THEREFORE BRETHREN: dio mallon, adelphoi:
Why the "therefore"? Because of our
provision (everything
pertaining to life and godliness" "His precious & magnificent promises")
and our ''potential'' ("partakers of the divine nature").
In fact this verse closely parallels Peter's exhortation to diligence in
(v5).
"Therefore"
ties these great truths together.
Peter is saying that on the basis of
everything I have said
"Therefore, brethren be all the more diligent..."
In this verse and the
next Peter gives the 2 results of spiritual growth, the first relating
to this present life (assurance of salvation) and the second to the
future (abundant entrance into God's eternal kingdom)
Though God is
“sure” who His elect are and has given them an eternally secure
salvation (see notes
1 Peter 1:1;
1:2;
1:3;
1:4;
1:5; cf. see note
Romans 8:28ff) (click
for John MacArthur's 8
Sermon series on assurance of salvation and scroll down to "Reasons
People Lack Assurance" and "Tests of Assurance),
believers often do not have assurance of their salvation. Security is the Holy
Spirit revealed objective fact that salvation is forever (see note
Romans 8:16).
Assurance is
one’s (subjective) confidence that he or she possesses eternal salvation. In other
words, believers who pursue the spiritual qualities delineated by
Peter guarantees to themselves by the fruit God brings forth through
them that they are called and chosen (elect) by God
unto salvation.
BE ALL THE MORE
DILIGENT: mâllon spoudasate
(2 PPAAM):
(See Torrey's Topic "Diligence")
Diligent
(4704) (spoudazo from the noun spoude Peter used
earlier in v5) (Click study of related noun
spoude
or
here for verb
spoudazo) means to do something in a hurry with intense effort and
motivation or involving earnest application to some specific pursuit. In
using this word Peter is conveying a sense of urgency and eagerness.
Spoudazo is
aorist active imperative which commands a
definitive action and conveys a sense of urgency. Make certain of His
calling now. Don't put this off!
Spoudazo calls for
an intense effort and an eagerness of spirit applied to the
believer's walk. This effort is important as it will solidify their sense
of
assurance that the individual is truly a child of God and a member of
His family.
The writer of Hebrews conveys a parallel thought (Heb 6:11)
expressing the
"desire
that
each
one of (his readers)
show the
same
diligence
so as to realize the
full
assurance of
hope
until the
end".
Are you struggling with lack
of assurance that you are genuinely saved, delivered from the wrath to
come? Peter is writing a great prescription for what ails you.
TO MAKE
CERTAIN: poieisthai (PMN)
bebaios:
(See Torrey's Topic "Assurance")
Make
(4160)
(poieo) means make or do. Poieo is in the
present tense
which calls for
continuous effort -- making certain (strengthening our assurance of
salvation) is to be a lifelong process, and as such is
synonymous with progressive sanctification (holiness). Poieo
is also in the
middle voice which calls for the reader to
personally initiate this action and to participate in the effects of the
development of the virtues leading to holiness. Peter is saying "make
certain for yourself". So if we are diligently supplying these qualities, and
they are increasing, we can know that we have salvation and can avoid
the awful struggle of doubt and fear associated with a lack of
assurance.
Wayne Grudem
writes that...
The way that we confirm our call
and election, then, is to continue to grow in “these things.”
(Ed: The "things" mentioned in
2Pe 1:5;
1:6;
1:7 - see notes)
This implies that our assurance of salvation can be something
that increases over time in our lives. Every year that we add to these
character traits in our lives, we gain greater and greater assurance of
our salvation. Thus, though young believers can have a quite strong
confidence in their salvation, that assurance can increase to even
deeper certainty over the years in which they grow toward Christian
maturity. If they continue to add these things they will
confirm their call and election and will “never fall.” (Grudem,
W: Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. IVP;
Zondervan, 1994
or
Logos)
(Bolding added)
Certain (949) (bebaios
from baino = to go, walk, step) describes that which is fixed, stable, sure, attested to and certified.
It is something which is unwavering and persistent and thus can be relied on or depended on. It
pertains to that which is known with certainty. It refers to
something that has validity over a period of time (e.g., the promise
made to Abraham remained valid to NT believers, see note
Romans 4:16). Figuratively bebaios refers to that upon which one may
build, rely or trust.
