Our Pursuit and Destiny

2 Peter 1

Peter, the spiritual slave and specially "sent one" of the Lord Jesus, addresses himself to fellow believers who possess the very same precious faith.  We believers have received the righteousness of God through faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.  The primary thrust of Peter’s communications is growth in the Lord through the precious Word of God.  He does not want believers to be immature, lazy, unproductive, and insecure regarding our standing before the Lord. God would have each of us compelled by a vision of maturity as our pursuit and eternal destiny. Are you passionate about growth in godliness?

Through the full personal and experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ, God’s grace and peace can be multiplied in life! This wonderfully issues into meaningful virtuous and godly lifestyles for the people of Christ. Such developments are made possible by the power and calling of a God of brilliant glory and virtue. This is our calling! He has given believers promises that exceed greatness… hope filled encouragements that are truly precious and valuable. Why? It is because they literally fuel our highest God-given dreams and enable our profound spiritually comprehensive transformation in Christ! Beloved, they enable us to share in the divine nature of God and break utterly free from the corrupting influences of this world system.

While we have been given these incredible opportunities, we believers must be zealous and diligent about maturing in the Lord and taking on the character of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ.  Such glorious qualities must be cultivated with determination and constancy thereby ensuring productivity and fruitfulness in the Lord.  For the lazy believer who fails to pursue these outstanding traits, lies spiritual blindness, and forgetfulness about one’s own salvation. A wasted life is of no benefit to the believer, nor to the glory of God.  But, for the diligent in growth there will be a certainty about their own calling and election mingled with an assurance of not falling and stumbling around in a backslidden state.  Peter gives further incentive for spiritual development to the believer grappling with his own personal growth in a painstaking manner.  As he continues, God promises a fully magnificent and marvelous entrance into the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.  What stimulating inspiration for throwing oneself into moral and spiritual growth, progress, and promotion in Christ!

Peter is obviously burdened about this matter and offers immediate help for us through his encouragements and the Word of God.  He persistently reminds us believers and painstakingly rehearses truths already well known to us. Not because he is shallow, but to illuminate the true way ahead. He is confident that his death is near; in this light, he continues to empress us all with the importance of fundamental Bible teachings to stabilizing growing believers in the faith. If Peter emphasized the critical importance of the Scriptures in the very last years of his life then we must take the Word seriously for spiritual advancement today.  

Peter assures believers that our Christian faith is not based on “cunningly devised fables.”  No, when he spoke of “the power and coming” of the Lord Jesus Christ, He spoke concrete truth just as the Old Testament prophecies did.  Peter along with James and John personally witnessed the majesty of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. This event demonstrated His awe-inspiring power and foreshadowed His coming to the earth in outstanding power and glory.  Moses and Elijah were there to typify the OT and Rapture Saints.  The three Jewish believers were there signifying the believing Jewish population at Christ’s glorious return to the earth. This all transpired on a mountain pointing to the establishment of Christ’s eternal kingdom on earth.  Peter certified these ancient predictions with his own eyewitness account and the very Voice of Jehovah Who gave honor and glory to Christ on this same occasion. God is utterly pleased with His Son, Jesus and validates Christ in connection to these ancient prophecies regarding Messiah.

Peter further explains why these accounts are reliable and trustworthy by pointing out how the Scriptures proclaim a united message, with a common theme, because they came from one heart—The Spirit of God.  These are not “private interpretation” nor did they come from the “will of man.”  No, Scripture came from God using holy men to proclaim His pure unadulterated truth! They still point to a “day star” of hope already rising in the heart of genuine believers.  Jesus Christ will come again and receive us believers unto Himself, but until that time and no matter how dark the day, we still have a “light that shineth in a dark place.”  The Word of God lights the way and enlightens the heart providing powerful hope, brilliant insight and understanding about Christ until He finally comes for us. Yes, beloved…no matter what…Jesus is still our rock-solid hope!

The believer then therefore can count on the Book of Promises because it is “exceeding great and precious.”  As we do so we will continue to escape the corruption and darkness of this world’s system to become more and more like our Savior of glory and virtue. Beloved, maturity is our pursuit and destiny! In doing so, we answer our calling, will be assured or our election, will be fruitful and productive, and will anticipate the day we see our wonderful Savior face to face.