Pacific Hope

ASSURANCE THROUGH OBEDIENCE

Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

• Written to believers & everything that follows applies accordingly

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge (saving faith) of God and of Jesus our Lord.

• Faith, assurance & even grace are abstractions… cannot be defined apart from something else to attach it to… Abstraction: the act of considering something as a general quality or characteristic, apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances.

• Assurance itself is completely existential…. meaning it is based on experience, feeling… and it is individual… my assurance of your salvation means very little to you!

• The feeling of Assurance is a result of our reasoning… and reasoning is based completely on fact.

• Faith is the assurance of things hoped for & the conviction of things not seen Hebrews 11.1

• God’s gift of faith enables us to believe, our responsibility is to put that faith into action.

• “Faith does not save, Christ saves” –B.B. Warfield

• You are not saved by the amount of your faith, but by the object of your faith.

• Even a mustard seed of faith, if it is faith in Christ, can move a mountain.

• So how do we come upon faith? Gift from God… & Romans 10.17 ‘Faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ’

• The Word of God must be revealed to us, our eyes & ears opened by God, so that we can understand the words preached and the meaning contained therein.

• ‘We must remember that there is an inseparable link between faith & the Word, and that they can no more be separated than rays of light from the sun…. So if faith goes off course by the least degree from the mark at which it ought to aim, it is no longer faith but becomes wavering doubt & an uncertain mind. The Word is the base on which faith rests and is strengthened. If it moves from it, it falls. Take away the Word and there will be no faith….. the Word itself, however it comes to us, is like a mirror in which faith can see God.’ –Calvin

• From there, from an understanding of the truth of God’s Word, we reason with an instructed mind to full faith (fiducia)

• To ‘know full well’ is the knowledge Peter is describing here in v. 2… not just an intellectual ascent, but a full trusting belief…. a true saving faith.

• Man with the wheelbarrow.

• To ‘know full well’ does not mean to know absolutely and finally, but to trust completely…. this is a knowledge that we will continue to grow in… that is why we are admonished throughout all of the New Testament to ‘grow in the grace & knowledge of Jesus Christ.

PROPOSITION: The believer can have and should strive for a full assurance of his salvation.

INTEROGATIVE: How does one come to the feeling of assurance? What steps are we to take to cultivate assurance in our life?

4 aspects of the Christian walk that when understood, acted on & reasoned from, will produce a full assurance in the believer.

THE ROOT –of our faith- vs 3-4

His (Christ’s) divine power has granted (complete in the past with continuing results in the present) to us all things

• We have received, in the form of divine power, everything we need to be equipped for sanctification- we have no lack at all.

that pertain to life and godliness,

• defines the realm of sanctification, the living of the Christian life on earth to the glory of God – between initial salvation and final glorification. –J Mac

• ‘With the gift of new life in Christ came everything related to sustaining that life, all the way to glorification. that is why believers are eternally secure and can be assured God will empower them to persevere to the end.’ –J Mac

• the term godliness encompasses both true worship of God & it’s companion, active obedience. God’s grace that is so powerful to save is also sufficient to sustain and empower the believer to good works and to persevere in righteous conduct.

through the (true) knowledge (saving faith) of him who called us by His own glory and excellence,

• Again, this is salvation, this is justification.

• And it is clear here, that salvation & justification are the work of God alone… by His own glory & excellence…His grace alone, without any help from us or our supposed good works.

4 by which (His grace alone) he has granted to us (complete in the past with continuing results in the present) his precious and very great promises,

• This encompasses all of God’s promises to His true children that we find in both the Old & New Testaments.

• Paul in 2 Corinthians 7.1 (after quoting from Exodus 29 & Isaiah 52 promises of “They will be my people & I will be their God…”) Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

• Such as, spiritual life, eternal life, abundant grace, the Holy Spirit, wisdom, guidance, instruction, resurrection, heaven & eternal rewards.

so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

• May become is not meant to refer to ‘some time in the distant future… it is a present reality.

• It’s permission, not ‘possibly’…. not may or may not…

• NOW, you may partake of the divine nature… NOW that you have been cleansed, NOW that you have been saved from the corruption (stink, stench..) of the world…. NOW that you have been justified…

This is the ROOT of our faith….

