To Have and To Hold 擁有與持守 9-28-08
(2 Peter 1:3-11)
INTRODUCTION
I would like to begin with a question: Is it easy to live as a Christian in this world? A smart answer would be: It depends.
There is a story about a Brother John who entered the 'Monastery of Silence' and the chief monk said, "Brother, this is a silent monastery, you are welcome here as long as you like, but you may not speak until I direct you to do so."
Brother
John lived in the monastery for 2 years before the chief monk said to him:
"Brother John, you have been here 2 years now, you may speak two
words." Brother John said, "Hard Bed." "I'm sorry to hear
that" the chief monk said. "We will get you a better bed."
After
another 2 years, Brother John was called by the chief monk. "You may say
another two words Brother John." "Cold Food," said Brother John,
and the chief monk assured him that the food would be better in the future.
On his 6th
anniversary at the monastery, the chief monk again called Brother John into his
office.
"What are your two words you want to say today?" "I Quit." said Brother John. "I'm not surprised," said the chief monk. "You've done nothing but whine and complain since you got here."
I admit that is the same situation for some who came to the church today. After hanging around for some time they found that the church was not something they had expected. So they left. The same situation happens in our church. Some people got baptized in our church and some even served actively in various positions. They were gone. Where are they now?
When Peter wrote this letter the church was bombarded by various false teachings of the day. Peter warns his readers to stand firm in the faith. Today a more common false teaching to many sitting in the church today is the deception that it is good enough to receive Christ to guarantee one’s entrance to heaven in the future, to mature in Christ belongs to those who are more devoted to the faith. Peter in his second letter affirms us that because God has empowered us to live as a Christian we must actively and continually grow in His grace. There is no static靜態Christian in the world. One is either going forward or fall backward in his relationship with Christ. Let us receive the encouragement from Peter in this passage.
EXPLANATION
Let us do a little Bible exposition 101 here. When you study a Biblical text locating the key words is a good way to discern the major themes of it. In this passage Peter repeatedly uses a few phrases to underscore his main points. The translators of the Chinese Union Version carefully preserved those phrases.
I. Grace 恩典 (vv. 3-4)
First Peter reminds us of the grace we received as Christians. In verses 3 and 4 we see the phrases “has given us” (已將…賜給我們) being repeated. What grace has been given to us?
A. Receive God’s Blessing 領受神的祝福 (v. 3)
First of all, God has given us every resource we need to live a holy life. Verse 3 says “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” What does “everything” means? It means everything! There is nothing we need to live a holy life that God has not given to us. When did that happen? Verse 3 continues to say “through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” It happened the moment when we received Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.
B. Partner in God’s Holiness分享神的聖潔 (v. 4)
Furthermore, after we received Christ God allows us to have fellowship in His divine nature. That is the second part of God’s grace mentioned in this passage. Verse 4 reads “he has given us his very great and precious promises.” What is the promise? Read on. “…you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” The word “participate” 有分may only mean become a part of or have a share of the deal. A better translation would be partnership 拍檔or companion夥伴. God does not want us to be a little employee in His Kingdom but a major share holder. Paul in Colossians 1:13-14 also points out the truth that Christians have come out of the Kingdom darkness and are being transferred into the Kingdom of light: For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
There are very rich theological concepts in these two verses and so it may be helpful for us to have a little summary to line up the logical thoughts as below:
Because of God’s glory and goodness è He called us from the corruption in the world è He gave us all the resource we need to live a holy life AND He allowed us to have fellowship with Him in His divine nature
Notice that it is all God’s work accomplished through His grace. He called us, He saved us and He gave us all His grace.
Some of you may have one of those little iPhone made by Apple. It is a really powerful device because it has everything you need. With it you can make phone call, write email, surf the Internet, listen to music, check map, plan your schedule, take picture and watch movie. Just a few years back you would have you carry 3 or 4 different gadgets to complete all the functions. But now with the iPhone you have everything you need in one single device.
