HIGHLIGHT
2 Peter 1:9–10 (ESV): 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
EXPLAIN
Peter began his second letter with a huge assurance and promise. God’s divine power has given to those who have believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior everything we need for life and godliness.
But he followed up this promise with an exhortation: with every effort you can, supplement your faith with a list of spiritual qualities: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. These spiritual qualities keep us from being ineffective or unfruitful spiritually.
Then we come to our highlighted verses. If we lack these qualities, if we are not seeking to add these to our faith, if we reject these qualities, we forget our salvation.
It is worth exploring what it means and how we can forget that we have been cleansed from our past sinful life. Does this merely imply a huge lack of gratitude for the grace of God?
It would suggest that at least such a person is ungrateful.
This forgetfulness also might suggest the person is veering into false doctrine, somehow believing something or someone other than Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty for our sins.
This forgetfulness might also suggest a purposeful determination to love the things of this world as opposed to the kingdom of God. Forgetting their great salvation, they allow themselves to be swept up in the carnal desires and practices of society.
APPLY
The follower of Jesus has a huge responsibility to confirm his or her calling and election in Christ. We are not saved by any work we do or promise to do, but after we are cleansed from our sins, we must choose to live a holy life, seeking to grow in Christlikeness.
RESPOND
Heavenly Father, thank you for your great grace, evidenced by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the Cross. May I, in every way I speak, think, and act show my gratitude for your love. Help me to grow in in Christlikeness, adding each of these spiritual qualities in more abundance and purity to my faith. Thank you for giving me all I need to live holy before you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.