• That God is the one who saved us, who cleansed and who declared us righteous because of the perfect, active obedience of Christ’s life & the atoning work of His death.

• Peter here is opening his 2cd letter with a declaration that our saving faith is a gracious work & gift of God…. just as he did with his first epistle.

• understand justification, you have been justified, (past tense) declared right with God.

• Justification is not being made perfect, it is being declared perfect.

• Justification, for the believer is always in the past-tense. Romans 4.20-5-2; 5.9-11

• Having been justified, we are now into sanctification…2 fold meaning; purifying & a setting apart for use by God… The setting apart is past tense …

• The purifying sanctification is a process, a striving & even a battle. –the language of purifying sanctification is in the present tense. Romans 7.15- 8.17

• Freedom from sin, but not freedom to sin.

• It is equally true to say that we have been sanctified and that we are being sanctified… and will be until the day we are called to be with the Lord in eternal sinless, glorification.

• God has worked faith into us, transformed us, and He has given us the desire and the ability to work out that faith……

~ Understanding the root of our faith stirs in us the next aspect of our Christian walk….~

THE REACTION -to justification- vs. 5-8

5 For this very reason,

• Therefore…‘because of that root is vs. 3-4’

make every effort

• a command to active, diligent, obedience

to supplement

• with actions and attributes

• add to, furnish besides, under gird

• like quoting a theologian or using an illustration to under gird a truth of Scripture.

your faith with virtue,

• Just in case you’re still not clear on freedom from sin, but not freedom to sin… Notice the first attribute in the list as given by the Holy Spirit…

• virtue- valor, moral excellence- a striving to not sin.

 

and virtue with knowledge,

• a slightly different ‘knowledge’ than in vs. 3 & 8… gnosis vs. epignosis

• an intellectual knowledge, facts, truths, bits of information about God.

• God wants to be known! That is why He has chosen to reveal Himself here in His Word….

• The purpose of theology is to study God, grow in the knowledge of God

6 and knowledge with self-control,

• temperance, a self restraint… especially in sexual activity

• the very phrase indicates personal responsibility

• Not ‘let go & let God’…. Not ‘if you want me to stop, stop me….’

and self-control with steadfastness,

• a cheerful or hopeful endurance, constancy

• when you stumble or fall… repent, deny yourself, take up your cross & follow Christ

and steadfastness with godliness,

• piety, holiness

• active obedience

7 and godliness with brotherly affection,

• love of/ for the brethren… fellow Christians

and brotherly affection with love.

• Agape love, a self denying love…

• To express the essential nature of God…

• God IS Love!! Let’s not forget or downplay that…

* These attributes are not to be worked out by us one at a time, but rather, collectively, all at once.

* There is a building of one upon another and certainly, there will be a gradation or a building up through the list as some will be stronger in us than others, but we are not to wait to cultivate brotherly affection or agape love until we feel we have mastered self control or knowledge.

* Remember, there has been granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through divine power of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

*Notice how each attribute is one displayed by Christ in His earthly ministry*

• 1 Peter 2.22 speaks of the virtue, the moral excellence of Christ. ‘He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth’

• Luke 2.52 speaks of Christ’ knowledge…. that Jesus grew in wisdom & stature

• Luke 9.51 tells us that Jesus steadfastly set His face toward Jerusalem to carry out the completion of His mission on earth.

• If we indeed profess that Christ is God, as does John 1.1, then godliness is assumed to be His attribute. But Phil 2.8 speaks of His obedient aspect of godliness, “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

• Jesus Himself spoke of His brotherly affection and agape love in John 15.13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down His life for His friends.”

~Having worked through what the believer’s reaction to justification should be, Peter now warns us that there is an aspect of risk in this Christian walk…. not a risk to our salvation, but to our assurance.

THE RISK –of a lazy spirit- vs. 8-9

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing,

they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Having these qualities, striving to cultivating these qualities in your life is a proof that God has done a divine work in your life.

• The Christian walk is one of active, diligent obedience not a lazy, stagnant complacency.

• ineffective- barren, inactive, lazy

9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

• Still speaking to Christians, true believers….

• nearsighted, blind- to be clouded by haze, enveloped by smoke… inflated with self conceit, focused only on self – doubting-

• Notice the present tense here – IS…

• This is focusing on me, my sins, my unworthiness…. no way I can be saved!

