Comments on 2 Peter 1

“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; Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.”

Sometimes God adds, and sometimes He multiplies. Grace and peace are always multiplied.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”

“Hath given unto us”—we do not have to work for them.

“through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; 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. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.”

You have faith, and courage, and knowledge, and then on top of knowledge you have temperance—if a man has a lot of courage and a lot of knowledge he is liable to jump the track, and God puts a little governor on the steam engine, and says, “Add to that a little bit of temperance.” Some of the people who have been so wonderfully filled with the Holy Ghost forget the exhortation of the Word of God and leave out the governor, and so the steam shoots off into whistle, and sometimes they don’t have enough left to pull the load. He wants us to have a great deal of knowledge and courage, but also wants us to have temperance.

“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. But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off.”

Oh, how many near-sighted folks there are these days. They are Christians and they have eyes, all right, but they are near-sighted. You have to bring a thing right up and stick it under their noses before they ever see it. Try to give them a vision or get them to look out for something ahead, and they cannot see. So God wants you to get this knowledge, and add to that temperance, and to temperance patience. In order to have patience you have to go through trial and be tested, and as you do, you get a long sight. “He that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sin.” Near-sighted people always get under the law and forget they are purged from their old sins, and you will hear them pray and say, “Lord, forgive us and save us at last for Jesus’ sake.” They don’t believe in salvation. They are working at it every day, and get up every day feeling around to see if they are saved or not, and have no assurance of salvation bubbling in their hearts. A person who is near-sighted always feels as if they are going to fall down a step or trip over something, but the man with faith in God can step out boldly, with his head up, and does not have to feel with a cane. God gives boldness, courage, patience and temperance.

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Peter says, “I was an eyewitness of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, and I know He is coming back again. I saw that body of His changed right before my eyes, until it glistened above the brightness of the sun, and was an eyewitness of His majesty, of His kingship, of His godhead there on the mount, where Moses and Elias met Him, and heaven opened, and the voice of God was heard saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”

This is enough to make anybody shout against the dark background of our day.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”