Written by Paul J Bucknell on May, 08, 2023

2 Peter: 1:2-3 Step Into His Promises

PURSUING HIS EXCELLENCE #2

“² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:2-3, NASB).

Do you remember learning multiplication? It is decades ago for me, but impressions still linger. I remember those long, dragged-out addition problems. Then the door to multiplication swung open. Why add if you can multiply? Instead of 5+5+5+5+5+5, we can say 5x6. The time spent memorizing the table eliminates confusion and delivers speed, accuracy, and value.

The NASB 2 Peter 1:2 says, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” KJV also uses the word ‘multiplied.’ The NIV uses “be yours in abundance.” If we rightly understood our faith, we would see God’s way of wonderfully blessing His people.

Peter updates us on God’s movement in the Christian’s life by awakening us to the glory of being a Christian.

2 Peter 1:1 introduced the unique sphere of salvation in which believers live. They have been reconciled with God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is the righteousness we long for and the ideal relationship and environment Utopians seek. Once we put our sins behind us through faith in Jesus and accept His righteousness, God’s perfect love floods our souls.

God has graciously and kindly reached out to us and brought us close to Him. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” Faith is a divine gift that elevates us to a realm of magnificent existence.

Because of the glorious Christian life, God gives us in Christ, the evil one will do everything he can to keep you from knowing what now is yours. He will tempt you, trip you, lie to you, fool you, and discourage you from keeping you in the dark. Peter, in contrast, teaches us what is true and glorious. This is the reason Peter uses the word ‘multiplied.’ Through the teachings of Jesus Christ, we can experience grace and peace in ways that we never thought possible, both in degree and abundance.

The evil one uses many false thoughts to discourage and distract us, but now we desire God to teach us. We want to see God work in ways beyond what we ever thought He could or would. Here is a simple formula that we need to learn.

Now let us take this equation and discuss these three elements so that we fully understand how to gain God’s fullest blessing.

A) The Abundant Promise (2 Peter 1:3)

“Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3a).

Let us first examine the promise given in verse 3, assuring His people of the mighty work of God in their lives—“Seeing that His divine power…” (1:3). The “seeing” calls us to pay attention to. God reveals His intentions and possesses the unwavering capability and determination to make them a reality. With abundant resources at His disposal, no obstacle can impede God from fulfilling His promises.

So what is the promise? God has promised us that “everything pertaining to life and godliness” is ours to take hold of; it’s within our reach. Let me explain these two phrases.

1) Pertaining to Life (2 Peter 1:3)

God is not an irresponsible parent that gives birth and then deserts. As a good Father, He provides for our life needs. Some deistic-type Christians falsely conclude that God only sets the creation in motion or gets people through the kingdom doors.

God has so integrated His will into this universe that our lives are always well provided for, even through times of trouble, sickness, and persecution. Believers need not fear the lack of anything. An excellent example of this is the way a kitten is born. It can soon stand on its own and pursue its own needs. God has made us Christians to be able to trust in Him and live in this dark world.

Sometimes we are thrown off because we equate “everything pertaining to life” to meaning a higher degree, a successful job, a fantastic car, or a huge house—material things. If the early disciples, who were filled with the Spirit, did not have these things, then we should not be so bold and narrow-minded to insist that God promises us a ticket to materialism or worldly success. God did not save people to make them rich but godly.

2) Pertaining to Godliness (2 Peter 2:3)

God is also greatly concerned about our godliness. We were astounded in verse 1 by how God freely gave us the righteousness of His Son, securing His righteousness—all by His grace.

It only makes sense that God’s righteousness should extraordinarily influence our lives. We are determined to overcome any obstacle that may hinder us from achieving the godly life God has called us to live.

You and I may feel hopelessly caught in sin’s grip. We might believe we can’t have a common cold without being irritable. According to God, we are no longer bound to be unpleasant. “We live godly lives through His grace.”

His purpose and promise are terrific. The Lord expects us, no matter our background, race, or economic situation, to live for Him. He will provide everything for life and godliness.

Abundant Promise + One Condition = Glorious Results

B. The One Condition (2 Peter 1:3)

“Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3, NASB).

Sometimes we get so carried away with the promise that we forget that there is a condition. In essence, we claim the first part but forget the second part of the equation. We would rather say and believe, “He said it, therefore it will happen.” His Provision = Abundant supply of grace and peace. But this is not what the Lord said. Peter emphasizes the importance of bringing God’s divine power and will into our lives.

In these two verses, the phrase ‘knowledge of Jesus Christ’ is emphasized twice.

Verse 2: “... multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord”

Verse 3: “... through the true knowledge of Him.”

I suggest this knowledge of Jesus Christ has two senses. The first, in verse 2, says “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ.” The “in” can mean ‘by’ as when we come to know Him as our Savior—when we became Christians. Indeed, our knowledge of Him jumped from nothing to plenty when our spiritual eyes were opened.

Verse 3, our man focus here, instead uses “through the true knowledge of Him.” A victorious Christian life depends not only on knowing Christ as Savior, being reconciled with God, but on a sanctifying knowledge.

I suggest that this “through” is purposely different than verse 2’s “by” because it depicts how we maintain our relationship with God and appropriate the power behind the promise.

Just because we maintain a relationship with our spouse, does not mean that our relationship is growing with him or her. As our knowledge of Christ grows, so will our trust in Him. When we have a deepening understanding of Christ’s love, we can have faith in God’s intentions without hesitation. This growing “knowledge” plays an integral part in our Christian lives.

This sanctifying aspect of knowing God helps explains why some Christians live defeated lives even though they share the rich promise of God. As Christians better know God, they can by faith reach out and gain that extra grace needed for their difficult situations.t6

Application

How well do you know Jesus? Do you like to talk to Him and think about Him? Have your devotions become dry duty or obligation? Are you often in such a hurry that you don't take the time to have a simple conversation with your Lord and Savior? Let us now confess the sin and pledge to strengthen this relationship. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

C. The Glorious Results (2 Peter 1:3)

“Through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).

We now turn to the fulfillment of His promise. Do you think the Lord wants to fully realize this promise of living a godly life? He does! He promises everything we need to pursue this goal. Like wanting the best for our children, the Lord wants the best for us. Peter used the word multiplied because it transcends the normal process of ‘adding’ this or that blessing to our lives.

Many of us have become Christians to add a blessing, such as being able to go to heaven. Or we just wanted to get through a crisis. This is fine, but for us to live our whole Christian lives thinking we are just adding this security to our lives rather than living in a new sphere of blessings is shortsighted. God does not want reformation but renewal; He made us new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17).

In verse 2, Peter speaks of multiplying grace and truth to us, and in verse 3, Peter likewise raises our notions of His calling so that we are to live by His glory and excellence.

If we live in the poverty of our souls, it is not God’s fault. If we succumb to depression, don’t blame it on God. Either we are not Christians at all, or we have been duped into believing this is “normal.”

The Lord fittingly says to “Rejoice always” and “in everything give thanks.” I know the people around you might not do so, but it is time we start believing and acting as if God is sovereign rather than just giving verbal consent to it. We are to get excited about what He wants to do for us. He has called us by His glory and excellence. And if this is how we are called, we better step into this world of His glory and excellence.

Summary

May we commit ourselves to “Pursue His Excellence” in our lives? The equation is simple. His promise + our Knowledge of Him produces a life best described by the glorious multiplication of His grace in our lives!