Divinely Called
Divinely Called
2 Peter 1:3-11
“Mom, I don’t think I can make it.” The first few days into my college football career led to a tear-filled phone call to home, doubting my calling as a college athlete. I was a three-sport athlete in high school and earned all-state honors in football. The college recruiting started at the beginning of my junior year and continued through the fall of my senior year. Many schools from all over the country made me offers to play college football, and each each coach told this young, seventeen- year old kid he was going to be a key piece in bringing football success to his school’s program. I eventually decided to play in the Ivy League and landed at the University of Pennsylvania. I trained hard all summer and arrived with eager anticipation and excitement, ready to make an impact on my new team.
The first few days of pads crushed my expectations. The game moved so fast, and I could not keep up. I could not block anyone. Playing against fourth year seniors and several NFL prospects humbled me quickly. After those first few days, I picked up the pay phone and called home, “Mom, I don't think I can make it.” I was ready to call it quits and head home. Can you relate? Have you ever been so sure something was going to go well before it went the opposite direction? Or have you stepped into a role or job before realizing it was going to be a lot harder than you anticipated?
I was called to play college football, but it was much harder than I could have imagined. “I don’t think I can make it.” My college football experience is how many of us view the Christian life. God calls us to live and grow with Him, but it’s a lot harder than we realize. We start to battle internal thoughts and desires we didn’t even know we had. The road that once seemed smooth and effortless is now full of potholes and construction. So we call out to God, just as I called home to my mom, and we confess, “I don’t think I can make it.” The Apostle Peter can relate.
Peter didn’t think he could strengthen the sheep. Remember, he stood next to a charcoal fire and denied Jesus three times. He said he was ready to stand with Jesus until the end, but then life happened. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter sat next to another charcoal fire eating fresh fish with the Lord Jesus. Imagine Peter sitting before that charcoal fire, remembering the smells and the emotions of the night he had betrayed Christ. The rooster crowed, and he made eye contact with his friend and master, only to weep bitterly. As Peter sat before the fire, remembering that dreadful night, he was probably thinking, “I don’t think I can make it,” Jesus said to him,
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” John 21:15–19
Peter denied Jesus three times, and now he confirms his love for Jesus three times. Jesus knew Peter’s heart, but three times gave him his calling, “Feed my sheep.” Many years later, Peter sat in a prison cell remembering those words, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” Peter knew his time was short and death was near, so he wrote this letter to help those, like himself, who often believe, “I don’t think I can make it.”
Peter wants to remind us of our calling and give us a road map so we can finish the journey. Peter plays the role of father here, giving us the words we need when we want to call home and say, “I don’t think I can make it.” So, fellow strugglers, let us tune in to Peter’s words, as he reminds us of who we are and where we are headed.
Divinely Called (2 Peter 1:3-4)
Letters in the ancient world usually included a longer greeting before the author turned to the body of the letter. As 2 Peter begins, Peter gives a short greeting then turns and delivers a powerful mini sermon. 2 Peter 1:3–4,
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, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Peter roots our ability to grow in knowledge that is not in ourselves but in God. He says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” The text is unclear whether “His” is referring to the Father or to Jesus. The sentence before Peter mentions both when he says, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” So it could be either the Father or the Son, but the text shows their equality so it is probably not wise for us to push for one over the other. Either way, it is God’s divine power that has been given to us.
The power to make it does not rest in us, but in God. By His divine power, He has granted, or given to us, all things that pertain to life and godliness, meaning we have all we need. Life and godliness are linked together. The term “life” here most likely refers to eternal life. Godliness is mentioned because one cannot receive eternal life without godliness. They are linked together.
So, how do we receive this life and godliness? Through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence. We have been given life and godliness through a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Again, this is not merely a knowledge about Jesus, but a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ. When people come to Jesus they see His glory and His excellence. They see the beauty and goodness and kindness and majesty of His moral character and His love, and they want to know Him. It is the goodness of Jesus that draws us to Him.
