Our purpose in this series is not to solve theological problems with which scholars have wrestled over the centuries. However, we sometimes do run into
questions which need to be resolved, so that we might more clearly understand our relationship to God and to Jesus Christ. One of these questions comes up
when we note Peter referring, in verse one, to Jesus as God and Savior. In John 1:1, he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." As a result, some have argued that there is only one personality...that Jesus and God are one and the same. Such a position would present many insurmountable problems in the study of the New Testament. There are too many places where it is quite obvious that Father and Son are separate personalities. How, then, can Peter call Jesus God, and how could Thomas, upon seeing the proof of the resurrected Jesus, say, "My Lord and my God"?
Let me try to simplify this. I am an Osborne because my father was an Osborne. However, my mother was a Martin, and so I am also part Martin. I am not totally Osborne, nor totally Martin, for the bloodline is long and includes many other people in my past. However, and I have to speak in human terms, Jesus had only one progenitor, God. In our earthbound language, His only spiritual genes came from God, His Father. Therefore, He was totally God. So, while we have two personalities, Father and Son, they have the same Spirit, which makes them one in purpose and will, but separate personalities to which we relate. The Father, Creator and giver of all things, and the Son, who came to earth and became our Savior and link to the Father. "No man cometh to the Father, but by Me", defines for us our relationship to each of them, and our dependence on both for our eternal life.
This leads us to the next verse, which says, "Grace and peace come to us through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ". I remind you again, as I have in the past, that words do not always mean the same thing. Here, "knowledge" does not refer to scholarly understanding, nor intellectual achievement. Peter is telling us that the source of grace and peace lies in our relationship with Jesus Christ, and the better we come to know Him, the more we will know of grace and peace. The knowledge of Jesus Christ does not come from academic study. Like the knowledge we have of a friend or loved one, it comes by association and communication over time, and grows richer as our closeness increases. You want to know Jesus? Then walk with Him each day, talk to Him often in prayer, imitate His lifestyle in your association with others, and the knowledge you will gain will enrich your life and bring you peace.
Peter goes on to say that the knowledge we gain, by association with Jesus, will enable us to escape the temptations of the world. Living in a pagan world,
it is difficult for the Christian to ignore the constant appeals to the earth-man, and develop the spirit-man within. Here Peter gives us the only formula which will work. You can't handle the devil and his world by yourself. Only by making Jesus your constant companion, can you overcome the constant pull of the world, and develop a real appreciation for the peace and freedom of your spiritual life with God.
In the next paper, we are going to examine the next admonition, which is to "exercise" our faith. What an idea! We will discuss it in essay #16.
