2 Peter 1:1-11

1: Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 
2: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 
3: seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 
4: For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 
5: Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6: and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 
7: and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 
8: For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
9: For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 
10: Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 
11: for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

***   

Peter wrote the second epistle about a year after the first one, probably 68-69 A.D. However, he addressed it not just to those scattered throughout the area as in his first letter, but to those of like faith. He called for grace and peace to be multiplied to the readers in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowledge, and the true knowledge of the Lord, are mentioned more than once in this passage of Scripture.

The divine power of God has given us everything we need through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Also, by His glory and excellence, He has given us great promises so we may be partakers of His divine nature, and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. So, since the Excellent God has called us and, by His power and the knowledge of Him, given us all we need to partake of His nature and escape corruption, because of this Peter said to diligently in your faith build the qualities he lists.

He lists these qualities—faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. If these qualities are in you and growing, then you will always be useful and fruitful in the true knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the other hand, one who lacks these things is short-sighted and has forgotten his purification from sin.

We must be diligent to remember the greatest gift God has given us—the blood of His son Jesus Christ to cleanse us of our sin, to give us a new heart, a new nature, and His own Spirit, whereby we can live free from sin. We must give diligence to make certain His calling in us—to live according to our new nature, which is His nature, and to live in these godly qualities. When we do, we won’t stumble and the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord will be wide open to us.


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