Consider one of Peter’s earliest interactions with the Lord Jesus. He had been fishing all night and caught nothing. He came back to shore and Jesus, the carpenter, says “Go through your nets once more for a catch.” Peter reluctantly obeyed, and the boats were so full of fish that they began to sink. Peter saw the beauty and the power of Jesus and he said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” But Jesus responded by saying, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” The kindness and the goodness of the Lord Jesus called Peter, and it calls us.
We are Christians because we see the glory and majesty of the person of Jesus Christ. He is lovely, kind, and compassionate. He is full of mercy and grace. He is love. Jesus does not want you to only know about Him, but to know Him. He wants you to know His love for you. It is this love that calls us into a relationship with Him. It is this love that has given us all we need for life and godliness. So we are called to His own glory and excellence; we are called by seeing the beauty of Jesus. Verse four says, “by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” God has given us very great and precious promises, and through these promises, we become partakers of the divine nature.
The great promise of God is that we will become like Him. In the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are rescued from our body of death and united with Him. We are born again. When we confess our sin, and trust in Jesus Christ as our only hope for salvation, we put on the divine nature. We put off our sinful desires, and we put on Christ. This only happens in the gospel. We recognize we are sinners who need a Savior. We believe Jesus lived a perfect, righteous life and died for sinners on the cross. He paid fully for the sins of the world by experiencing the wrath of God and death on the cross. Then, when Jesus rose from the dead, He was declared to be the Son of God in power by the spirit of holiness. Jesus was the firstfruit of the resurrection. He ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to be with us and carry us home.
The great promise of the gospel is God is with us forever. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:9–10,
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
Whether we are alive or dead, we are with God. Because we are united with God in the gospel, we now have the power to share his nature. We will become like God. The Apostle John puts it this way, 1 John 3:2–3
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
We are God’s children now, but we will not fully experience the divine nature until we meet Him in glory and see Him face to face.
Peter is teaching us how to become partakers of the divine nature. The way to become more and more like Jesus Christ is to meditate, to think, and to dwell on the promises of God. When we embrace the promises of God, we escape the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. Beloved, you have been divinely called by God and given His supernatural power to overcome the evil desires in your heart. You will not fall to your desires because you have been rescued from them. You have escaped their corrupting influence in your life. Verses three and four are written as indicatives; they are facts. Peter grounds our ability to put on the divine nature in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The person and work of Jesus Christ is the springboard and motivates us to put off our old selves and put on the new.
Divinely Consecrated (2 Peter 1:5-9)
The great reformer John Calvin responded to the counter reformation at the Council of Trent by helping to teach what saving faith means. He wrote,
It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone: just as it is the heat alone of the sun which warms the earth, and yet in the sun it is not alone, because it is constantly conjoined with light.
Luther wrote something similar,
Faith is a living, restless thing. It cannot be inoperative. We are not saved by works; but if there be no works, there must be something amiss with faith.
And Peter writes, 2 Peter 1:5–9
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 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.
We are saved by grace alone through faith. God has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, and He has given us the ability to become partakers of the divine nature. But how are we partakers of the divine nature? By effort.
Early in my pastorate, I preached a sermon with a similar idea: we are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone. After the sermon, one of the members posted on social media that I was a false teacher because I had emphasized our role in sanctification. Sadly, this person misunderstood our responsibility for our own growth in Christ. Over the last twenty years, we have seen a strong emphasis on grace. This is correct as a response to the fundamentalism and legalism of the previous generation. But, as is often the case, we have overcorrected, so now when a pastor quotes the Apostle Peter in the Sacred Scriptures saying, “make every effort to supplement or add to your faith,” it sounds funny. It does not compute with our grace-alone thinking.
Beloved, we have to be more nuanced in our understanding of our faith. Peter writes, “For this very reason,” grounding every word of his exhortation in the grace given by God through the person of Jesus Christ. Because you were given grace to believe and to accept the promises of God in Christ Jesus, becoming a partaker of the divine nature, make every effort to grow in your faith. The root comes before the fruit, and the fruit reveals the root. Logically, we understand that we have to work on things if we are going to get better. As an 18-year old college freshman, I knew I needed to hit the weight room, eat healthy, get adequate sleep, study my playbook, and listen to my coaches if I was going to grow as a football player. If it is true for football, how much more is it true for our Christian walk?