As Christians when God saved us He has given us everything we need to live a holy life because He allowed us to share in His holiness. The question is whether or not we believe it, and even if we believe it we have to exercise the power God has given us. The devil keeps trying to lure us into some sinful behaviors we practiced in the past. When the same temptation comes we can say to the devil and to ourselves that our sins have been forgiven. We can rely on God’s power to say no to sin. On the positive side since God has empowered us to live a godly life we can always come to Him for wisdom and guidance. Are you facing a difficult decision and you desire to honor God? Ask Him for help. Do you feel that you are overwhelmed with the various ministry involvements in the church? As Him for strength.
II. Growth 成長 (vv. 5-7 and 10)
Because God has given us so much grace Peter encourages us that we must continue to grow in His grace. Verse 5 says “make every effort” and in verse 10 Peter repeats the idea when he writes “be all the more eager.” The two phrases have the same root in Greek. One is a noun and the other is a verb. In that regard, therefore, the Chinese Union Version accurately preserves the meaning here. The word basically means to try one’s very best.
A. Scope of Growth成長的特質 (vv. 5-7)
In what ways should a Christian grow? From verses 5 to 7 Peter outlines the scope of our spiritual growth in terms of eight virtues: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. In verse 5 he says “For this very reason…” For what reason? Peter means because God has given us all the grace we need to live a holy life. For that reason we need to grow up in these virtues. These virtues are not to be attained in a stepwise progression, viz. after you achieved one then you can move on to the next one. Rather, someone suggested that we should take them as ingredients in a recipe where when you mix them all you will foster spiritual growth. Because every ingredient is equally important we should pay attention to cultivate all of them.
These eight
virtues are the focal point of this passage. Let us cruise through each of them.
In verse 5 Peter begins with faith. That sounds reasonable because faith is the
entry point of Christian life, for it is by faith that we received Jesus Christ
as our Lord and Savior. From faith Peter moves to goodness, which is a general
term to describe anything that fulfills its purpose. So we can substitute the
word with excellence or simply Christlikeness. Next we have knowledge. This is
not some incomprehensible mystical knowledge but acquired information God has
revealed in His Word, the Bible. Beginning from verse 6 we have self-control.
It applies more to the issue of chocolate or clearance sales at your favorite
department store. It means mastery over one’s desire and passion over
everything in life. Just like the notion of knowledge here Peter challenges the
teaching of the heresies of his time. One sect taught that since the body is
evil but the spirit is pure indulging into sinful behaviors would not affect
the final salvation of the soul. While self-control deals with the pleasure of
life the next virtue, perseverance, has to do with endurance under trials. Next
on the list is godliness, which is a common term for religion in the pagan
circle. This is not just reverence in the form of religious rituals but also
the awareness of God and thus a desire to please Him in every aspect of life.
From that Peter turns to brotherly kindness, which is the Greek word for
Someone
commented that these virtues begins with those inside the believer and
progresses outwardly. It moves from personal to public qualities. This list
begins with faith and ends with
love. Love is not only the most important but also the all-encompassing virtue of all.
B. Signs of Growth 成長的特徵 (v. 10)
When we grow in the eight virtues Peter further explains that we can expect some signs of growth. In verse 10 he says, “…be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” In another words Peter means that we should become more and more assured that indeed we have the salvation from Christ. Most Christians know Ephesians 2:8-9 very well: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” Salvation is by grace through faith. But there is a verse 10 comes right after that: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are not saved by good works but we are saved to do good works.
We have some decorated silk flowers at home. One day our older son asked his mother: “Mommy, why don’t we ever water these flowers.” My wife answered by simply saying: “Honey, because those are not real flowers but artificial ones. There is no life in them, and therefore they don’t need any water.”
It is as simple as that. Something that grows indicates that it is living. No life, no growth. The question comes back to us as we examine our lives. If someone asks you about your salvation can you explain with certainty that you are saved? After you become a Christian can you or someone who know you well discover some life changes in you? How about perseverance in the midst of hardship? How about the love you show to other fellow Christians or even non-Christians?
We need to work hard. But God will supply the resource. Spiritual growth is the result of a choice with diligence work. You may ask: by what means can I actually grow in the spirit? You have to study the Bible and put what you have learned into daily practice. The church also provides other avenues where you can learn and grow together with other Christians. There is the Wednesday prayer meeting where you can pray with others. There are fellowship meetings and Sunday school classes for you to study the Bible. Then of course we the Sunday worship for the whole church to come together to worship God. For those who have just received Christ we have the Discipleship Training program to help you get started with the basic knowledge about the Christian faith. We hope that you can gradually grow up with the help provided for you.
