2 Peter is written by the apostle Peter (hence the name!). Peter is an interesting guy, he was bold and brash always ready to step up – or at least speak up. This is the guy who saw Jesus walking on the water and, although he was terrified, asked, “Can I come, too?” And he walked on water with Jesus. This is the guy who preached on Pentecost and 3000 people needed to be baptized afterward! This is the guy who, having denied even knowing Jesus, became one of the key leaders of the people of God and died for that faith.
“So what?” you ask?
This letter is written, “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” That’s us.
Our faith is of equal standing as Peter’s. Let that sink in a while.
Do you ever look at others and wish you had faith like them? That you had vision like them? That you followed Jesus like them? That you . . . whatever . . . like them? I have. It’s like there’s a seed of doubt in our heads that causes us to think, “Because I’m me I could never be worthy to serve Jesus, something will always be flawed, and because he is him he is able to serve Jesus because clearly he doesn’t have all the character flaws I have!”
What does Peter say? “Equal standing.”
How can that be? We have equal standing because it’s not about us standing. His divine power has granted to us all things. We have status because Jesus in His love for us gave it to us. And that’s enough!
He goes on to say that all these outward behaviors we are so concerned about are supplements to our faith. They’re not the main thing. The main thing is Jesus who suffered, died and rose to redeem us.
That’s not to say the supplements don’t matter. They do! I take vitamin supplements to strengthen my health. These godly behaviors act in much the same way. They don’t give us health, they support our health. Godly living does not give us faith, it supports the faith Jesus has given us and helps us to maintain our health by avoiding sin.
A thought crosses my mind that, in the quest for health, a person could take all sorts of vitamins and supplements, but eat fast food and junk thereby sabotaging any benefit from the vitamins and supplements. A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy life.
We have equal standing with Peter because Jesus stands us up. The supplemental behaviors and good, but you also need real food. (Remember, Peter is the guy that also talked about craving pure spiritual milk!) We do not follow clever myths or neat stories. We follow a person, Jesus Christ, the one God said of, “This is my beloved Son.” How do we know that? Through the Word! This message in front of us is where the Holy Spirit works to give us healthy faith and vibrant life. It is here that we receive faith, forgiveness, and the benefit of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is here that God gives us equal standing with a guy like Peter.
So, don’t look down on yourself. You have equal standing with Peter. (Can I call you Pete?) Rather look up to the cross and remember your righteousness comes from Jesus.
“So what?” you ask?
This letter is written, “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” That’s us.
Our faith is of equal standing as Peter’s. Let that sink in a while.
Do you ever look at others and wish you had faith like them? That you had vision like them? That you followed Jesus like them? That you . . . whatever . . . like them? I have. It’s like there’s a seed of doubt in our heads that causes us to think, “Because I’m me I could never be worthy to serve Jesus, something will always be flawed, and because he is him he is able to serve Jesus because clearly he doesn’t have all the character flaws I have!”
What does Peter say? “Equal standing.”
How can that be? We have equal standing because it’s not about us standing. His divine power has granted to us all things. We have status because Jesus in His love for us gave it to us. And that’s enough!
He goes on to say that all these outward behaviors we are so concerned about are supplements to our faith. They’re not the main thing. The main thing is Jesus who suffered, died and rose to redeem us.
That’s not to say the supplements don’t matter. They do! I take vitamin supplements to strengthen my health. These godly behaviors act in much the same way. They don’t give us health, they support our health. Godly living does not give us faith, it supports the faith Jesus has given us and helps us to maintain our health by avoiding sin.
A thought crosses my mind that, in the quest for health, a person could take all sorts of vitamins and supplements, but eat fast food and junk thereby sabotaging any benefit from the vitamins and supplements. A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy life.
We have equal standing with Peter because Jesus stands us up. The supplemental behaviors and good, but you also need real food. (Remember, Peter is the guy that also talked about craving pure spiritual milk!) We do not follow clever myths or neat stories. We follow a person, Jesus Christ, the one God said of, “This is my beloved Son.” How do we know that? Through the Word! This message in front of us is where the Holy Spirit works to give us healthy faith and vibrant life. It is here that we receive faith, forgiveness, and the benefit of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is here that God gives us equal standing with a guy like Peter.
So, don’t look down on yourself. You have equal standing with Peter. (Can I call you Pete?) Rather look up to the cross and remember your righteousness comes from Jesus.
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