To Fall From Grace ...

The second letter from Peter to the Church does not target a particular region, or area.  It is a general letter intended for as wide a distribution as possible.  The contents of this letter were so important to Peter he feels compelled to write it, and is purposeful about not addressing to a particular city, region, or area, so that any reader will believe and understand it is intended for them.  In this way, Peter leaves us a legacy where what he and his compatriots penned nearly 2000 years ago stands as intended just for me, and just for you.  The tone of this letter is not meant to dishearten the early church, but there is no mistake that this letter carries a warning to those who have heard the gospel and accepted it.  The Revelations of John outline a steady degradation within the church, a steady decline from a state of purity, until it is so corrupted it is hardly distinguishable from death itself.  This is not a transition to be taken lightly.  And whether in concert with John, or merely through independent observation, Peter has begun to see the decline and wants to put a stop to it before it becomes worse.

The war between good and evil has changed.  The old church, that is the faith introduced by Abraham and passed down through the bloodlines and traditions of the Jewish people, is no longer the chief threat to the existence of evil in the world.  The coming of the Messiah has introduced a new threat, a much greater threat to Satan than any he has faced before.  Whereas the Jewish people tended to isolate themselves from the nations around them, and kept the process of salvation largely internal; the early Christian church had a completely opposite response.  The early Christian church was spreading across borders, nations, races, and cultures like a wild fire that will not be stopped.  Pagan resistance was futile at best, when competing with the truth and power of the gospel of salvation from the slavery of self.  The traditional Jewish faith, rich in culture and scripture, lacked the love for others the Christians through the power of Christ, had brought to the table.  In fact, there was some early confusion about whether the early Christian church was significantly different than the traditional Jewish faith, as both held to the same set of scriptural writings, general ideas about Sabbath rest, and importance of living righteously.

But the Jewish faith, through its rejection of the cornerstone, had lost its connection to the source of Love, and in so doing represented only a set of traditions and ideology without a real transformative power to literally change the lives of its subscribers.  Satan no longer needed to focus his energies on those of the Jewish faith, unless only to enlist them to his cause of stamping out the Christian heresy that was polluting their ancient systems and power structures.  But now, Satan would have to combat Christianity with new methods.  He could not meet it head on with lies for it would be easy to detect them.  But to raise up a counter insurgency, to cause followers of Christ to begin to alter their goals and ideas from within the church, might lead to its downfall.  At a minimum he might begin to see the church come to deny its own link to the transformative power of Love, and lose its ability to impact the world around it.  That in itself would be his “win”.  To make the church of no effect, at least keeps it from growing and leaves him able to “contain” the problem.

And as you look around the church today, no matter what the denomination you ascribe to, you find the war leaning on the side of Satan’s tactics.  There is no singular Christian denomination today who carries the universal power of transformative love with it into the world.  Like our spiritual forefathers, the Jewish Pharisees, we have a rich tradition of scriptural interpretation and practices, and a minimal understanding of what it truly means to love others more than ourselves.  In today’s churches we preach “balance”.  We teach “give and take”.  We do not aspire to give ALL of ourselves, merely “more” of ourselves.  We continue to espouse the value of “good works” but have denied ourselves the transformation of heart that would make “good works” a natural part of who we are.  Instead we erect barriers between ourselves and other Christians who are less enlightened doctrinally than we.  And we tend to universally lean on forgiveness for our misdeeds (which are many), than on reform of heart that would lead us away from committing them in the first place.

This situation did not begin with us, it is merely reached an unprecedented level of success with us.  Peter was around when the war was still in its infancy within the church.  And what he saw in the trends of the people inspired him to write this second letter.  He opens in verse one greeting as follows: … “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: [verse 2] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,”  His greeting is short and to the point.  He identified who he is, Simon Peter.  His role, an Apostle of Jesus Christ in this instance.  For the purposes of what he will write, he wants his readers to know he was an eyewitness to the power of Jesus to transform lives; his own life was one story of total transformation.  Then he identifies his intended readers, “to them that have obtained like precious faith”.  Peter does not care about “how” a person comes to believe in following Jesus, only that they have come to that place.

In our modern versions of Christianity, we commonly ask believers to be re-baptized as they move from one denomination to another, seemingly to imply their understanding of the “truth” was not as good in the last place they worshipped.  But in common thinking, or common deception, we have come to regard “truth” as the interpretation of doctrine, instead of “The Truth” that is ONLY found in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and a personal encounter with Him.  So in our pride and in our arrogance, we cast dispersions on “how” a person comes to Christ, if it is not up to our high standards about the methods “we” employ.  An un-repentant sex-drugs-&-rock-n-roll youth, who attends a “rock” concert only to discover the singers have found Christ, and through their music and personal testimony, they witness about what Christ can do for you; can find conversion in this place.  So a former slave of Satan is brought to Jesus at what we ridicule as a hard rock concert, and we “discount” his having obtained a like and precious faith, because it happened at a venue we do not support.  It is we who are in error.  The new convert is the one standing on holy ground with his Truth, and his Lord.