• If your salvation depended on those things, you would be right! But as we have already seen, our salvation is dependent totally on God & His grace & mercy…

• When we are clouded in that haze, we lose sight of our justification …we cannot see God… we cannot see back to our justification, or ahead to our glorification… we cannot even see around us in the present to see the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives….we forget that we were (past tense) cleansed (purified, washed, expiated) from our former sins.

~ When we are then rooted in our faith, reacting to our justification and aware of the risk of sloth…. we can now see the rich & glorious reward promised to us….

THE REWARD –of our diligent obedience- vs. 10-11

10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent

• use speed, earnest…. same phrase as make every effort in v. 5

to make your calling and election sure,

• your invitation & your choosing, or better… your having been chosen…

• Same words Jesus used in Matthew 22.14 to say, ‘many are called, but few are chosen..’

• Not all called (general call) are chosen, but all chosen have been or will be called (effective call)… make the effectiveness of the call and the reality of God’s choosing you sure… (stable or steadfast….)

• Not sure to God! Sure to you… cultivate your assurance…

for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

• Acts 26:20-21 ….that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

• Practice as a lifestyle, (not a hobby) one who is known for and even defined by these divine attributes in them…

• If we do “these things” (the things listed in 2 Peter 1:5-7, cf. v. 8), if we display Christian growth and character in our daily lives, then we can be sure we are converted and will one day be in heaven.

• Never fall is a double negative which serves to strengthen the denial… Never!! Never fall, never fail (as in your salvation) Not because your doing the works, either to earn or keep your salvation, but because the works prove your salvation.

• This is a strong, absolute, declarative statement….Never! No how, no way, impossible to fail…. why? Because of verses 3 & 4… God’s work, not ours…

• Our works, our obedience, our cultivating these qualities only prove that God has done a work in us to begin with.

• John 15.14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you”

• “Obedience does not make you a friend, it proves you are a friend” –J Mac

~ Begin to wrap up with 5 real life, practical struggles we all face in cultivating assurance and give you some tools to help with that cultivation.

Hindrances to the believer’s assurance & tools to help build confidence:

I. Bad teaching & ignorance

• Much more dangerous than lack of assurance is a false assurance. A direct result of bad teaching. “I said a prayer…..”

• Bad teaching also gives root to the fear of losing salvation.

• Many cite this very passage in 2 Peter as proof that you can lose your salvation…

• If we understand that we had nothing to do with gaining our salvation, but that it was all the work of God, then we can also be assured that we can do nothing to lose our salvation. The grace that saves is grace that keeps.

• John 6:37-38 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

• Rom 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• Ignorance, lack of knowledge or misunderstandings of God’s Word and His work in salvation also hinder one’s assurance.

Tools: Have a right & proper view of your salvation.

• A proper understanding of grace.

• So many try to smuggle works into the salvation equation (before justification)

• “Full assurance is a sweet enjoyment of communion in the benevolence of the Holy Father” –Calvin

• It is a mistake to confuse the work of Christ on the cross as the foundation of our salvation and the work of the Holy Spirit within us as the continuation of our salvation/ sanctification. Christ’s work was finished on the cross… the work of the Spirit within us is ongoing.

II. A misunderstanding of sin in the life of the believer

• Going back the statements of Romans 7, we need to understand that we have been delivered from the dominion of sin but not the presence of sin.

• The status of sin has changed but not the nature of sin.

• Many Christians feel that if I sin, I must not be saved. But the encouragement in that is, the fact that you even recognize sin in your life is evidence of God working in you to open your blind eyes to your sin. The question you must ask yourself then is, what is my reaction to the sin in me & is my sinful behavior continually decreasing as I grow in virtue & godliness?

Tools:

• Identify sin in your life, root out sinful patterns… set in place safeguards to prevent the temptation to sin.

• Pray that you would see your sin as God sees it.

• Rejoice in the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit…. knowing that Heb 12 says…For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."…If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons…For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

III. A misunderstanding of the role of affliction in the believer’s life.

• Whether suffering or trial in our life is for discipline or refinement, it is all intended to promote growth and again, should be a witness to us that God is working in our life.

