By Nathan Harris, Ph. D.
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, University of Mobile
BE EQUIPPED
2 Peter 1:3–8; 16–21
Their Salvation (3–8)
As the parents of three children, each and every day my wife and I do all that we can to make sure they have all they need to grow physically, mentally and spiritually.
With everything they need for healthy development, our children are growing day by day. It’s such a wonderful thing to witness.
Similarly, Peter is like a parent, encouraging his readers to grow. More specifically, he is encouraging them to grow spiritually as mature believers in Christ. Growing as believers is nothing without the grace of our Lord.
Because of God’s great mercy in giving us His Son, calling us to eternal life, blessing us beyond measure in His promises and providing us with all we need for life and godliness, we should pursue spiritual growth.
It is here in our Bibles where Peter provides Christians with a long list of attributes of the godly believer.
As those called out of darkness, we should earnestly desire to grow our faith in virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection and love. If we possess these qualities — and they are growing in our lives — then we will be fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ Identity (16–18)
Another encouragement for the Christian life is knowing and trusting in the divinity of Jesus. We celebrate that Christ was not just fully man but was fully God — and capable of redeeming us back to the Father.
Peter encourages believers to hold on to the reality that Jesus truly was who He said He was. We can know and believe in the identity of Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior. Peter testifies from firsthand experience that Jesus did not construct myths or cleverly devised lies to get people to follow Him.
On the contrary, all that Jesus said and did was real. Peter witnessed the transfiguration of Christ, where His face was bright like the sun, His clothes were white and Moses and Elijah were with Him there.
With his own eyes, Peter saw Christ in glory. On the mount of transfiguration, God the Father spoke, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 17:5).
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is not a fabricated story but is the gospel of life that all need to hear, believe and live.
Scripture (19–21)
As a capstone to this chapter, Peter points toward the Scriptures as a final encouragement for believers.
Believers are encouraged to pay attention to the Word of God, for it is inspired by God, declared by the apostles and verified in its promises.
We find in these few short verses that Scripture is fully confirmed because all that was said has come to pass, meaning it is verifiably true in what it says.
Second, Scripture does not come from someone’s own interpretation but from God alone. Men were inspired to write “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Third, believers are to pay close attention to God’s Word, like a lamp in a dark place, as their guide and source of their comfort. God has provided us with all that we need for life and godliness, and it is through His Word that we grow and live righteously and become “equipped for every good work”
(2 Tim. 3:17).
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