Next Peter explains why casting dispersions on “how” a person comes to know Jesus Christ is utterly wrong to do.  For he then explains how ALL of us find this faith … “THROUGH the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ”.  We do not “find” our faith because we stumble across it by accident.  We do not “find” our faith because we were worthy, or searching, or could somehow “earn” its discovery.  In point of fact, our faith is a “gift” of the righteousness of our God, not us.  It is something He gives us because He is worthy, not because we are.  So to cast dispersions or ridicule on “how” someone finds Christ, is to insult the Author of ALL faith.

Lastly Peter summarizes his entire second letter in a singular statement about what the goal of the pure Christian church is … “Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you” … and how will this occur? … “through the knowledge of God and our Savior Jesus Christ”.  The knowledge to which Peter refers, is not a thorough reading of every text recorded in the Bible.  He is not discounting the value of reading and studying scripture, but without a personal application as led by Jesus Christ Himself, in your life; the reading can lead you to a false sense of Pharisaical superiority that does not truly love others.  The knowledge of God and of Christ can be most keenly experienced as we learn to love others like our God loves others.  This experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ and of God, is what Peter points his readers to.  It is “how” both Grace and Peace will be multiplied among them.

Peter then quickly gets in to the meat of his letter, as the urgency of its themes are overwhelming him, he continues in verse 3 … “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”  We are not saved by our deeds, our intentions, or the strength of our characters; we are saved by “His divine power”.  It is NOT a partnership where we bring to the table some of our excellent character traits and then add them to what Jesus brings, or makes up for in us.  Instead His divine power has given unto us “ALL things that pertain unto Life and Godliness”.  We bring nothing but our own brokenness.  Jesus Christ brings everything we will ever need or want with Him, to put in us.  As we come to “know” Jesus through the transformative power of His love, we find we are transformed ourselves into His image of glory (serving others) and virtue (a desire away from our natural state of sin).  Our part is to submit ourselves to Him, rather than continue to believe “we” can “help” with our own salvation.  He does it all for us and in us, all we do, is let Him.

Peter continues in verse 4 … “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”  Here it is folks, we are given “exceeding great” and “precious” promises.  What salvation brings into the transformed life is not inconsequential, it is life altering.  The power of the gospel is not muted in the person who truly experiences a freedom from former sin.  Peter knows how much joy having Jesus break the chains of sin in his own life can be, and he values that promise as it was intended.  For the results he outlines are stark in that we “might be partakers of the divine nature”.  Think about that one for a second; you and I might be partakers of the “divine” nature of our God.  This does not mean we become God, or some smaller/lessor version of our God, but instead that we become “like” our God in how we love others.  We can be so transformed by the Love of Christ, that we love like He loves.  In so doing we become partakers of His divine nature. 

Then as if we needed the contrast, Peter outlines what the opposite of a divine nature is and in fact what we have been made free from, escaping … “the corruption that is in the world through lust”.  Corruption is not an end-state, it is rather a degenerative condition.  Corruption does not reach some lower boundary and just stop, it keeps falling, lower and lower, no matter how bad we think we are.  Corruption is fed by lust.  We want!  We must have!  We need!  We crave the things we are enslaved to, like a hard core heroin addict craves his next fix.  Oh sure, there are those who have never even tried an illegal drug, but they are every bit as enslaved to their next sexual conquest, or their next rung on the corporate ladder of success, or making their next million or billion dollars.  There are those who crave success for their children in academics, or sports, or any other level of achievement – living vicariously through the success of their children or families.  Lust has no specific venue for expression.  It can mask as greed, or desire, or envy.  Its only chief characteristic is that it feeds our “ego”.  It is formed in the basis of “self” thinking, and the needs of “others” are always secondary to the needs of “me”.  It is from this addiction, that we are to be made free by the power of Christ, and as His gift to us.

Peter then describes the life cycle of salvation in his own experience.  He lists a series of characteristics about himself that the transforming power of Christ has brought, and he encourages us, his readers, to allow Christ to do the same in our lives as he continues in verse 5 … “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; [verse 6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; [verse 7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”  For us to give all diligence is for us not to become weary in surrendering to Jesus Christ every-day.  The evil of self must be brought low daily to the transformation Christ offers.  This is not a “one and done” decision or action.  Next from the faith God gives to us, He adds virtue, in the transforming of who we are.  With the virtue of loving others, He adds knowledge about the true meaning of His word, separating His Truth from the teachings and traditions of men who vainly attempt to interpret scripture.  To knowledge, He adds temperance.  So often we come to believe we “know it all” or have “seen it all”.  Temperance teaches us to think moderately, to leave open the idea that there will forever be more to discover and find, whether that be the Truth of Jesus Christ, or the joy Jesus brings to our lives. 

