2 Peter

A Sheep Saunters Into 2 Peter 1:12-15

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Remembering and Reminding

Dear friend in Christ,

I write to you today with a heart full of quiet joy and sober tenderness, for the words of the apostle Peter in his second letter, chapter 1, verses 12 through 15, have been lingering with me like a gentle hand upon the shoulder. Let me share them with you as they stand:

“Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.”

These lines were penned in the mid-to-late 60s of the first century, almost certainly from Rome itself, in the shadowed final years of Emperor Nero’s reign. The great fire of AD 64 had already left the city in ashes, and Nero—desperate to deflect blame—had turned with vicious cruelty upon the followers of Jesus. Believers were being arrested, tortured, and executed in public spectacles.

It was into this climate of gathering storm that Peter, the once-impulsive fisherman now seasoned shepherd of the scattered church, sat down to write. Tradition and the internal evidence of the letter place him there in the imperial capital, fully aware that his own martyrdom was drawing near. Years earlier, beside the Sea of Galilee, the risen Lord had told him plainly that when he was old he would stretch out his hands and be led where he did not wish to go—a clear prophecy of the cross that awaited him (John 21:18–19). Now that word was coming to pass. Within a short time Peter would be crucified, tradition says upside-down at his own request, outside the walls of Rome.

Yet instead of turning inward in self-pity or fear, he turns outward in love. He knows his readers—Jewish and Gentile believers scattered across Asia Minor—are already established in the truth; they know the gospel, they have tasted the divine nature, they are walking in faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Still, he insists on reminding them. Why? Because truth, however firmly planted, needs the soft rain of repetition if it is to keep bearing fruit amid the changing seasons of persecution and daily pressure.

Notice the warmth in his resolve: “I think it right… to stir you up by way of reminder.” The Greek word he chooses carries the sense of awakening someone who is already awake, of gently rousing a soul so that what is known becomes freshly alive. He is not scolding; he is shepherding. And he does this not merely for the days that remain to him beneath Nero’s shadow, but with an eye to the years after he is gone. “I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.” His departure—his exodus, the same word used of Christ’s own departure in glory—will not silence the truth. He labors so that memory itself becomes a faithful companion long after the apostle’s voice is still and his body has been laid in a Roman grave.

What a tender picture of Christian maturity this is. Peter does not cling to his own importance; he pours himself out so that the church may continue to stand. He knows that the greatest gift he can leave is not a monument to himself, but a people who remember Jesus—His power, His promises, His call to grow in godliness. The body is temporary; the truth is eternal. And love, real love, spends itself making sure that truth is not forgotten, even when the one who speaks it is taken away by the sword of an emperor.

So, my dear one, I write these lines to you in the same spirit. We too live in fragile tents. We too have been given precious and very great promises. And we too are called to keep one another awake to the grace that has already taken root in us. May we, like Peter in those final Roman days, stir one another up—not with novelty, but with the old, living truth—until the day we put off these bodies and see the Lord face to face.

With affection in the One who never forgets us,
A fellow pilgrim

Personal Reflection Questions

  1. What truths of the gospel do I already “know” and yet most need to be gently reminded of in this season of my life?
  2. How might the awareness of my own temporary body change the way I invest in the spiritual memory of those I love?
  3. In what practical ways can I “stir up” a brother or sister this week—not with new information, but by lovingly recalling the old, life-giving truths we already share?
  4. If the Lord were to make clear that my departure is near, what would I most want those who remain to be able to recall about Christ and His call upon their lives?

A Sheep Saunters Into 2 Peter 1:10-11

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Making Your Calling Sure

“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

My dear friends,

As we continue to work our way through 2 Peter’s wonderful letter, let us draw close to the Lord as we sip on our cup of steaming caffeine of choice. Remember, these words are written to you because your Heavenly Father deeply loves you and wants what is best for your life.

