Make Your Call and Election Sure

A reading from the book of 2 Peter:

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Pet. 1:11, NKJV)

Some comments on this wonderful passage:

• In verse 1, Peter describes faith as having been obtained, not attained. In the NASB, obtained is replaced by received. Faith is something we are given, not something we bootstrap ourselves into. Also in verse 1, we see once again that our faith is based on Christ’s righteousness, not our own.
  
  
• In verse 4, Peter corroborates Paul’s teaching that we are no longer in bondage to sin, but rather have escaped the corruption of the world.
  
  
• In verses 5-8, Peter tells us how to grow fruitfully. We are to add to our faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Of these, I would single out knowledge as the one that is most under our own control. Read the Word as much as possible. Get thee to a church— and not just the service—Sunday school and prayer meetings and/or evening services. And pray unceasingly. Then the other fruits, by the help of the Spirit, will make themselves manifest. This we have been promised.
  
  
• In verses 10 and 11, Peter tells us to do these things not for salvation but for an assurance of salvation. If we are exhibiting the fruit, then our election is sure. We will persevere (never stumble) and can rest assured of our eternal destiny.
  

Have a glorious weekend.

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