Our Scripture Portion.

2 Peter 1:1‑8
 
You must open your Bible at the passage indicated and follow this article with the Scripture before you, if you would get any real help. Space forbids quotations of any length from the passage so, as you read, refer to the Scripture and THINK.
If consequently fresh light begins to break in upon you, do not lightly turn from it, but lifting up your heart in thanksgiving to God, pursue your searching of the Word on the point. It may open up lo you a fruitful field of truth and you can resume your reading of the article on another occasion.
In his second Epistle the apostle Peter addressed himself to the same believers —Christian Jews scattered throughout Asia Minor—as in his first. This fact is not directly stated in the opening verses, but the first verse of chapter 3 makes it quite apparent. In the salutation with which the Epistle opens he simply describes them as those who had received a like precious faith to himself “through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
They had believed the gospel just as he had believed it, and such faith wherever found in the heart is indeed precious. Still the reference here is to the faith of Christianity which is precious beyond all words. The Jews religion could not be called a faith. It began with sight at Sinai. It consisted in a law of demand coupled with a visible system— “ordinances of divine service and a worldly sanctuary” (Heb. 9:11Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. (Hebrews 9:1))—which was a shadow of good things to come. They had turned from this, which looked like the substance but was only the shadow, to embrace the precious faith of Christ which looks to unbelievers like a shadow, but which is really the substance.
This precious faith has only come to us by the advent of the Lord Jesus as Saviour, and He came as the demonstration of the righteousness of our God. The word “our” should be inserted as the margin of a refence Bible will show, and it is worthy of being noted. Writing, as a converted Jew to converted Jews “our God” would signify “Israel’s God” who had displayed His righteousness in His faithfulness to His ancient promises and intervened on their behalf, and on ours, by the sending of the Saviour, as the result of which so precious a faith is ours.
Now the Lord Jesus who came as our Saviour, according to verse 1, also is the Revealer by whom we have the true knowledge of God, as verse 2 indicates and all grace and peace is enjoyed by us in proportion as we really know God Himself and the Lord Jesus. Indeed it is through the knowledge of our Saviour God that all things relating to life and godliness are ours.
It will help to the understanding of this passage if you begin by noting that: ―
1. Verse 3 and the first part of verse 4 speak of things which are given by the power of God to each and every believer.
2. The latter part of verse 4 gives us the object God had in view in what He has given.
3. Verses 5 to 7 indicate the way in which we are responsible to work out into practical effect that which we have received, so that God’s object is reached. We are to be marked by expansion and growth. That which “divine power” (verse 3) has given, our “diligence” (verse 5) is to expand.
What has divine power given to us? All things relating to life and godliness. We have not merely received life but with it all these things necessary that the new life may be manifested in practical Christian living and godly behavior. The Apostle does not stop to specify the things given save to remind us that we have promises of an exceedingly great and precious kind. He really uses in fact the superlative word “greatest,” for nothing could surpass the hopes of the Christian which center in the coming of the Lord. Still a few moments reflection might serve to remind us of some of the gifts that divine power has conferred upon us: — the Holy Spirit indwelling us, the Word of God written for us, the throne of Grace opened to us, to name but three. We have received however, not some but ALL things that have to do with life and godliness. Hence we are sent forth thoroughly furnished. Nothing is lacking upon God’s part.
All these things have reached us through the knowledge of God as the One who has called us “to” or “by glory and virtue” (See margin). We are of course called to glory (See 1 Peter 5:1010But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)). Here the point is that both glory and virtue characterize our call. We are called to live in the energy of that glory which is our destiny and end, and of that virtue or courage which will carry us through to the end.
These things, one and all, are ours that by them we might be “partakers of the divine nature.” Every true believer is “born of God” and in that sense partakes of the divine nature (See 1 John 3:99Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (1 John 3:9)); consequently he does righteousness and walks in love (See 1 John 2:29, 3:10). The meaning of our passage however is not that by the things given to us we might be born again, for Peter was writing to those who were already “born again” (1 Peter 1:2323Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23)). It is rather that by these things we might be led into a practical and experimental partaking of the divine nature. In one word, love is the divine nature and hence verse 5 to 7 depict the growth of the believer as culminating in love. “Charity” or love, the divine nature, is the ultimate thing. The believer whose heart is full of the love of God is truly partaker of the divine nature, in the sense of this passage.