To temperance, He adds patience.  How often have we longed for the process of perfection to be done in an instant?  But we are not ready for an instant transformation, if it happened to us we would in all likelihood, throw it away.  We need time to learn to trust completely.  We need to see God build His character in us steadfastly over time, past our failures, and learn that we can rely only on Him.  “We” cannot be trusted, but “He” never fails.  This takes time for our stubborn minds to grasp, accept, and come to believe in with unshaken trust.  To patience, He adds godliness.  As we learn to trust Him more, we submit more of ourselves to Him, and the transition from self-centered to loving-others makes us appear more and more like a reflection of Jesus Christ.  To godliness, He adds brotherly kindness.  It is easier to love our family than to love others in general.  God allows us to experience the object of loving others with those closest to us first.  Then He adds to our brotherly kindness, charity in general, or the ability to love even total strangers with as much care as we do our own family. 

This life cycle outlines a path of living the salvation experience.  It is an uplifting path that leads us up to Christ.  We do not forsake the loving of others, or engagement with others along the way, as isolation is not our goal.  But in moving upwards to Christ our love for others draws their interest and attention along the way, and can inspire in them a desire to know more for themselves.  This is how the saved bear fruit.  Peter continues in verse 8 … “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  These character traits are revelations of Jesus Christ and His work within us.  They are NOT evidence of our own righteousness, but of His righteousness working its will within us.  Our fruit, that is our results, are the results of His transformative love in our lives.  We do not remain bound in sin forever, but instead are made free from sin’s grasp by His power.

Then comes Peter’s first ominous warning in verse 9 … “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”  Peter is not talking to those who have never known the Truth of Jesus Christ in this passage, but rather to those who have tasted of this freedom.  Those who have halted, or stunted the process of salvation, by refusing to submit some part of themselves to Christ to be remade; have in so doing, introduced a spiritual cancer that is destined to metastasize within them.  The lack of characteristics defined above in living the salvation experience reflect a spiritual blindness in the part of the believer.  Without true transformation, we are unable to see His Truth.  And we come to forget His victories over sin within us, turning back to the lusts we were once made free from.  We come to forget we were at one time purged of our old lusts and sins, and instead re-embrace them once again.  Thus the potential to fall from grace has been introduced.

This section of Peter’s warning concludes as he writes in verse 10 … “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: [verse 11] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”  Peter reminds us that rather than allow ourselves to fall from Grace, we must remain diligent in surrendering our will to Jesus Christ.  It is the insertion of “self” into the process of salvation that leads to corrupt it.  It is the absence of “self” and a complete trust in Jesus Christ to save that will keep us pure and upon His path.  The arrogance of one faith to assert its value over that of another leads us to rely on our own scriptural interpretations rather than in humility to be led by Jesus Christ to the Truth of Him that we need, when we need it.  All of what Peter asks us to experience above is a result of transformative power, not of scriptural study.  Peter is asking us to make the gospel come alive by submitting to Jesus to be transformed from who we were, into who He intends us to be.  We are to make the pages of the Bible come alive in us, by being transformed by His love.  A cold dissection of words in His Book, is not the same as a warm reflection of His love directly into the life of another.

If we are to minister in His kingdom, we must learn to reflect His love to any we come in contact with.  Love is the basis of the power of the gospel.  When we deny love, we deny Christ.  When we reserve and hold our love back, we deny Christ the access to remake who we are.  If we are to keep our calling sure, and the process of being made elect sure, we must let His love flow freely through us.  The world does not need another condemnation of its evil.  It needs an alternative from evil.  It needs a solution for evil.  It needs the love of Jesus Christ to made alive in it, through His walking talking and loving servants spread across its lands.  The war with evil will not be won through condemnation, but through real reform.  Hate cannot defeat hate, only spread it.  It does us no good to hate “evil” men, for we ourselves were once under the grasp of evil.  We should instead meet the most heinous evil with the most tender love.  We should instead look for ways to make the lives our worst enemies, the best we could find to offer for their happiness.   Evil is melted by the power of love.  Evil grows when it is met with its own kind.  Hate for hate, death for death, only makes both grow in scope.  Meeting it with love, causes it to turn away.

The everlasting Kingdom of Jesus Christ, is composed of those who understand “they” must die, and He must be reborn in them.  Peter was intent that his fellow believers do not fall from grace.  More counsel to avoid this fate, was to follow …