• Rom 8:16-17 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

• Trust God- Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Job 13.15

• Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the last 200 years if not of all time, was afflicted with his wife’s crippling illness, his own physical ailments, (including gout, rheumatism, & brights disease) and ongoing bouts of severe depression throughout his entire ministry…. what got him through was his steadfast belief and reliance on the doctrine of God’s sovereignty… he said this, “It would be a very sharp & trying experience to me to think I have an affliction which God never sent me…. That the bitter cup was never filled by His hand that my trials were never measured out by Him nor sent to me by His arrangement of their weight & quantity.”

IV. Attacks of the devil

• Always remember the truths we have in Scripture that whatever the enemy brings into our life, whether temptation to sin, physical or mental trial & suffering…. God is in absolute control & has set boundaries around the enemy

• Spiritual warfare is a battle of the mind.

• He wants to cause doubt by telling you lies…. not lies about yourself! Much of what he says about you is true! I am a dirt bag sinner!

• Satan’s attacks are really on the character of God, His love, His grace, His benevolence & the truth of His Word.

• When he brings accusations against you, you can say as the puritans did… you’re right… “I am a horrible sinner & Christ is a wonderful Savior”

• Study the Word- Be able to discern truth from error… be able to reason from facts not feelings.

V. Doubt

• Doubt can be crippling, but it can also be helpful. Doubt forces us back to first principles.

• “Surely, while we teach that faith ought to be certain and assured, we cannot imagine any certainty that is not tinged by some anxiety.” –Calvin

• Examine yourself- Has your life changed, have you grown? Are you being sanctified? Is your view of sin changed? Are you performing good works from pure motives? Do you have a love for the brethren? Do you love as God loves? or at least desire & strive to?

• Take up journaling, and be very honest… look back over it and see where you have come from…. we so easily forget how far we’ve come (2 Peter 1.12-13)

• “You don’t measure someone’s spiritual growth by the height they’ve reached, but by the distance they’ve traveled from where they began.” – John Owen

• Understand the graciousness of the order for the sacraments… they are for us to remember what Christ has done for us…. the self examination and the remembrance of Christ and His love to die for us that we could be forgiven & justified in the eyed of the Father.

• Again, Study the Word, trust God… If you believe that God is who He says He is, then you know that He cannot lie and so every word is truth…John 17.17 Sanctify them in the Truth, Your Word is truth.

• Look @ 1 John…

• Educate your mind and inform your conscience with the Word of God. Believe in truth & reason from fact.

• “This is simply to say that doubt and assurance are matters of the mind. My arm does not doubt anything. My foot has no convictions. My thumb understands nothing. I may have feeling in my stomach or other physical symptoms related to issues of doubt or assurance, but they flow from the mind, not apart from it. Assurance floods my heart and fills my soul only when my mind has been convinced of the truth.” –RC Sproul

~ I want to bring us back from what I and other men have said to close with the same thing we opened with…. what has God said? I want to finish with this high & might promise in verse 11…..

11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

• This does not mean that if you do these things, you will get to come into heaven.

• Peter is borrowing a Greek phrase that means ‘an abundant entrance’ i.e. the Olympic Games… fanfare etc…

• This is describing the entrance to heaven that accompanies the phrase we so long to hear… ‘Well done, My good & faithful servant’… When the Christian saint has made every effort & been all the more diligent to live a fruitful life of obedience to God and press hard through the narrow gate, the hosts of heaven will burst into cheers and songs to see such a one enter glory and receive his crown of eternal reward.

• Not because of you or your greatness, but because you were fruitful in your saving faith, in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ… because you exhibited His attributes & thereby brought attention & Glory to God…. and all of heaven will rejoice when God receives glory.

To those who have, by God’s grace, come to a place of resting in full assurance, I remind you never to become haughty or to lose compassion for our brothers and sisters who still struggle to reach that peace. Bear in mind these words from Thomas Watson….

“If you have assurance, be careful you do not lose it; keep it, for it is your life…. keep assurance. First, by prayer, Psalm 36.10, “O continue thy lovingkindnesss.” Lord, continue assurance; do not take away this privy seal from me. Secondly, keep assurance by humility. Pride estrangeth God from the soul; when you are high in assurance, be low in humility. St. Paul had assurance, and he baptizeth himself with this name, “Chief of sinners,” 1 Tim 1.15. The jewel of assurance is best kept in the cabinet of an humble heart.”

-Thomas Watson