2 Peter 1:1

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. — 2 Peter 1:1–4

Like a single apple seed that holds the code for thousands of orchards, the seed of saving faith contains everything needed for grace, godliness, and eternal life.

A Seed That Holds Everything

It is a phenomenal creation. According to the manufacturer, it didn't take more than a day to create—yet it took 86 scientists more than two years to deconstruct its code. Tens of thousands of man hours, nearly 100 scientists, and millions of dollars went into understanding this tiny thing that weighs less than a gram and stands only eight millimeters tall. I'm talking about a seed—a little apple seed.

From 2008 to 2011, research scientists deconstructed the genome of the apple, that simple fruit eaten in 7,500 different varieties around the world. The amazing thing is that this tiny teardrop seed, under the right conditions, can grow into a mature apple tree that over its 30-year life produces more than 5,000 pounds of apples. Each apple contains as many as 10 seeds, and each seed has the potential to create another tree, and another. This little piece of organic material has the potential to create thousands of orchards.

Faith also begins as a seed, which is exactly what we'll consider today in 2 Peter. But before we get there, we should think about who wrote this letter.

The Author: Simon Peter

This letter was written nearly 2,000 years ago, around AD 65–66, from the city of Rome by a man who introduces himself as Simon Peter. We know him as Peter, but his given name was Simon. He was a fisherman from Israel, near the Sea of Galilee, most likely from a town called Capernaum.

You can visit the ruins of Capernaum today and see the synagogue built on the foundations where Jesus ministered. Less than a hundred feet from that synagogue's opening is the traditional house of Simon Peter. There he carried on the fishing trade likely passed down from his father and grandfather, expected as the oldest to continue the line of fishermen on the Sea of Galilee.

Simon had a younger brother, Andrew. At some point Andrew came to him and said, "I have someone you need to meet," and introduced Peter to Jesus. Simon's entire life was radically transformed by that introduction. John's Gospel records that Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of Jonah, but I'm going to give you a new name"—Cephas, or Peter, meaning a rock or stone. When you follow Simon Peter's life, that turns out to be a fitting name.

This reminds us of something important: you never know what that little introduction to Jesus might bring in someone's life and in the lives of countless others. Like Andrew, you may need to be the one who introduces a family member or friend to Jesus.

A Life Transformed and a Legacy Left Behind

Simon became a follower of Jesus, a learner of this rabbi from Nazareth. He watched Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and feed multitudes with fragments of food. He was there when Jesus walked on water and turned water into wine. He heard Jesus preach the gospel of the kingdom, and he was trained, along with the other disciples, to do the same.

Peter watched at a distance as Jesus was arrested, falsely accused, condemned, and crucified. He saw Him die, and three days later he saw Him rise from the dead. It was Peter who received the commission with the other disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For the rest of his life, that is exactly what he did.

This book was written about 36 years after that commission. Now, nearing the end of his life and knowing his time was short, Peter wanted to leave a discipleship legacy behind. He had no idea that 2,000 years later there would be people in a place called California reading and studying this letter—but he wrote to strengthen and encourage believers.

An Apostle and a Bondservant

Peter calls himself "an apostle of Jesus Christ." At the basic level, an apostle is simply one who is sent with a message—that's what the Greek word apostolos means. In modern terms, a missionary is in one sense an apostle. But Peter belongs to a select group commissioned not by a local church but by Jesus Himself. As a witness of the risen Lord, he held a level of authority in the early church that has not been passed down to others.

He also calls himself a bondservant. Nearly every New Testament writer uses this word of himself. They were slaves of Jesus Christ—not sold or forced into slavery, but servants who by choice committed themselves to this. In John 21, Jesus asked, "Peter, do you love Me?" and told him, "Feed My sheep"—but also told him that following and serving Him would cost him his life.

A short time after writing this letter, the emperor Nero had Peter put to death by crucifixion, the same manner in which his Lord died. Tradition holds that Peter did not feel worthy to be crucified as Jesus was, so he asked to be crucified upside down—which is why the upside-down cross is called Peter's cross. Knowing the end was near, Peter was not fearful or anxious but filled with hope and joy. His only concern was the church and the problems that could come into it, so he wrote to encourage and strengthen believers.

The First Seed: Salvation Grows from God-Given Faith

Peter writes "to those who have obtained like precious faith with us." This brings us to our first point: salvation grows from God-given faith.

In 2008, researchers at Oxford received a $4 million grant to study faith and belief. Over three years, 40 studies were conducted in 20 nations, and the conclusion was this: belief is deeply rooted in human nature. Many of you are nodding—we probably didn't need $4 million to know that. But scientific research concluded that faith and belief are found on every continent and in every culture. Every human being has, if you will, a seed of belief within them.

Now, the object of that faith may differ, but every person has faith. Some say, "I am not a person of faith. I'm an atheist." Yet when you deconstruct atheism, you find that the things atheists hold true about the origins of the universe cannot be proven in a lab—they must be taken on faith. Personally, I think it takes more faith to be an atheist when you look at the evidence.

It seems almost as if we were created to have faith. In fact, we were. Paul alludes to this in Romans 12:3: "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Every human being is created with a seed of faith. That faith may grow up and latch onto something other than the God of the Bible, but it must eventually attach to something. Faith for the sake of faith is meaningless. People say, "You just have to have faith." Faith in what? That's the real question.

Faith Must Attach to the One Who Can Save

We live in a world full of objects upon which people attach their faith—Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad, Bahá'u'lláh. Those who trust in these things may experience some existential good or well-being. That's all well and good. The real issue is: can that object save you?

There is only one upon whom faith can attach that brings salvation. Peter calls it "like precious faith with us by the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ." In Acts 4, Peter declared, "Let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole." Then verse 12: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

I get it—those words aren't politically correct in 21st-century America. The one thing you're not allowed to be in our culture is exclusive, and the exclusivity of the Bible is the chief argument many raise against Christ. When Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me," people get riled up. But I didn't make it up; I'm reading what the Scriptures say.

If we were all on a sinking boat and I said, "The only way to be saved is this one life raft," would you stand there and call me narrow-minded? Fine—stay on the boat. But if you want to be saved, get in the raft. There's no harm in speaking the truth if it's the truth.

Fruitful Saving Faith Is Rooted in the Righteousness of Jesus

This is salvation "by the righteousness of God"—His righteousness, not ours. Our second point: fruitful saving faith is rooted in the righteousness of Jesus.

Take a comparative religions class, and you'll find that every other faith focuses on the merits of man—what you can do to reach enlightenment, heaven, or paradise. Christianity is unique. It says you can do nothing. It is a like precious faith in the righteousness of God our Savior. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive His righteousness, not be clothed in our own. Isaiah 64 says all our righteousness is like filthy rags before God.

Your righteousness is like a minimum payment on a credit card. It might satisfy for a moment, but in 30 days the bill comes again: "Pay up, you didn't pay enough." That's your righteousness, and that's mine. It's never enough.

Now, if you've been around church for a while, you may think, "I've heard all this." That's exactly why we keep saying it. Look at verse 12: "For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know them and are established in the present truth... as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by way of reminder." These things are important, especially in a day when so many speak against the Bible's claim that Jesus is the only way.

Grace and Peace Multiplied Through Knowledge

Peter continues in verse 2: "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." Many individuals receive people's trust, but Jesus alone is able to multiply grace and peace to you. No other head of any faith can do this.

This is the standard New Testament salutation—Paul, who wrote 13 letters, almost always opens with "grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." But Peter's slight variation highlights an important truth, our third point: our experience of grace and peace increases as our knowledge of God and Christ grows.

Just as a single seed holds all the genetic material needed to produce a fully grown, fruit-bearing tree, when the seed of your faith attaches to Jesus Christ, you have all the grace and peace you will ever need. There will never be a time when you come to God's store of grace and they say, "Sorry, Kevin took it all five minutes ago." God's grace and peace are unfathomable; you cannot drain them. As the Old Testament says, "The mercies of the Lord fail not; they are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness." To Paul, God said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you."

How to Grow in Grace and Peace

We have all the grace and peace we will ever need, yet our experience of it can increase—through the knowledge of God. This is why Peter ends the letter in 3:18: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

When I meet someone lacking peace or grace, I often ask, "How much time do you spend devotionally reading the Bible?" Invariably the answer is, "Well, I go to church on Sunday." That's wonderful, and I'm glad you do—but it's not enough. If you're experiencing a lack of peace or grace, get to know the Lord more, and the best place to know Him is His Word.

I challenge you: take seven days and begin each morning with 10 minutes reading Scripture devotionally. Start somewhere like Ephesians or Philippians—please don't start with Revelation, or you'll email me saying, "I don't get it," and I'll say, "Neither do I, God bless you." Add a few minutes of prayer, for the Scripture says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God... will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." The more you know God, the more your experience of His grace and peace will increase.

The Seed Contains All the Code for Godly Fruit

Verse 3: "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue." Not only do you have all the grace and peace you could ever need; when the seed of faith puts down roots in Jesus Christ, you also have everything you need to live this life in a godly manner.

This is, if you will, the saving-faith DNA. Our fourth point: the seed of saving faith contains all the code for godly fruit, and the production of that fruit increases as it is fertilized by the knowledge of God.

When someone tells me, "I'm struggling with a sin I can't get over; I thought it would go away when I became a Christian," I tell them God has given everything in Christ needed to live a godly life. By getting to know Him through the knowledge of Him, you'll be stirred by His Spirit and His Word to live in godliness. That doesn't mean it won't require effort. Paul told the Philippians, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," but the very next verse adds, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." God's sovereignty and man's responsibility go together. God works, I work, and He enables my work.

Commanded Holiness, Enabling Power

God has commanded godliness—"Be holy, for I am holy." That is a heavy command, and every one of us fails at it; thank God He is gracious. But with His commands He gives the enabling power to obey.

Remember the synagogue in Capernaum, Peter's hometown. Jesus saw a man with a withered hand and commanded, "Stretch forth your hand." That man had surely tried hundreds of times before. He could have argued, "You don't understand, I've tried." But he obeyed, and with the command of Jesus came the power to do what he could never do himself. His hand was restored whole like the other. According to His divine power, God has given us everything we need to live this life in a godly manner.

Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises

Verse 4: "By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." By what? By the knowledge of God, by His glory and virtue. Notice Peter doesn't just say promises, or precious promises, or even great and precious promises, but exceedingly great and precious promises.

What are these promises? They are innumerable. Read the Scriptures and find out. Start with Ephesians 1, where He gives us every spiritual blessing in heavenly places—redemption, forgiveness, adoption, and so much more. Peter's focus isn't on cataloging each promise but on their result: that through them you may partake of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in this world through sin.

Precious Faith, Precious Promises, Eternal Salvation

Our fifth point: precious faith yields precious promises resulting in eternal salvation. The New Living Translation renders verse 4: "And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desire."

These promises enable us to experience eternal salvation, where this corruption puts on incorruption and this mortality puts on immortality. As John says in 1 John 3:2, we don't know exactly what we shall be, but we know that when we see Him, we shall be like Him.

Isn't that the very desire dangled at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—"you shall be like God"? Adam and Eve took and ate at the wrong time and in the wrong way, and something was transmitted, a corruption that spread sin throughout all humanity. But when you take in the divine nature of God in Christ Jesus, a new transformation takes place. One day you will escape the corruption of this world and be given a new, glorified body—not like this one.

How many of you think that sounds pretty good? And where do these exceedingly great and precious promises come from? From the knowledge of God, from a life rooted in Christ, where the seed of faith puts down roots and attaches to Him. That sounds like gospel—good news. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Father, I thank You for Your exceedingly great and precious promises. I pray that we would be partakers of these things, that we would put our trust and faith in You, because You alone are able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through You, Jesus. We thank You for Your grace, and that it is according to Your righteousness and not ours that we are given this grace, mercy, peace, forgiveness, and redemption. I pray that we would not only receive that but give it out to others, because we live in a world in need of Your grace, mercy, and peace.

And if anyone here has never put their trust in Jesus for salvation but desires His grace, His peace, and these great and precious promises—Jesus came and died on the cross 2,000 years ago to make that possible and rose from the dead so that we could receive His grace and forgiveness. If that is you, I encourage you to receive Him today and be rooted in Him.

God, would You pour out Your Spirit upon this group as we prepare to go from this place, that we would be ambassadors of Your grace to a world in desperate need. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agree said, amen.