III. Goals 目標 (vv. 8-9, 11)
Growth is a life-long process. But along the way we can arrive at some goals. Verse 8 says “if you possess these qualities” and verse 10 echoes “if you do these things” both refer back to the eight spiritual virtues.
A. Constant Goal持續的目標 (v. 8-9)
What are the goals? Peter tells us that there are two kinds of goals – constant one and the ultimate one. There is just one constant goal, and it is to know Christ. Peter puts it in negative sense. Verse 8 tells us that if we possess the eight virtues “in increasing measure” we will not be “ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul tells us in Philippians 3:7-8 that: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Paul thought he got it all figured out because of his accomplishment as a Jewish rabbi and his knowledge of the law until the day he met Christ. Then he realized that all those life pursuits are worthless compared to the knowledge of Christ. Then he continues in verse 12 by saying “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” He kept pursuing to know more about Christ so as to fully understand Christ’s plan for his life.
Peter continues to say in verse 9 that without all these virtues in increasing measure one is “nearsighted and blind.” For some reason NIV reverses the original order in the Greek text. What Peter is trying to say is that those who claimed to be Christians but do not work hard to possess all those 8 spiritual virtues are spiritually blind, so that they can only see things that are at hand. Peter says these people have forgotten that their sins have been forgiven. Are they really that absent-minded? What they have really forgotten is how great the grace they have received in obtaining salvation.
B. Eternal Goal永恆的目標 (v. 11)
Besides the constant goal there is an eternal goal in Peter’s mind. Verse 11 tells us that those who continue to work out the 8 virtues “will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” In Peter’s mind he has the picture of a victorious athlete who poured out every ounce of his energy and beat not only his competitors but his own will to win the race. What he will receive is not only the prize reserved for the champion but also roars of applause and cheer from the audience.
It is true that every Christian will go to heaven. But throughout the New Testament there are many teachings about the fact that those Christians who diligently use the gifts and talents given by God to serve Him will receive a bigger reward in the future. For example Paul mentions this truth in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15: “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
Instead of looking at what our life may accomplish here Peter goes one step back and focus on the heart issue. After we received Christ do we actively cultivate the Christlike characters? Do we desire to know Christ so as to understand Him and understand His plan for our lives more and more?
A story was told about a manager who is about to promote someone to a senior position. He has two candidates: a middle-aged lady who has been with the company for 15 years, and a young man who has been around for 5 years. Finally, the manager picks the young lad. That makes the other candidate quite mad. She argues with the manager about his choice, saying, “I don’t understand this. I work in the company longer than that guy and I have more experience than him. I deserve the promotion.” “Indeed you have been with us longer than him,” the manager responds, “His 5 years are actual experience. Your 15 years are just one-year experience repeated 15 times.”
Sure enough we are not in competition with other Christians, and there should not be a title of “senior Christian” in the church. But I encourage you to just stop and think every now and then, say to yourself, “I have been a Christian for this many years, do I know the Lord more?” If the most well-known OT and NT passages to you are still Psalm 23 and John 3:16 then you have much room to grow.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps you would say: brother Choi, it is too bad that those who need to hear this message is not here today. No, God’s Word is speaking to you today as well. If every one of us don’t strive to live an active Christian life very soon our heart would grow cold too. Christian is not a title to add to our resume or business card but a life-changing identity God has given to those He has chosen.
To Peter Christian life does not fall to the extremes of mystical experience on the one hand, where only a handful of holy people can arrive at; nor is it a trivial weekend activity, from which one seeks entertainment. In Peter’s mind Christian life is a progressive journey where one gradually grows to maturity in Christ.
This whole paragraph of exhortation is thus set between two reference points: what we already are in Christ and what we are to become. Peter encourages us to look back to the privileges conferred on him, partake in the divine nature, and seek to live worthily of it. In doing so we can live a life that brings glory to His name, and we can look forward to the future glory prepared for those who live a life for Him.