Peter writes these words near the end of his life, with the tenderness of a shepherd who knows his flock and the urgency of a man who has walked with Jesus. He has just listed the beautiful chain of Christian virtues—faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love—and now he turns to us with a warm, pastoral “therefore.”

Notice the heart of his exhortation: “be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.” Our calling and election are not fragile things we manufacture by effort. They are the gracious, sovereign work of God who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world and called us effectually by His Spirit. Yet Peter does not leave us passive. He invites us into a holy diligence—not the anxious striving of those who fear they might lose what God has given, but the joyful, steady work of those who want to see more clearly what God has already done.

How do we confirm it? By practicing “these qualities.” The virtues are not a ladder we climb to earn God’s favor; they are the fruit that grows when we remain in the Vine. As we cultivate them—day by day, imperfectly yet sincerely—our assurance deepens. We begin to recognize the family resemblance. The forgetfulness and nearsightedness Peter warned about in the previous verse start to clear. We remember that we have been purified from our former sins, and we walk with greater confidence.

The promise that follows is precious: “if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” This is not a cold guarantee of sinless perfection, but a warm assurance that the path of growing Christlikeness is a safe path. The one who keeps adding these graces will not stumble into the kind of spiritual collapse that leaves a person barren and unfruitful. God Himself upholds the diligent heart.

And then comes the beautiful horizon: “in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Not a bare admission, like someone barely slipping through the gate. A rich entrance—an abundant, lavish welcome into the presence of the King. The same Lord who called and elected us will one day open wide the doors of His eternal kingdom and receive us with joy. The diligence of this life becomes the very means by which our entrance is made abundant.

So take heart, dear believer. Your growth in grace is not a burden laid upon you; it is the Spirit’s gentle work through you. Keep practicing these qualities. Keep confirming what God has already secured. And look forward with longing to that rich entrance, when faith will give way to sight and every imperfect step of obedience will be swallowed up in the everlasting welcome of Jesus.

Personal Reflection Questions

  1. Which of the qualities listed in 2 Peter 1:5–7 feels most alive in my life right now, and which one is the Spirit gently inviting me to cultivate more intentionally?
  2. When have I experienced a deeper sense of assurance about my calling and election through the simple, faithful practice of these virtues?
  3. How does the promise of a “richly provided” entrance into Christ’s eternal kingdom change the way I view the ordinary disciplines and struggles of following Jesus today?
  4. In what specific area of my life am I tempted to grow careless or near-sighted, and what one small step of diligence can I take this week to walk more securely?

A Sheep Saunters Into 2 Peter 1:5-9

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Make Every Effort

Dear one,

Come sit with me for a moment and let these precious words of Scripture wrap around your heart like a soft blanket:

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5–9, NIV)

Peter, that weathered fisherman who once walked on water and later wept bitter tears, writes these lines with such fatherly tenderness. He has just reminded us that our heavenly Father has already poured out everything we need—His own divine power, His precious and very great promises—so that we may share in His nature and leave the world’s corruption behind (1:3–4). And then, with a gentle smile in his voice, he says, “For this very reason…”

Because God has already done so much for you… because His love has already claimed you… now lean in and grow.

Notice how kind the invitation is. “Make every effort.” It is not the harsh command of a taskmaster, but the loving encouragement of a Father who delights to see His child stretch and flourish. You are not starting from emptiness. Faith is already yours—the beautiful gift that brought you home. The Greek word carries the sense of bringing all our energy to the task, the way a runner leans into the final stretch. Yet this effort rests on what God has already supplied. We do not manufacture these qualities out of thin air; we add them, or more precisely, we supplement our faith the way a skilled builder carefully lays course upon course of stone. Now, step by step, the Spirit invites you to build upon it:

We begin with faith—the foundational trust in Christ that has already saved us. Add to your faith the quiet beauty of goodness (or moral excellence/virtue)—the practical outworking of a heart set free; that simple, steady excellence that makes a life lovely.
Then let knowledge deepen, not as cold facts, but as the warm, growing friendship of knowing Jesus more intimately.
Wrap that knowledge in self-control, the gentle strength that keeps your heart steady. It is the Spirit-empowered ability to master our impulses rather than be mastered by them.
Let perseverance take root—the quiet courage that keeps walking even when the path feels long.
From there, let godliness bloom, a life that begins to smell more and more like the Father’s presence.
Then open your arms in mutual affection, the tender care that makes the family of God feel like home.
And crowning it all, let love overflow—the same self-giving love that held you at the cross.

