Monday, January 19, 2015

In our study of 2nd Peter 1:1-11 we noted four references to “knowledge.” Three refer to knowledge that is clear and precise, experienced in an intimate, personal relationship. The first reference in verse 2 primarily focuses on Salvation. In verse 3 Peter begins describing how Sanctification works in the life of the believer. It’s the process of growing into Christ-likeness that continues throughout life. He explains how God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” The commentator Strachan says: “This word (translated “has given”) and its cognates always carry a certain regal sense describing an act of large-handed generosity.” The tense in the original emphasizes an act of giving in the past that continues in the present. God has given us by His power everything we need to experience life in its fullness expressed qualitatively in godliness. The two words “life” and “godliness” describe the unified whole, not two separate aspects of our experience. We often think of life as the necessities for our existence: food, clothing, shelter, and possibly health and enjoyment. Dr. Wuest writes, the expression describes “the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God. It is used to designate the life which God gives to the believing sinner, a vital, animating, spiritual, ethical dynamic which transforms his inner being and as a result, his behavior.” In our next visit we’ll discover how this provision works in our lives.