In the previous chapters we have seen something concerning the matter of life in the writings of John and Paul. The main ministries in the New Testament are those of John, Paul, and Peter, and the teaching in the New Testament is mainly based upon the writings of these three apostles. John’s writings occupy the beginning and end of the New Testament; the Gospel of John is at the beginning and the book of Revelation is at the end. John stresses life and opens the way for life in his Gospel. He also ends with the matter of life in the book of Revelation. All of the apostles stressed the matter of life. Each of them had their unique way to present the same one thing-life. In this chapter, we want to see Peter’s marvelous presentation of the divine life in his second Epistle.
According to 2 Peter 1:1-4 there are three great items which have been given to us by God: like precious faith, the divine power, and the precious and exceedingly great promises. Faith is not of our works, nor of our endeavor or strife, but is God’s allotted gift to us (2 Pet. 1:1). God has also given us the divine power, which is the power of the divine life related to the divine nature. Furthermore, because God has called us to His own glory and virtue, He has given us His precious and exceedingly great promises to assure us, encourage us, strengthen us, and speed us on our way toward this goal.
God has allotted us, that is, given to us, like precious faith. More than forty years ago, I wrote a note alongside this verse in one of my Bibles which says, “Although I cannot compare with the Apostle Peter, I have something which is exactly the same as what he has-like precious faith.” We have received this faith; it did not originate with us.
It is difficult to say what faith is, but it is very precious to us. Although faith is hard to define, we can say that we have it and that we cannot lose it. Faith has been put into us by God. Whether we are strong or weak, whether we stand or fall, from the day we received the Lord Jesus, faith remains with us always. Some young people, after receiving the Lord Jesus, may regret and wish that they could not believe anymore. Nevertheless, because they have believed into the Lord and have been captured by Him, they cannot get away from Him. They have been “hooked” by Christ. To believe is easy, but after believing it is very difficult not to believe. A person can leave mere teaching or even disregard the Bible, but he cannot throw away this faith. This faith always remains with us and unconditionally binds us to Christ. Once we have it, we cannot lose it. This is why this faith is so precious. Faith is a seed sown into us which is divine and eternal. This faith is the foundation, the root, and the seed of our Christian life.
God has also given us the marvelous and mysterious divine power. God as the divine power passed through creation, redemption, and resurrection to become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). This divine power is nothing less than the life-giving Spirit, who is God Himself as life to us in resurrection. The visible things of the creation came into being through God’s divine power. Redemption was also accomplished by God’s divine power. The one man Jesus could die on behalf of all men to accomplish an eternal redemption (Heb. 9:12) because of the divine power. Today as the life-giving Spirit, He offers Himself to us as the divine power in resurrection. When we receive the Lord Jesus, the very Triune God enters into us as life in resurrection. This life in resurrection is the divine power, which is God Himself as the life-giving Spirit.
The divine power in 2 Peter 1:3 is the power of the divine life, and this divine life power has given us all things that relate to life and godliness. The things that relate to life are inexhaustible. They include the law of life (Rom. 8:2; Heb. 8:10), humility, wisdom, rejoicing, love, joy, hope, submission, goodness, meekness, kindness, longsuffering, and peace. Everything related to life has been given to us. The life power within the seed of a certain plant includes everything related to the plant. The life power within the seed includes the stem, branches, leaves, blossoms, flowers, and fruit of the plant. Within the power of the divine life as the seed in us are all the things necessary for the growth of the divine life. In the divine power are virtues such as love, patience, humility, kindness, and longsuffering. The divine power, the power of life, includes all things needed not only for life inwardly, but also for godliness outwardly.
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