Some scholars feel this is a golden chain where one virtue builds on the previous virtue. Although I believe there is some truth to that, I believe it is more likely that Peter is highlighting a few virtues that help highlight the general trajectory of the Christian life. I believe this list of virtues is similar to Paul’s list of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. I do not think it is meant to be exhaustive but is more of an example of the virtues Christians should possess. Although, I would add the caveat that the first virtue, faith, and the last, love, would be intentional. Without faith it is impossible to please God, and without faith one does not have the Spirit who empowers the believer in all these things. The goal of the Christian faith is love, which is a summation and an aim for all of life. God is love and, therefore, we should live a life of love.
Faith - The faith God gives is a faith that grows. It deepens our trust in His promises and leads us into a deeper relationship with Him.
Virtue - Virtue implies living a life worthy of praise. It means doing the right thing no matter the cost or the outcome.
Knowledge - We want to know Jesus Christ personally. We do not merely want head knowledge but a knowledge of the soul. This is a key theme of Peter’s letter. One pastor shared the following story about a famous actor and an elderly minister that helps to illustrate the point,
The story is told of a religious gathering where a famous actor and an elderly minister were both present. The actor, while not on the program, was nevertheless asked by the emcee to come forward and give a word. At a loss as to what to say, he turned to the elderly minister and whispered, “I don’t really know what to do.” The seasoned pastor shoved his Bible into the hands of the actor and replied, “Just read Psalm 23.” The actor stood and with his eloquent voice read the psalm. When finished, he wasn’t quite sure what to do, so he turned to the minister and announced, “Well, I’d like the minister to come up and say a few words on this.” The minister surprised everyone by merely reciting the psalm again and then sitting down. The actor leaned over to him and said, “You did much better than I, and now I understand why. I knew the psalm, but you knew the Shepherd.” STOP
We do not merely want to be actors in the play, but true followers of the Lord. It is knowing God in this way which will help us persevere to the end.
How do you grow in knowledge? We will unpack this in the months ahead, but simply put, we grow in knowledge by God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship. If you want to grow in knowledge, read your Bibles. Meditate on the Word. Memorize Scripture. Read long passages. Go deep in short ones. Give your life to know God’s Word. Pray to God. Lay your hearts bare before him. You will never regret praying. He is eager to hear your requests. God has given us the church to strengthen our faith. He desires that we live in community with one another. Spend time with one another. Eat together. Study the Word together. If you don’t understand something, ask questions of mature saints. Love the church because she is precious in God’s sight; so precious that He sent His only son to purchase her with His own blood. Grow in knowledge by knowing God’s Word, by praying, and by committing yourselves to the church.
Self-Control - Self-control is one of the greatest benefits in all of life. Proverbs 25:28, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Self-control protects you from your selfish desires. Jesus says, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me.” Self-control is our ability to deny ourselves our wants so what Christ wants for us. In our world of ever-increasing abundance and comfort and entertainment, you have to be able to control yourself. If you don’t control yourself with food, you will have bad health. If you don’t control yourself with entertainment, you will have a bad work ethic. If you don’t control your tongue, you will hurt others. If you don’t control yourself, you will be like a city without walls and give the enemy free reign over yourself. And you have to control yourself, because no one else can do it for you.
Steadfastness - steadfastness is referring to endurance and longevity. It is not enough to be self-controlled for a week, but you must do it for a lifetime. We must press on and persevere in our pursuit of God. Well begun is not enough, we must finish well. Listen, we are all going to get knocked off the rails from time to time. When we do, confess your sins, and God who is faithful and just will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Our life is long, press on.
Godliness - Godliness is a life of good works putting others before yourself as you strive to reflect Jesus in all things. In 1 Peter 2:11–12, Peter writes,
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
And for the rest of the letter he unpacks in three ways. First, godliness is submitting to godly authority. Second, godliness is suffering with joy. Third, godliness is using your gifts to serve the Lord.
