Tuesday, December 30, 2014

CALLING AND ELECTION



 
2Peter 1:
3  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
4  by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

HIS divine power……
HE has granted us ALL things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Christ.  (John 17:3)
By which HE grants us His greatest and highest valued promises, through which we become partakers in His divine nature as His granting us all things has caused us to escape the corruption of the world that exists through the sinful desire of men. (Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1- 10)

2 Peter 1:
5  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
6  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
7  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of the “all things” spoken of in verse 3, are qualities we possess.
Peter lists them in the above passage (v5-7).
When we are abiding, we walk worthy in all things that he has granted us, and when we walk worthy we are both effective and  fruitful, and when we are fruitful, we are pruned to produce even more fruit and so glorify God. (John 15:1-16; Matthew 5:16)
The pruning brings on the increase of these qualities which are seen to be ours because we are walking in them.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 15:16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

2 Peter 1:
9  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

If you are lacking (not walking in) these qualities then you “cannot see afar off (kjv)”,that is you are without vision.
You have forgotten that by His freely giving us all things through the knowledge of Christ, you have been freed from sin and death, all worldly corruption. (James 1:12-18).
You are unfruitful as you are not abiding.

2 Peter 1:
10  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
11  For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12  Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.

Be diligent to “confirm or make” your calling and election sure. To confirm or make sure; translated from the Greek:
βέβαιος
bebaios
From the base of G939 (through the idea of basality); stable (literally or figuratively): - firm, of force, stedfast, sure.

Taken from the base of:
βάσις
basis
From βαίνω bainō (to walk); a pace (“base”), that is, (by implication) the foot: - foot.

This indeed has to do with our walk. Peter is in no way suggesting that we earn our salvation through our walking worthy, or any work whatsoever, but because we have been elected and effectively called we can walk worthy through the knowledge of Him, as ALL the elect and called have been given every good thing that pertains to life and godliness. Walking in this truth, (as we are established in this truth), is the basis, the foundation, the “bottom line”, our stability; it keeps us from falling.
To walk this way is our entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior. As Peter intended always to remind the saints of the qualities bestowed upon them, so we need to always be doing so for one another.

Acts 14:
21  When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,
22  strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.




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