2 Peter 1:1-2 | “Making your calling and election sure” – II Part

1. Intro
2. Vs. 1a The secret of freedom
3. Vs. 1b The basis of fairness
4. Vs. 2 The blessing of fellowship

1. Intro.

Having discussed the type of literature of 2 Peter being a “New Testament letter” known as an epistle that followed the typical four-fold pattern of:

1. Chp. 1:1-4 Introduction
2. Chp. 1:5-11 Statement of purpose “Making your calling and election sure”
3. Chp. 1:12-3:16 Main body of teaching: Three ways to, “Stir up pure minds (3:1)”
4. Chp. 3:17-18 Closing and benediction: “Grow in grace”

We begin our examination of the introduction of this letter understanding our enemies tactics move the Christian and the church away from the truth of God’s word. Peter sets the tone of the letter as it relates to the gospel and to the truth which they must grow in while revealing indirectly satan’s hatred of three important truths and doctrines:

1. Vs. 1a The secret of freedom: “A bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ”.
2. Vs. 1b The basis of fairness: “To those who have obtained like precious faith with us”.
3. Vs. 2 The blessing of fellowship: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. 
4. Vs. 1a The secret of freedom

Vs. 1 “Simon Peter” the writer identifies himself and his glorious privilege in his given name. But it is what Peter says next that gives the readers an important truth that false teachers will always attack when he writes that he is “A bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ”. The Greeks had five words for our English word salve. The word had many meanings and came from the root word to “bind” and was used as “One who is BOUND to another as a slave”. It designated a person who was born into slavery and was used of the Christian as identification of the previous condition by which they were “born into sin” but were now “born again” into a loving servitude to Jesus Christ through there regeneration. It was also used of a person who was swallowed up in the will of another so much so that they were bound with bounds that only death could break. This also describes our former condition do to sin and our current condition because of Jesus who broke the bonds of death! It, furthermore, described a person’s service that was so intense that they would disregard any and all self-interest as it carried the attitude that “Nothing matters about me so long as the Lord is glorified”! This ought to be the attitude of each and every one of us whose bonds of been cut to sin and bound to Jesus! It is here that Peter gives the reader of this letter the “The secret of freedom” that satan will continue to seek to destroy: That at the heart of all true and lasting freedom there can only be loving bondage to Christ! We only need to examine personal and historical humanity to see the effect of satan’s lies. Liberty or freedom without any personal restraint is always self-destructive and intime will suppress other freedoms! The person who will not be bound to anything or anyone is the person who is most enslaved as the greater is never “free too” without being “free from”. Freedom must be limited and have structure to be enjoyed and every type of freedom has to have its boundaries and chains. But it’s only if such enslavement is to Jesus Christ that a person is set free! Peter says that his service was tendered so much so to Jesus that “Nothing matters about me so long as the Lord is glorified”! In using the name and title of Jesus we see Peter define three doctrines of the faith:

• The deity of Jesus
• The humanity of Jesus
• The sacrificial atonement of Jesus as he is the Christ

Peter’s statement in verse 1 as to The secret of freedom suggests three things:

1. That Peter accepted his position as a bondservant as an acknowledged fact! Peter was Jesus Christ’s salve. He had been bought at a price and was now Jesus’ property who had sole rights to His life!
2. Peter allowed that above “FACT” to have an assumptive attitude in his life! It produced humility and paved the way to the right heart in service to Jesus and the Church. Peter was obedient to Jesus based upon the transformation of his attitude do to this “FACT”.
3. Finally, the “fact that transformed and attitude directed his mission and direction in life” as an apostle he was sent forth to do his master’s will when and where Jesus directed him. Through being bound to Christ Peter experienced perfect freedom orchestrating opportunities in harmony with the will of the Father!
4. Vs. 1b The basis of fairness

Vs. 1b The next thing in this introduction to the letter that Peter says reveals for us the second truth that satan and his false teachers wants to disseminate lies in order that Christians will remain ignorant on:  The basis of fairness: “To those who have obtained like precious faith with us”. The word “obtain” in the Greek is a word that means to receive by divine allotment the faith granted the believer is like the winning lottery ticket as without possession on it we cannot receive the prize! The faith is “like precious” and the Greek speaks of like in quantity and quality linked with a word that means “held at great price”. The unity of the humanity is that “ALL are equally in sinful so that the same treatment can by 100% effective”. Satan peddles “goodness” that some are “good people” while others are not. That God’s acceptance is based upon works and that refine is all about our effort to get better! It may surprise some but satan is the most religious person in all of God’s creation. But the truth is faith is a gift of God and all men are equally as bad off as they can be so that God can transform them all who receive the gift of faith to be as good as He designed them! The passing of over 2000 years has not changed or altered this truth! The problem with the world is that I am the problem and because of me I can’t get along with others and it’s destroying other people who are in the exact same condition as I am. The proof of this is seen in the reality that even with all of humanities advancement in sciences, communication and travel we are closer to the brink of extinction then we have ever been….humanity isn’t getting better it is getting worse. As bad as this truth is it means that nothing has changed the prescribed treatment from God. No advancement has made God’s gift of faith obsolete. Oh, that the church would get back to the gospel instead of parlor tricks and sideshow gimmicks! Satan and his messengers would have the Christian believe that God’s gift of faith in His Son is NOT ENOUGH to transform us, but the message is that there is STILL only One Way whereby humanity can be right in the sight of God and that is faith in Jesus Christ!           

1. Vs. 2 The blessing of fellowship

Vs. 2 that leads Peter to the third and final truth that satan wishes to cover up by his lies and that is The blessing of fellowship: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”. How do we Christian maintain the above truths of The secret of freedom and the The basis of fairness? The answer is through continual and consistent growth (multiplied) found ONLY in appropriating experiential knowledge. It is in this that every believer can experience more grace and peace in their life. Satan has peddled the life that when the going gets tough pull away from Jesus, put down your Bible and return to your former life because it worked so well that you left it for Christ! Our knowledge of Jesus is no mere facts or tidbits of information about Him but is a heart that experience that has driven us into His loving arms time and again to be transformed by His unending love.

Christian we leave the start of this incredible book realizing how satan would attack the church and truths so that we would be hindered in our application of them causing us to not grow and instead some to become previvors of the devils lies. Let us guard our hearts and minds that we may grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ!