Sabbath: Be Who You Are
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Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Pet. 1:1-15, Eph. 2:8, Rom. 5:3-5, Heb. 10:38, Rom. 6:11, 1 Cor. 15:12-57.
Memory Text: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7, NIV).
One of the astonishing things about the New Testament is how much truth can be “crammed” into a very limited amount of space. Take this week’s lesson, which covers
2 Peter 1:1-14. In these 14 verses, Peter teaches us about righteousness by faith. He then gets into what God’s power can do in the lives of those who have given themselves to Jesus. He talks about the amazing truth that we can become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4) and that we can be free from the corruption and lust of the world.
In fact, we get not only a kind of catalog of Christian virtues, but Peter presents them in a specific order. One follows another, which follows another, and so forth until they climax into the most important one of all.
He also writes about the reality of what it means to be in Christ and to be “cleansed” (2 Pet. 1:9, NIV) from our old sins, and then even brings in the idea of assurance of salvation, the promise of eternal life in “the everlasting kingdom” (2 Pet. 1:11) of the Lord.
And finally, we even get a little discourse on the crucial topic of the state of the dead. What a lot of rich and deep truth in just 14 verses!
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 27.
(46)
It is very interesting in the way the writer (Peter) structured his message: leading the reader from point to point. I believe that Peter is trying to lead the reader to understand Jesus step by step showing from his very own experience. He is one Disciple very close to Jesus; one who denied Jesus to the point he publicly denied Him, "I do not know Him!" He thought about everything, saw everything, felt everything in the way Peter was to Jesus. There, on the blood stained cross hung his Master, Teacher, and Christ the Messiah. Peter stood a long way from Him who had said to him, "On this stone I build My Church." We can only imagine what Peter might have felt, but deep down Peter was so regretful and broken; and when he had gone to the tomb to see it empty, he became agitated and nervous that he inquired where his Master's body had been taken. Until, and only until the Savior appeared mysteriously to them in the locked room that he believed in the Living Savior. Peter gave up himself for the Master. In few short letters Peter gave the strong and deep messages before his crucifixion upside down in Rome for us to the end times. I never was serious in those letters until this quarters Lesson Study. It is true Peter leads the reader step by step closer to Jesus. It is very important for us today when this world is in confusion.
The phrase, “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4) is of great interest to me. This may have some relationship to the stone or Rock Jesus told Peter would be the foundation of His church. The foundation of His church is the uniting of our humanity with His Divinity. This how the character of God can be built within us. This is how Jesus' prayer for us in John 17 KJV ([21] "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. [22] And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: [23] I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." …) is fulfilled in us, the church.
Connecting with His Divinity brings us all together in one Mind and purpose and Love. This is how we are in Him and They are in us. We, then, have this Mind that was also in Christ Jesus making us "ONE."
In reading 2Peter 1-4,verse 3 is the how to verse. "His power has given to all, things that pertain to life and godliness". All of the virtues listed do not easily become a way of life for most of us. We need the power that God will provide. There are other lists of virtues found by Apostle Paul in Romans 10:14,15, and Romans o8:29,30. and, or combinations of Virtues and vices. Ephesians 5:1-7 to name just a few of about 15 All build on connecting verses. Interesting that The word partakers used in 2 Corinthians 1:7 is similar in application to 2 Peter1:4 and 1Peter 4:13 Our choices have much to do with life decisions.