Brotherly Affection - we must love the saints. Are you making every effort to show familial love to the body of Christ? Are you serving one another? Praying for one another? Showing hospitality toward one another? Believing the best about one another? Bearing with one another? Loving one another?
Love - this is the goal of all of life. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. 1 John 3:16,
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Or John 13:34–35,
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Are you living a life of love for God and others? It is the key fruit of the Christian life. If you ever have any questions what to do ask, “what is the most loving thing I could do in this situation?” If you live a life of love, you will not go astray.
Peter wants you to grow. He wants you to make every effort to grow in Christ. Why? So you will remain with him. Hear him in his own words, 2 Peter 1:8–9,
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.
If you have these qualities and are growing in these qualities, you will be effective in your knowledge of Jesus Christ. You will be a partaker of the divine nature. You will be like Christ. You will live a heavenly life.
If you do not have these qualities, you are blind. You are so nearsighted, staring only at the present movement, you have forgotten the eternal reality of what is to come. The false teachers in the book are denying the promise of the second coming. When they are denying the second coming, they are denying judgment. They are giving people freedom to live any way they want because they won’t be held accountable. This is what it means to be short-sighted. You take your money now and don’t invest it for the future. God wants you to invest your life now so you will reap eternal life in the future.
Friend, if you have never confessed Jesus Christ as Lord or if you are living a life of blatant unrepentant sin, you must turn to God. The Bible says we are blind, and need to see. We need to open our eyes to the truth of what is to come. We need to open our eyes to the beauty and goodness of Jesus Christ. His goodness can be seen in the gospel. In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He who knew no sin, became sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. Friend, if you have never trusted Christ, let me urge you to repent today. Turn to Christ and see. See how much he loves you. See how he wants to make you a partaker in the divine nature. See his grace and mercy. See him and know him and you will experience eternal life.
Divinely Confirmed (2 Peter 1:10-11)
Peter ends with his continued plea to make every effort to grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ so that you will confirm your divine calling, 2 Peter 1:10,
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
Peter knows how to fall. He knows how to be restored. He was told to feed the sheep. What a great promise, if you practice these qualities you will never fall. If we fix our eyes on Jesus, will will never fall away.
I wonder what comes to your mind when he says, “Be all the more diligent?” Where are you lacking diligence in your Christian walk? Where do you need to focus your energies? What do you need to cut out of your life? You have been called and chosen by God. What an incredible, jaw-dropping gift. You, a sinner, have been loved by God in Jesus Christ. Jesus died for you. He was raised for you. He is coming again for you. If he has done so much for you, what are you willing to do for him? Not to justify yourself, but to respond to your justification. Peter says, “Be all the more diligent.” He is not saying you are not being diligent, but wants you to be all the more diligent to confirm God’s work in your life.
And God is not asking you just to work hard, he is asking you to work hard so that you will persevere to glory. 2 Peter 1:11,
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, the apostolic Mandolorian, says, “This is the way.” This is the way to the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
When I read verse 11, I often think of Don Carson writing about his father. It is father’s day and fathers play a unique role in a child’s life. Carson had a deep affection for his father and how his father lived a life of the qualities shown in 1 Peter 1. D.A. Carson wrote a book about his dad, an ordinary pastor, who was not well known, but well loved by God. He finishes his book writing about his father’s death and his entrance into God’s eternal kingdom. He writes,
When Tom Carson (he) died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on the television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.
But on the other side, all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne-room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man—he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor—but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.”
We have been given all we need for life and godliness and to become partakers in the divine nature. If we make every effort to add to our faith, the qualities of Jesus, we will be like Jesus and confirm our calling in Jesus. And when our fallen bodies finally fail us and we breathe our last. We have no need to say, “I don’t think I can make it,” for Christ has already richly provided for you an entrance into his eternal kingdom. Philippians 3:12,
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (ESV)
Our lives are not our own, but were bought with a price. Jesus has made way, has shown us the way, and will keep us in the way.