All the corruption that is in the world is the fruit of lust. The word “lust” covers all the desires which spring from man’s fallen nature. The law of Moses came in and imposed its restraint upon man’s fallen desires, but instead of the law really restraining lust the lusts of men broke through the restraints of law and continued to spread their corruption around. All the corruptions of the world originate in man’s fallen nature. We, believers, are brought to partake in the divine nature, whence springs holiness, and hence we are lifted out of and escape the corruption. In the strength of what is divine we are lifted out of what is natural to us as sinners, and there is no other way of escape than this.
Now note the words with which verse 5 begins. “And beside this.” That is to say, beside all that is freely conferred upon us by “His divine power” there is needed something on our side. And that something is “all diligence.”
The work, even in our hearts and lives as believers, is all God’s work, yet we must not because of that drop into a kind of fatalism as though there were nothing for us to do. We must rather remember that it pleases God to use human means in correction with much of His working, and that He has ordained that the way to spiritual prosperity for each individual believer ‘should be by means of that believer’s own spiritual diligence. This is not surprising for it is quite in accord with what we see in natural things. In the book of Proverbs we have divine wisdom applied to natural things and there we read, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” (22:29).
Hence with all diligence we are to add to our faith virtue and all the other things enumerated in verse 5 to 7. Another version renders it, “In your faith have also virtue, in virtue knowledge” &c. If the former translation gives the idea of building, as though one were adding brick to brick, the latter gives the idea of growth. The bud upon the apple tree in the spring has within it in germ the luscious apple that hangs in autumn time in the same spot. Yet in the production of the apple many things have played their part, the sunshine and the rain, and the life energies of the tree which have enabled it to suck up from the soil the required moisture and other matter. Without the life energy of the tree all else would have been in vain as far as the production of an apple was concerned.
Now we are to be marked by diligent energy after this fashion. The beautiful traits of Christian character which lie in germ in every Christian are then expanded in us and in our faith is found virtue or courage. If there be not virtue which enables us to stand out clear and distinct from the world our faith becomes itself a very sickly thing.
In virtue we are to have knowledge. Virtue imparts great strength to one’s character, but except strength is used according to knowledge, and that knowledge the highest and best of all—the knowledge of God and His will it may become a dangerous thing.
In knowledge we must have temperance, or moderation. If ruled by knowledge only we may very easily become creatures of extremes. The believer of great intellectual clearness may easily so act as to imperil the welfare of his less discerning brethren, as Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8 show us. Hence the need of temperance.
In temperance we are to have patience, or endurance. We are bound to be tried and tested. The believer of endurance wins through.
In patience, godliness, or piety. We learn to live in the consciousness of the presence of God. We see God in our circumstances and act as beneath His eye.
In godliness, brotherly kindness; for we are now able to adjust ourselves fittingly in regard to our fellow-believers. We view them too in relation to Christ and as begotten of God, and not according to our whims and fancies, our own partialities, our likes or dislikes.
In brotherly kindness we are to have charity, or love; that is divine love, the love that goes on loving the naturally unlovely, since now the fountain of love is within and hence love has not to be excited by the presentation without of what may appeal to one personally. The believer who by diligent spiritual growth loves after this fashion is a partaker of the divine nature in a very practical manner, and is fruitful as verse 8 plainly declares.
These things, you notice, are to be in us and abound. They are not like garments to be put on us for then they might be put off on occasions. Like fruit they are the product and expansion of the divine life within, and if they abound in us they prove us to be neither “barren” ―or “idle”―” nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Idleness is the opposite to diligence. Which are we, idle or diligent? Some Christians are very diligent in money-making and even diligent in pleasure-seeking, but idle in the things of God. Is it any wonder they spiritually languish? Others while paying the necessary heed to their business or work are diligent in the things of God. No one need be surprised that they spiritually flourish.
F. B. HOLE.