In these essays I am more interested in practical relevance than in scholarly exegesis. For this reason, this first chapter of II Peter is especially important to me. Here Peter addresses the greatest problem in living the Christian life. We live in a very present and demanding world. We are so bombarded with the problems and concerns of our physical existence, that it is difficult to set them aside and pay attention to the unseen and intangible realities of our spiritual life. As a result, we put our spiritual development "on hold" while we deal with the daily business of our more tangible and visible problems and interests. This is Peter's concern in this chapter.
Christianity is not a club we join, where we can maintain our membership whether we attend the meetings or not, and get involved in the activities or not.
We cannot simply "pay our dues" and keep our identity with the "club". Christianity is a discipline which must affect every facet of our lives, permeate every decision we make, dictate the personality we present to the world, and set the standards by which we behave. Like the body-builders in the gym, if we do not make constant progress, we deteriorate. Christianity is not a level we achieve. It is a constant growth process. It is not enough to be good. We must be better every day.
This is Peter's theme: "You must possess these qualities in increasing measure". Thus, "they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". Otherwise, you are blind to the fact that you only have hope because the grace of God has forgiven you of your past sins.
We structure our lives around the plans and hopes we have for our future here in this world. Now that I am well into my ninth decade of life, I realize how swiftly this life passes. Things that seem to have happened only a month or so ago, I suddenly realize happened years ago. No matter how successful you are in life, it passes very quickly. The Bible speaks of life as a vapor which evanesces, and disappears soon. The only solid joy we can hold on to, as we progress toward the inevitable close of life here, is the hope we have in Christ Jesus. This is not a morbid contemplation, but a lively hope. Peter, anticipating his own departure, is trying to impress his followers with this thought.
At the end of His life, Jesus promised His disciples a place in His Father's house. He said something very impressive, which you might miss, if you don't pay close attention. He said, "If it were not so, I would have told you". In other words, if there were no hope...no light at the end of the tunnel...nothing to gain from your sacrifices, I would not have led you to make these sacrifices, and risk your very lives for this cause.
In our next essay we will explore the powerful case Peter makes for the reality of the Christian hope. Can we believe the story? Let's look at the evidence.