Bebaios is something that can be
relied on not to cause disappointment for it is reliable and unshifting.
In practice, though not originally, bebaios is close to
pistos (4103)
(trustworthy, dependable, reliable, faithful)
Bebaios is used 9 times in
the NT (Ro;
2Co;
Heb 5x;
2 P 2x)
and is translated a variety of ways in the NASB: certain, 1; firm, 2;
firmly grounded, 1; guaranteed, 1; more sure, 1; steadfast, 1;
unalterable, 1; valid, 1.
Romans 4:16 (note)
For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with
grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the
descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who
are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
2 Corinthians 1:7 and our hope
for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of
our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
Hebrews 2:2 (note)
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and
every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense,
Hebrews 3:14 (note)
For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of
our assurance firm until the end;
Hebrews 6:19 (note)
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and
steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
Hebrews 9:17 (note)
For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never
in force while the one who made it lives.
2 Peter 1:10 (note)
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;
2 Peter 1:19 (note)
And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which
you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until
the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
TDNT says that
bebaios
means “standing firm on the feet,” “steadfast,”
“maintaining firmness or solidity,” “steadfast for …” Hence
“firm” in the sense of having inner solidity. In respect of abstract
things and persons bebaios thus comes to mean “steady,” “sure,”
“reliable” “steadfast,” or “certain. " (Kittel,
G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament. Eerdmans)
Bebaios
has a legal sense, signifying a legal guarantee, obtained by the buyer
from the seller, to be gone back upon should a third party claim the
thing. Thus in classic Greek bebaios described a warranty
deed somewhat like a guarantee one might have today on an automobile or
similar product. A holy life is like a
"guarantee" demonstrating one's calling and election to others
as well as to one's self.
Peter uses bebaios
describing the Word of God, writing that
we have the prophetic word
[made] (not in Greek. Literally = "word more sure") more
sure, to which you do well to pay (close) attention (nautical
term that meant to hold a ship in a direction and so to sail towards!) as to a lamp shining in a
dark (miry, filthy, murky, dismal, dark) place, until the day dawns
(shines through, breaks forth) and the morning star arises in your
hearts. (see note
2 Peter 1:19)
What Peter is saying
(although the translations in some versions make this meaning difficult
to discern) is not that the eyewitness account of Christ's majesty at
the transfiguration confirmed the Scriptures, but that the prophetic
word is a more reliable attestation or verification of the teachings
about the person, atonement, and second coming of Christ than even the
genuine first hand experiences of the apostles themselves. Courson has
an interesting comment on this passage adding that
If someone offered you the choice of either being on Mount Hermon with
Jesus, seeing Moses and Elijah, hearing a voice from heaven—or having
the Old Testament, most of us would choose to see the Lord glowing, to
see Moses and Elijah, to hear a voice from heaven. But Peter would
choose otherwise. Why? Because experiences fade, but the Word endures.
The problem with experiences is that all they produce is a craving to
see more...Having been around for a while, I would rather hear a great
Bible study and be fed from the Scriptures than see a bunch of
experiences unfolding. There was a time when this was not true in my
life. But the longer I walk with the Lord, the more I realize that
experiences fade—even the valid ones, even the wondrous ones. Only the
Word endures. (Courson, J. Jon Courson's Application Commentary.
Page 1589. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson)
The writer of Hebrews
uses bebaios reminding his Jewish readers, some of whom
were teetering on going back to Judaism, that in Christ we have a hope
set before us and
This hope we have as an anchor (that which
forms a bend i.e., an anchor and can stabilize the thing to which it
is attached) of the soul, a hope both sure (does not totter, cannot be thrown down, steady, immovable,
safe, secure from peril) and steadfast (bebaios) and one which
enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of
Melchizedek." (see notes
Hebrews 6:19;
6:20)
(Comment: Vincent says means here a hope that sustains one’s
steps in going, one that does not break down under what steps upon it)
MacDonald
comments that
"In the storms and trials of life this hope serves as an anchor of the
soul. The knowledge that our glorification is as certain as if it had
already happened keeps us from drifting on the wild waves of doubt and
despair. The anchor is not cast in the shifting sands of this world but
takes hold in the heavenly sanctuary. Since our hope is the anchor, the
meaning is that our hope is secured in God’s very Presence behind the
veil. Just as sure as the anchor is there, we shall be there also." (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)
Bebaios was used of confirming something as in the legal
terminology of validating a will. So a Christian by growing in grace
becomes assured (stabile, secure in the salvation, having assurance of
their salvation) of having been called and
elected by God. This stresses the responsibility of the believer to live
in conformity to his calling into a partaking of the divine nature in
Christ Jesus (v4).
