2Pet 1:1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2Pet 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pet 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
2Pet 1:4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
There are at least four things mentioned here.
The first thing God has given us, ( and this is true for every person who has put their faith in Jesus Christ ) is, "to those who have obtained like precious faith"
We are told in the Bible that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. ( Rom 10:17 ) And, we are told that the faith we have "is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God" Eph 2:9 And, ( as God had dealt to each one a measure of faith ) Rom 12:2
The point is this. You do have faith, and it has come from God. It's called "like precious faith" just like the apostle Peter had, and as does every other christian believer.
Faith is assurance, it is belief, it is the conviction of the truth. Specifically, it's the conviction that Jesus Christ is the savior, and that it's through our trust in Him that we obtain eternal salvation.
Secondly, and this has to do with what God will give you and wants to give you. He wants grace and peace to be multiplied in your life of faith in Jesus Christ. That is, God wants grace and peace to increase in your life. And the way they are increased is through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. These blessings come from the Father and from Jesus, and the grow as we know the Father and Jesus more, and more. ( These blessings are a by-product if you will of growing in our relationship with God )
Thirdly, we have been given all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and again ( it's through the knowledge of Him )
Fourthly, we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises that have made us partakers of the divine nature, and have caused us to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. New birth and new life, a life of freedom from the old life.
There is so much to say as we get going through and into this 2nd letter by Peter. But these four things listed above are alot to think about, and to digest, and to meditate on this day. I pray that you might be blessed as you consider what Your God has given you, and what Your God wants to give you. Some things are our's now, but by knowing Him, we find ourselves receiving more of His grace and peace into our lives.
May God bless you and cause His face to shine upon you and give you peace.
Pastor Bob Grenier.