Isn’t that beautiful? Each quality is a gift the Spirit plants and waters as you simply cooperate with Him. Knowledge without self-control becomes arrogance; perseverance without godliness becomes grim stoicism; mutual affection without love remains merely clubby. But when these virtues grow “in increasing measure,” something wonderful happens: your knowledge of Jesus stops being merely mental and becomes living, fruitful, radiant. You begin to walk in the very life He died to give you. We stop being spiritual spectators and begin to live as people whose lives actually display the beauty of the One we claim to know.

But Peter’s heart also aches for the one who drifts. He gently warns that neglecting this growth is like becoming near-sighted—so focused on the immediate that we forget the magnificent cleansing Jesus has already given us. We forget how completely we have been washed. And in that forgetfulness, the fire of love grows dim. Yet even this warning is spoken with compassion, like a friend placing a hand on your shoulder and whispering, “Remember, dear one. Remember what He has done for you.”

Beloved, this is not a ladder we climb to earn God’s favor. It is the natural, Spirit-enabled response of a heart that has already been overwhelmed by grace. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us, gently and steadily forming Christlike character. We simply cooperate—day by day, choice by choice, prayer by prayer—trusting that the One who began the good work will carry it on to completion.

So take heart. You are not left to manufacture holiness alone. You have been given everything you need. Lean into the effort with glad dependence, and watch the quiet miracle of growth unfold.

So take a deep breath, beloved. You are not alone in this. The same power that raised Jesus is already at work inside you, patiently forming His likeness day by day. You don’t have to strive in your own strength. Just open your hands, keep walking with Him, and watch how gently He grows these beautiful things in the soil of your heart.

He delights in you. He is for you. And He is making all things new—starting right here, right now, in the quiet places of your life.

Personal Reflection Questions

  1. As you read this tender chain of virtues, which one feels like a gentle invitation from the Spirit to your heart today? Can you sense the Father smiling as He offers to grow it in you?
  2. When have you felt the ache of “forgetting” how completely Jesus has cleansed you? How might simply remembering His mercy today warm your heart and stir fresh desire to grow?
  3. Look back over the past season—where do you already see little shoots of these qualities springing up? Pause and thank Him for every quiet evidence of His faithful work in you.
  4. What small, loving step of “making every effort” might feel like a joyful response to His grace this week—perhaps a conversation, a habit of prayer, or an act of kindness?
  5. How does it change the atmosphere of your heart to know that the One who calls you to grow is the same One who has already given you everything you need—and who delights to walk every step with you?

A Sheep Saunters Into 2 Peter 1:3-4

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His Divine Power

“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, 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.”
—2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

Dear friend in Christ,

Join with me today as we contemplate God’s Word while sipping a soothing Ginger Honey Herbal tea or your favorite beverage. Let His Word soothe your soul as we look at the wonderful plan our Awesome Savior has for us.

There are days when the Christian life feels like trying to climb a steep mountain with empty hands. We want to live godly lives, yet we sense our own poverty of strength, wisdom, and desire. Into that exact place the apostle Peter speaks these astonishing words. He does not begin with a list of duties. He begins with a gift.

Peter tells us that God’s own divine power has already granted us everything we need for life and godliness. The verb is perfect tense—something completed in the past with ongoing results. The moment we came to know Jesus Christ, heaven’s storehouse was opened. Nothing essential is missing. The power that raised Jesus from the dead, the power that spoke galaxies into existence, is the same power that now supplies every spiritual need of the believer.