The
exhortation is that the believer should make sure of the fact that he is
saved by seeing to it that the Christian graces superabound in his life.
There is no idea here of making sure that we retain our
salvation but that we possess salvation.
Spurgeon comments that...
"Full
assurance is an excellent attainment. It is profitable for a man to be
certain in this life, and absolutely sure of his own calling and
election. But how can he be sure? Now, many of our more ignorant hearers
imagine that the only way they have of being assured of their election
is by some revelation, some dream, and some mystery. I have enjoyed very
hearty laughs as the expense of some people who have trusted in their
visions. Really, if you had passed among so many shades of ignorant
professing Christians as I have; and had to resolve so many doubts and
fears, you would be so infinitely sick of dreams and visions that you
would say, as soon as a person began to speak about them, "Now, do just
hold your tongue." "Sir," said a woman, "I saw blue lights in the front
parlor when I was in prayer, and I thought I saw the Saviour in the
corner, and I said to myself I am safe."
Peter is not necessarily urging the readers to engage in more strenuous
activities per se. A believer's spiritual growth confirms that
God has called and chosen him. The "blighted" condition pictured in v9
destroys such personal assurance.
In 1654 Thomas Brooks wrote the
following statement regarding the believer's assurance of
salvation...
|
"Assurance is
the believer's ark where he sits like Noah, quiet and still in the
midst of all distractions and destructions, commotions and
confusions...Most Christians live between fears and hopes and
hang, as it were, between heaven and hell. Sometimes they hope
that their state is good, other times they fear that their state
is bad. Now they hope that all is well and that it shall go well
with them forever. And then they fear that they shall perish by
the hand of such a corruption or by the prevalency of such to
temptation. And so they are like a ship in a storm, tossed here
and there." (From
Heaven on Earth by Thomas Brooks written in 1654) |
ABOUT
HIS CALLING: ten klêsin:
(Ro 1:1,
7,
8:28-30;
8:30,
9:24;
1Cor 1:2,
1Cor 1:9;
1Cor 1:24,
1Cor 1:26,
Gal 1:6;
Eph 1:18,
4:1,
1Thes 2:12;
2Thes 2:14;
2Ti 1:9;
Heb 3:1;
1Pet 2:9,21;2
Pet 1:10;Jude
1:1,
Rev 17:14,
Torrey's
Topic Call of God)
Note
that "calling
and choosing"
are modified by a single definite article (ten) and thus are
viewed as intimately related for our salvation.
Calling
(2821) (klesis) means a call
and was used for an invitation to a
banquet. In the NT the word is used metaphorically of the
call or invitation to come into the kingdom of God with all its privileges.
Here "klesis" refers to the
divine call by which Christians are introduced into the privileges of
the gospel. God’s invitation (klesis) to man to accept the benefits of
His salvation is what this calling is all about, particularly in the
gospels. It is God’s first act in the application of redemption
according to His eternal purpose (Ro 8:28). A distinction is made between
God’s calling and men’s acceptance of it (Mt 20:16).
Klesis is used 11 times in the NT in the NASB (Ro;
1Co
2x;
Eph
3x;
Phil;
2Th;
2Ti;
Heb;
2 P)
(Click
study of related word
kletos,
and a discussion of who are
"the called")
Romans 11:29 (note)
for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
1 Corinthians 1:26 For consider your calling, brethren,
that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble;
1 Corinthians 7:20 Let each man remain in that condition in which
he was called.
