Everyone can use assurance. The great salvation that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ and how that salvation comes to us through the working of the Holy Spirit giving us hearing ears and receptive hearts and causing us to call upon the Lord by faith is a gift from God! Nevertheless, as frail human beings, we often have a need for something tangible upon which to hang our hats so to speak. And God has provided just what we need.
Philippians 2:12–13 (ESV) — 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
2 Peter 1:10 (ESV) — 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
Notice how both passages call for action, and build upon the premise that God has done something fantastic in our lives. That fantastic act of God is raising us from being dead in sins to new life in the Lord Jesus Christ. As we back up in 2Peter chapter one, we see how God started something by His divine power.
2 Peter 1:3 (ESV) — 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,
Divine power indeed! God raises us from being dead in sin to life, just as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by His life-giving words, “Lazarus come forth.”
Ephesians 2:1–6 (ESV) — 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Back to 2Peter chapter one where we see after being reminded that we have new life due to God’s divine power raising us from the dead, Peter goes on to tell us the benefits that God has put into place, namely God’s divine promises, by which we can grow up and be fruitful as a follower of Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:4 (ESV) — 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.
By God’s divine power, we have life and we have God’s promises, from which Peter presents a challenge in a call to action.
2 Peter 1:5–8 (ESV) — 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.
God, by His power, has not only saved us but has given to us great and precious promises that will cause us to grow up and be fruitful, as we apply ourselves to them and apply those promises to our lives in application. Thankfully, Peter doesn’t stop until he gives us the application, namely, to supplement the application of the promises by faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Then Peter gives us added motivation by reminding us that all this action will lead to assurance because our application will keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful or keep us from a lack of assurance. But there’s more – namely, a warning about taking things for granted.
2 Peter 1:9 (ESV) — 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 don’t want to be one who has forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins, then you don’t want to be so near-sighted that you are thinking of yourself because that leads to blindness as found in the church at Laodicea.
Revelation 3:16–18 (ESV) — 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
It’s important to take heed to every warning in the Bible and consider how that warning applies to you. In the case of the Laodicean church, they were satisfied with themselves and had turned into a church of sliders, just sliding along on previous momentum, thinking they were making progress but were sliding backwards. “Backsliders” never realize they are sliding backwards, unless they have their eye on the prize and can wake up and see how far they have drifted from the goal.
Peter reminds us that the goal is being ever mindful of how the Lord Jesus Christ has cleansed us from our sins and He is looking for us to be fruitful in the knowledge of His work in us. Therefore, Peter gives the answer to avoid sliding backwards and instead make forward progress.
2 Peter 1:10–11 (ESV) — 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.
That is assurance that grows as we apply ourselves to the word of God.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