How does this power reach us? Not through mystical experiences or heroic self-effort, but “through the knowledge of him who called us.” The word Peter uses is epignōsis—a deep, personal, relational knowledge. It is the knowledge that grows as we walk with the One who first called us “by his own glory and excellence.” God did not call us because we were impressive. He called us by the sheer beauty of His own character. His glory and moral excellence are both the reason He reached for us and the means by which He keeps reaching us.

Through that same glory and excellence, Peter continues, God has given us “precious and very great promises.” These are not vague wishes; they are the concrete assurances of Scripture—promises of forgiveness, presence, strength, future glory, and final transformation. And the purpose of those promises is breathtaking: “so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.”

Partakers of the divine nature. Not that we become little gods, but that we are drawn into the very life of God Himself—sharing His holiness, His love, His steadfastness, His joy. The early church fathers called this theosis: being remade in the likeness of the One we behold. And notice the accompanying truth: we partake of that divine nature only after (and because) we have “escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” The gospel does not leave us half-rescued. It delivers us from the rotting influence of a world bent by lust, and then ushers us into participation in God’s own pure life.

This is the warm heart of the passage. You are not asked to manufacture godliness out of your own thin resources. You are invited to receive what has already been granted, to know the One who called you, to cling to His promises, and to discover that in Christ you are being made a sharer in the very life of God.

My dear ones, let these truths settle over you like morning light. The same divine power that created the universe is at work in you today. The same Jesus who called you still holds out His precious promises. And the destination is not merely survival or moral improvement—it is intimate participation in the life of God Himself.

Personal Reflection Questions

  1. Where in my life right now do I feel most keenly the lack of strength or desire for godliness? How does Peter’s declaration that “His divine power has granted to us all things” speak to that specific place?
  2. What does “the knowledge of him who called us” look like in my daily rhythms? Am I cultivating a deeper personal acquaintance with Jesus, or am I mostly relying on second-hand information about Him?
  3. Which of God’s “precious and very great promises” do I most need to hold tightly today? Can I name one promise from Scripture and deliberately lean my weight upon it this week?
  4. In what concrete ways am I still tasting the “corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire”? What would it look like to walk more fully in the escape Christ has already provided?
  5. If it is true that God intends me to become a partaker of His divine nature, how does that change the way I view my struggles, my relationships, and my future?

May the God of all grace, who has already given you everything you need in Christ, draw you deeper into the knowledge of Himself this day. Amen.

Remember that you are deeply and dearly loved by Our Wonderful Savior

A Sheep Saunters Into 2 Peter 1:1-2

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A Precious Faith

2 Peter 1:1-2
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

My Dear Friends,

There’s something tender about the way Peter begins this letter. He doesn’t open with titles of authority or reminders of his own dramatic story—walking on water, denying Jesus, being restored on the beach. He simply calls himself “a servant and apostle.” That word servant (or bond-slave) always slows me down. It reminds me that even the rock on which Christ built His church never outgrew the posture of belonging completely to Jesus.

And then he turns to us. He writes to people who have received “a faith as precious as ours.” Not a lesser faith. Not a second-hand version. The same priceless gift, given through the same righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. I love that equality. On days when I feel my faith is small or shaky, Peter’s words reassure me: the value of our faith is not measured by how strong we feel, but by the One who gave it.

Then comes the blessing that feels like a warm hand on the shoulder: “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Notice the pathway. Grace and peace don’t arrive through striving harder or fixing ourselves. They multiply as we come to know Him more deeply—His character, His heart, His finished work. I’ve found that the seasons when I linger longest with Jesus, simply knowing Him, are the seasons when peace quietly expands in places I didn’t even realize were crowded with worry.

This is not distant theology. It is an invitation to keep drawing near. The more we know Him, the more grace and peace settle into the ordinary corners of our days.