Ephesians 1:18 (note)
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 4:1
(note)
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which
you have been called,
Ephesians 4:4 (note)
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one
hope of your calling;
Philippians 3:14 (note)
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 To this end also we pray for you always that
our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every
desire for goodness and the work of faith with power;
2 Timothy 1:9 (note)
who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which
was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
Hebrews 3:1 (note)
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling,
consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.
2 Peter 1:10 (note)
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;
Klesis can also
refer to a call unto Christian service or ministry. That the
calling is
to more than a Christian profession is clear from the experiences which
Paul associates with it. (see note
Romans 1:1) No one can be a chosen one unless he is
a called one. The initiative always comes from God.
Louw Nida defines klesis as an
urgent
invitation to someone to accept responsibilities for a particular task,
implying a new relationship to the one who does the calling; the station
in life or social role which one has."
Vine says klesis
a calling, is always used in NT of that calling the origin, nature and
destiny of which are heavenly (the idea of invitation being implied); it
is used esp of God's invitation to man to accept the benefits of
salvation.
In the present
context klesis refers to those
who have been summoned by God (the following phrases are meant to be
read as one long sentence which gives a Biblical statement regarding
calling)...
"according to His purpose" (see
note
Romans 8:28)
to salvation (see note
Romans 8:30),
"saints by calling" (1Cor 1:2),
"both Jews and Greeks" (1Cor 1:24),
having been called "with a holy" (see note
2 Timothy 1:9),
"heavenly calling" (see note
Hebrews 3:1)
"out of darkness into His marvelous light" (see note
1 Peter 2:9)
"by grace"
(Gal
1:6)
"not from
among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles" (see note
Romans 9:24)
through the "gospel" that we "may gain the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (2Th 2:14)
and be brought "into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord"
(1Cor 1:9)
and return in triumph "with Him" at the end of this age (see
note
Revelation 17:14).
God's
great doctrine of our calling should cause all the "called of Jesus
Christ" to exclaim "Glory!"
While
God’s choice of the elect is firm and certain in God (see note
2 Timothy 2:9),
it may not always be obvious to the individual Christian.
McGee summarizes Peter's command
explaining that...
In other words, the
security of the believer is objective; it is something that cannot
be disturbed. However, your assurance can certainly be disturbed
by the life you live. If your life is not lived in sincerity and truth,
you are bound to lie on your bed at night and wonder if you really have
been born again. While it is true that Christ has done everything
necessary to save you and keep you saved, your Christian life to be
meaningful is something that you have to work at.
Who are the
CALLED?
Well, they are those who have heard. The Lord Jesus made it clear when
He said,
"My
sheep
hear My
voice, and I
know them, and they
follow Me” (Jn 10:27).
If you are following someone or something else, you haven’t heard Him,
you are not one of His sheep. The ones who hear and follow
Him are the
called ones.
Let’s not argue about election. It is as simple as this: He
calls,
and you answer. If you have answered, you are among the elect, one of
“the called of Jesus Christ.” Paul assures the Roman Christians that
they are called ones.
In the writings of both Paul & Peter when they mention "called" ("call",
"calling", etc), the reference is to an "effectual"
call, that is a call which is answered & thus "the called" equates
essentially with those who are "the chosen" or "the elect".
Note that the gospels
use the term called
differently -- in (Mt 22:1-13,14)
many were "called" to the "wedding feast" but few were "chosen", so in
the gospels the term "call..." was not synonymous with an effectual call
to salvation.
Spurgeon
makes the distinction between "general" and "special" calling writing that...
By the
word "calling"
in Scripture, we understand two things—one, the general call,
which in the preaching of the gospel is given to every creature under
heaven; the second call (that which is here intended) is the special
call—which we call the effectual call, whereby God secretly,
in the use of means, by the irresistible power of his Holy Spirit, calls
out of mankind a certain number, whom he himself hath before elected,
calling them from their sins to become righteous, from their death in
trespasses and sins to become living spiritual men, and from their
worldly pursuits to become the lovers of Jesus Christ."
Peter pointed
out that “calling”
and “election”
go together. The same God who elects His people also ordains the means
to call them. The two must go together, as Paul wrote to the
Thessalonians
God
has
chosen you from the
beginning for
salvation
through
sanctification by the
Spirit and
faith in the
truth...It was for
this He
called you
through our
gospel,” (2Th 2:13,14).