we mistreat others. And neither will relationships be fruitful if God is not in the picture.

Christianity is just as concerned about how we treat man as how we worship God. The godly man knows how.

Peter then moves forward to brotherly affection.

Brotherly affection

Some call this "mutual affection" or "warm friendliness."

When you love someone despite their flaws, you have brotherly affection. It is hard because you love someone when they are harsh and love them when they are warm.

Finally, Peter arrives at the destination of love.

Love

This seems to be the highest to attain. Peter was in perfect agreement with Paul when Paul said, "the greatest of these is love."

Love:

- Serves the needs of others;

- Overlooks the irritations caused by others;

- Seeks the best in others;

- Shows the love God has for you to others.

But how do you see this list?

Typically, the picture we have is a series of stairs that you climb. They are levels of

achievement that, once reached, you have it. It is easy to see a level to be mastered in this passage, much like graduating from 1st grade to 2nd grade.

But let me propose something different. What happens if you see this as a wheel that never has an endpoint? The more we develop these traits, the more we must develop. Think about it. When you have love, you can have more faith which lends itself to greater virtue and leads to more practical applications in which you can hold your- self in while recovering from life's beatings so you can care for others which helps you believe more... And on and on.

I think Peter would agree with the second view. Look at verse 8.

"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." (2 Peter 1:8, ESV)

If they are increasing. It is a word the Greeks used for excess. Yet, Peter teaches that they need to be "always increasing." Nowhere in the Christian life where you can have enough of what Peter describes.

If this happens, it continues to pay off in your life.

The Beneficial Faith

If this process is followed, positive changes happen in life.

Some are preventative.

"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." (2 Peter 1:8, ESV)

It keeps you...they are appointed watchdogs to keep you safe. What do they pre-

vent.

Peter couples the terms "ineffective and unfruitful." Perhaps Peter remembers a

day on the way to Jerusalem.

In Mark 11, Jesus finds a fig tree. He stops his journey to see it. As he feels for the fruit, it finds none. He then curses the fig tree. A fig tree is to have fruit. But if it bears no fruit, it is useless (or ineffective).

That is the idea. Christians who do not exert the effort to develop faith are a useless fig tree with all promise and no fruit. It is little use to the Master.

The second danger it guards against is spiritual blindness.

"For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins." (2 Peter 1:9, ESV)

The Christian who does not grow cannot see what he must.

When I was in 9th grade, I found myself squinting at the blackboard. I did not think much about it, but it became more pronounced. That was because I could not see. Peter speaks of spiritual squinting because you cannot see.

Peter says he is blind, having forgotten his cleansing. The passive Christian doesn't remember why he is even a Christian. He has long forgotten the great privilege and gift that salvation is.

This is self-inflicted blindness. The answer is to grow.

But this kind of Christian growth and development does more than keeping something from happening. It has a positive impact. It proves something is true.

In the last two verses of our lesson, Peter tells his readers:

"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." (2 Peter 1:10–11, ESV)

Here is where he bears down and demands urgency. Be diligent...lose no time doing these things.

That's because they "confirm the calling and election." Those two terms bother people. They hear the well-worn religious interpretations that God chose you at birth to be a Christian without your choice. And you will remind that, regardless of anything you do. It is irresistible and unlimited.

Yet, look at what Peter is saying in this passage. It doesn't say that individuals are "elect" but "Christians." We are elect because of the blood of Christ. Those who believe and obey are part of God's elect. That is the kind of people he has "selected" to be his children. It is not a mark that happens at physical birth but a change of relationship at the spiritual birth.

But keep reading. The Christian life is not a static relationship that means "you are in like Flint." If you are elect at birth and cannot change that, nothing in this passage makes sense. Why put in the effort alongside God to grow more? Why would you grow blind to your forgiveness if it happened before you even opened your eyes?

As Peter has portrayed, when we are growing in faith, it shows our great faith, our devout obedience and moves us closer to where God would have all of his children.

Conclusion

Peter offers quite a challenge. He wants Christians to keep developing because they will face troubles and tribulations. Faith needs steel in it and stronger spiritual muscles to stand what is coming.

In this lesson, Peter wants to impress three truths on us.

God gave us birth but still expects us to grow up each day.

Too many times, we make the baptistry the finish line. We record names in church records and then forget about it.

Nothing can be further from the truth. The most vulnerable place in life is when a baby is born. He is helpless, and if he doesn't grow, he will not survive.

Growth can happen, but it takes effort on our part. Too often, we want to at- tend a worship service or class and expect the preacher or teacher to unzip our heads and just top off the tank. That's not what happens. We can help, but you have to take the steps necessary.

The more we grow, the more we can grow.

Christianity is about expanding capacity. We love more when we love more. We learn more when we learn more. It seems strange, but if you don't grow, you will not grow.

Trees are a marvel. Experts can tell you how old they are by the rings that develop each year. The rings tell their own story of droughts, fires, floods, and frostbite. But with deep roots, the trees grow in all seasons and give shade to the unsuspecting.

Are you putting in those kinds of spiritual rings in your life?