Practical Response Questions

  1. Where in your life right now do you most need grace and peace to “be yours in abundance”? Pause and name it before the Lord.
  2. What is one simple way you can grow in the knowledge of Jesus this week—perhaps lingering longer in a Gospel story, or talking with Him honestly about something you’ve been holding back?
  3. Peter calls our shared faith “precious.” How might remembering the equal preciousness of every believer’s faith change the way you view someone whose walk with Christ looks different from yours?

Remember, as you sip your morning coffee or late evening tea, that you are deeply loved by God. Linger in communication with Him. Let His warmth soothe your soul and strengthen you for the days ahead. We are pilgrims together, sheep following our Great and Loving Shepherd.

Until next time…

The Dangers of Fideism

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One of the most subtle dangers presenting itself to the church today is that of fideism. Fideism is, in a nutshell, a subtle rejection of learning, reason, knowledge and logic in preference to that, “simple, ol’ time religion.” Those who subscribe to fideism will tell you, ‘I believe what I believe, don’t confuse me with the facts.” Faith and knowledge are held as enemies towards one another. This attitude flies in the face of such Scriptures as 2 Peter 1:5, which tells us to “make every effort to add knowledge to our faith.”

At the heart of fideists, is an unteachable spirit. I sat through one sermon not too long ago, where the pastor sidetracked towards the end of his message and said something to the effect of, “I just preach Jesus. I don’t preach “ism’s”. Not Arminianism, Calvinism or any other “ism”.” That sounds real good but is a stupid statement. Arminians and Calvinists also both preach Jesus. They just present Him differently. Even Jehovah Witnesses preach Jesus — just not the Jesus of Scripture. Anyone who has read through Romans, Ephesians and Hebrews would never characterize Christianity as a simple “religion.” This minister was not interested in understanding the differences, just in building a straw man on both sides while he stood as a third alternative, setting himself up as above all those who were putting “man-made” doctrines over Scripture. This, of course, is a poor argument, since both sides believe their interpretations come straight from Paul, not Calvin or Arminius.

It is hard for me to sit through what I call theatrical preaching. The kind of preaching where the volume and rhetoric overshadow any exposition of Scripture. The kind where “Amens” are elicited after every sentence instead of allowing them to be a spontaneous response from a convicted soul. The type of preaching where yelling, crying, laughing and whispering are masterfully orchestrated to bring the audience to an emotional decision instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to convict.  In my boyhood days we used to call this type of preaching “chicken-walking.” Whenever I hear someone stomping, snorting and stepping on their pant-cuffs and claiming they are more spiritual than a pastor who has labored long and hard to rightfully divide the Word of Truth it irks me.

Fideism is on the rise. It is infiltrating both city and country churches. There are many in today’s pulpits who sneer at those “television preachers” while they are doing the same thing on a smaller scale at their own churches. There is a suspicion of their brethren who have earned degrees in theology and ministry and this is passed on to their congregations and fostered to create a culture of ignorance. God wants us to reason with Him, He says so Himself in Isaiah. There were many things Jesus said He wanted to teach His disciples but they hadn’t yet spiritually matured enough to handle it. Discipleship is suffering in our churches because of fideism. It is a dangerous thing to let people study God’s Word in depth because it might make them question the interpretations they have heard from the pulpit for so long.

Roman Catholicism understood this. That is why they resisted their Mass and their Scriptures being in any language other than Latin for so long. It could be why so many pastors fight for KJV only also. Quite a large percentage of Americans cannot read at a 12th grade level (which the KJV is) nor understand Shakespearean English. If they could read Scripture easily (understandably) they also might question. And we all know that  a questioning mind is dangerous to those who value control over teaching.

It is far past time to to help our brothers and sisters add knowledge to their faith. That is what Ta Ethne is all about. Join us in bringing a greater knowledge of our faith to believers worldwide  so that they can be better equipped in sharing their faith.