Developing Christian faith (Chap.1)
Chapter-1 opens with a beautiful greeting and a reminder that we have been given exceedingly great promises to help us live godly lives and escape from the treachery of the world. Yielding to the Word of God will make us more effective and productive an active Christian life. The apostle Peter reminds that he was an eyewitness of Christ’s glorious transfiguration on the sacred mountain and further gives the basis and source of God Word or Scripture by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness and virtues of God: (1:1-11)
If anybody in the early church knew the importance of being alert, it was the Apostle Peter. He had a tendency in his early years to feel overconfident when danger was near and to overlook the Master’s warnings. He rushed ahead when he should have waited; he slept when he should have prayed; he talked when he should have listened. He was a courageous, but careless Christian.
But he learned his lesson, and he wants to help us learn it too. In his first epistle, Peter emphasized the grace of God in 1-Peter, but in this second letter, his emphasis is on the knowledge of God.
The knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is obtained through the Word of God and our faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter emphasizes upon the faith as follows: Ex: a patient goes to a doctor believing him and his drugs that his disease would be cured:
God’s Word is powerful: (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.” (2 Pet.1:3)
It is amazing to see that Bible gives such a powerful knowledge pertaining to life and godliness. It means literally, all the power available from God to live and be godly comes through knowledge! We must put lot of emphasis on doctrine and instruction in the Scriptures. We must also note that just knowing the scripture does not guarantees godliness, at the same time ignorance of scripture certainly leads to ungodliness. That’s why Peter says that the divine power leads to godliness is given through the knowledge of God.
A person must practice these things through the Scripture: Here are three implications, a promise and a warning:
- Read: Read the scripture and do not waste your time on theological foam and suds. Read rich doctrinal books about “the one who called you to His glory and excellence.” Ex: One such doctrinal book I have found very useful viz. Doctrines by Ferguson.
- Think: Take time to think about the Bible. Ask questions to yourself. Keep a notes and note down the difficult things. Ask God for the difficult and puzzling events and meanings. Sometimes the meanings and interpretations may be complex, but God will give us insight into it. We can take the help of some of the commentaries and dictionaries written by the great men of God.
- Discuss: Discuss within small groups. Be a part of a small group Bible study that loves passionately the scripture, but not a group that just likes to talk and raise problems. But a group that believes there are biblical answers to biblical problems.
- God’s promise: God will satisfy us with His word. “No longer will a man teach his neighbour, or a man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Heb.8:11-12).
- A warning: “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hos.4:6a). “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom.10:2). (thought taken from Solid Joys)