Context: Peter was addressing those of like faith (of equal standing) as him and the other NT apostles. He let us know that God’s divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, and that we have all been called to God’s own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them we may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. And then he said:
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” (2 Peter 1:5-11 NASB).
So, in context, we learn that there is a faith which is distinguished from other faiths, and that this faith is of equal value as the faith of the NT apostles, and it is evidenced by us becoming partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. So right there we learn that the faith we are to have, as those who profess faith in Christ, involves us now partaking in godliness, holiness, moral purity, uprightness, honesty, faithfulness and obedience to our Lord, and it means that we are no longer walking in deliberate and habitual sin.
But it doesn’t end there. This faith must also express itself in many biblical and spiritual qualities (of the Spirit of God) which we must be daily applying to our lives, in the power of God’s Spirit living within us. So, we don’t just “get saved” and now we are “good to go.” Salvation is not a one-time experience in our lives whereby we now claim forgiveness of all sins and heaven as our eternal destiny, but regardless of how we live. The Scriptures do not teach that kind of salvation. They teach progressive salvation.
[Matt 24:9-14; Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6,14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 2 Pet 2:20-22; 1 Jn 2:24-25]
Not only do the Scriptures teach progressive salvation which will not be complete until Jesus returns and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity, but this progressive salvation has requirements, conditions, and stipulations for us to follow in order for us to be among those who are taken to be with our Lord for eternity. So we should not overlook these, for they are written down for us all throughout the New Testament.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
We are not saved by our own fleshly works, but we are saved to do the good works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:17-24; Romans 6:1-23).
So, these works are required of us for salvation. Absolute perfection is not required, but if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, the Scriptures make it very clear that we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 2:3-6; Romans 6:1-23).
So, as those who are of faith which is of equal standing as the faith of the NT apostles, our lives are to reflect the character of Jesus Christ, and we are to be those who are walking in faithful obedience to our Lord in holy living and in taking on these spiritual qualities and making them our own, in the power of God. So, we are to be virtuous (morally pure) and biblically literate, not depending on other humans to tell us the truth but being students of the Scriptures ourselves who read them in context prayerfully seeking the Lord.
And we are not to be people who are living lives out-of-control, but rather in self-control under the control of the Holy Spirit. Thus we are not going to be those who are addicted to sin and who are impulsive and who live by our feelings and who let our emotions control our behaviors. But we are to be those who are steadfast in our walks of faith and in our pursuits of holiness and righteousness and godliness, in obedience to our Lord. And godliness is being like God in character, mind, heart, and in action.
And brotherly (and sisterly) affection must always be pure and discerning. We have to be so careful that, in our endeavors to show love to other followers of Christ, that we don’t cross any moral lines and put ourselves in compromising situations. So we have to be very guarded there. And “love” is not based in human emotions but in God and in his divine character and will for our lives. This love is based in moral purity and means to prefer what God prefers, which is what is honest, upright, faithful, and morally pure.
In other words, we can’t just profess faith in Jesus Christ and expect that heaven is secured us. The Scriptures teach solidly and consistently that we must now walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh, and in holy and righteous living, and no longer in sin, and in walks of obedience to our Lord, and no longer in sinful rebellion against the Lord. Again it does not say we have to be absolutely perfect, but if what we practice is sin, we will not inherit eternal life with God.
So, please take this seriously. We have to be diligent in this in order to confirm our calling and election, for if we practice these qualities, we will never fall. And in this way there will be richly provided for us an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if we do not practice holiness, godliness, moral purity, faithfulness, and obedience to our Lord, but we continue in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord, then Jesus will say to us, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” And we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Spiritually speaking, this secular song can be a prayer to God to bring the wanderers home, to revive his church that they may live and not die without Christ. For many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are not going to enter into God’s eternal rest because they would not obey him and his commands. And this may be at the cost of some of us dying on account of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ and because we are speaking the truth of the gospel.
Bring Him Home
By Alain Boublil / Claude Michel Schonberg / Herbert Kretzmer
God on high
Hear my prayer
In my need
You have always been there…
He's like the son I might have known
If God had granted me a son.
The summers die
One by one
How soon they fly
On and on
And I am old
And will be gone…
You can take
You can give
Let him be
Let him live
If I die, let me die
Let him live
Bring him home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXnRf3TQcpk
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