Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Summary: Recognizing someone you know is a kind of “knowing” that is hard to describe. Seeing a loved one after twenty years means seeing someone whose appearance has changed a lot, yet we “know” who they are. This is the kind of knowing that Peter refers to in this passage.
Before dissecting this passage into its elemental parts, let us step back and look at the whole.
“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
We have already looked into the meaning of Simon Peter’s name. We have also meditated on the other parts of verse one. In verse two, Peter gives us an important pointer to help us with our lives as Christians.
Note that Peter is writing to people who have faith in Jesus. Not just any faith, but faith that they cherish and consider precious. It is to these people that he offers God’s grace and peace. And then, he tells us how we acquire these two qualities. Grace and peace come through “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
Think about that for a moment. How do we know about God? How do we know about Jesus? What do we know? Is what we know true? Do we know the true facts?
This is one of the most difficult aspects of Christianity. There are a lot of people who will be happy to tell you about Jesus. Sometimes they get caught up in the excitement and want to tell you and me how we should live. “If you want to be saved you have to…” is how the message begins.
Some might say that the “true knowledge” of God is only found in their doctrine or their church. Others might say that you have to trust their “interpretation” of what the Bible says. The most famous example of this thinking is in the New Testament itself. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law thought of God in a certain way. To their way of thinking, anyone who disagreed with them was wrong. Even if that person was God Himself.
So then, what should we do?
If we look deeper at the text and examine the meaning of the Greek word translated as “knowledge,” we find some clues.
Referencing our old friend “Strong’s Definitions,” we learn the Greek suggests that the word “knowledge” in this case means recognition and acknowledgment.
It is amazing to me how we can recognize someone we have not seen in years. They might have changed their hairstyle, they are wearing different clothes; they look different, but still, we recognize them because we know them.
In the same way, if we have a faith like Peter’s, we will recognize our Lord because we know our Lord. To do this, we need to know God like Peter knows God. Keep in mind that Jesus did not just show up a few times after being crucified and then disappear forever. He gives those who believe in him his Holy Spirit (John 15:26, Luke 11: 13). Peter, as he is writing his letters, knows God is in him because he recognizes and acknowledges God’s Spirit.
To have the grace and peace that Peter writes about, we need to know God personally through Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit. When that happens, when we have personally met and know our God, grace and peace will be ours in abundance.
Application: Take time to know God personally. Make knowing God a priority.
Food for Thought: What would you tell someone who needed help knowing God, as Peter uses the term in this passage?
I read your (very well done) discussion and a couple thoughts came to mind about knowing someone. You gave the example of having known someone and not seen them for a while, and even though their outward appearance has changed, you recognize them. I have also experienced times when I “knew” someone over email/phone but had never actually been in the same room with them. I then “recognized” them before even the first face-to-face introduction once we were in the same room together. Not from outward appearance, but from voice and tone and style of speaking. I ask myself why this is and the answer that comes to me is time. When you spend time with someone there is an exchange that brings familiarity and recognition. So, what would I tell someone who needed help knowing God? I would tell them to spend time with God. In prayer, letting Him know what’s on your heart and mind. In meditation over His Word to see what He has for your life. In conversation (inwardly, and outwardly if it helps 🙂 ). God is the one person in your life that you can express exactly how you feel and know that He won’t judge you on your feelings, and if you are questioning the place those feeling have in your life, He will provide you an answer. I have eventually been able to forgive someone because I told God how much I hated that person. That was the start of a conversation, and in that conversation, God led me to His Word, and what He wanted in both our lives. It was a long conversation, many months. In the end, I could “recognize” God’s presence in that part of my life.
1 Corinthians 2:12-13
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
Chris,
Great point! It does take time to get to know someone. You also talk about “voice.” This is another important point. Knowing someone is not restricted to a face-to-face meeting. We can know someone through their words. That is why reading the Word of God is so important. Over the years I have discovered God’s “voice” in all of Scripture. It was a startling discovery for me to suddenly realize that even though every book of the Bible is unique, there is a single voice behind all of the words.
That really is true and can be a hard thing to comprehend until you put it in the perspective that the eternal God wrote His Word not front to back like a story, but continuous and timeless. I truly like that my Creator is so…creative.
🙂
09-01-2021, 2 Peter 1:2: What would you tell someone who needed help knowing God, as Peter uses the term in this passage?
Our creator God knows every atom of our being, every desire of our hearts and every thought of our minds.
1 John 3:20, Mathew 6:8, Psalm 147:5, Proverbs 15:3
He has created each of us for His purpose and placed each in an environment which would shape us into the instrument He desired we would become. God sees what we might call good or bad events in our lives, as good. All have been part of His plan to shape each of us into the unique individual we are.
See the Life of Joseph in Genesis 37-50. Or the life of Moses in Exodus and Deuteronomy
We have all been called by God to be used by Him as He ministers to those He will bring into our sphere of influence.
1 Peter 1:13-20; 2:1-12, 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
I have come to believe we should focus on separating ourselves from this world. Being active in a local bible based church, prayerful study of Gods word, meditation and application of the truths revealed to each of us. letting God be God, and serve others by ministering to those He brings to us, as he has equipped us.
God has Given His son for the sins of all in this world, God is convicting the world of Sin, Righteousness and Judgement, and guide each believer regarding what we should say.
John 3:16, John 16:8-13
Let Jesus Christ be seen and allow Him to minister to others. Let the Holy Spirit act and speak through us as God desires.
3 people from one Chinese family, only one spoke English, and they asked what can we do for you after all you have done for us, and how can we be like you. A 1st lieutenant in the People Republic Army of China who spoke perfect English seated beside me on an airplane. A confused, angery young man who wanted to be accepted by all as a woman which he claimed to be, an old man who was struggling as he tried to tie a tarp on the load he had placed in the back of his pickup. A transient who had dropped out of the world and was on the road for 3 years because God had taken his 12 year old daughter, and more.
We should start by applying this teaching to our own lives. God well use us as He equips us, in His time.
Thank you, Ron!
You have a wonderful and inspiring testimony. I think you have shared most or all of those stories you mention here on this blog.
Knowing someone requires walking with them, doesn’t it? As we walk with them (or sit with them) we learn about them and they about us. Of course God already knows us, so it is mainly about us getting to know our Lord and Father.
Your right Jeff. God does already know us. The work comes when we begin to truly trust our God who is Gentle, Loving , Kind and Holy
As we spend time with Him we begin to shake off what the world has taught us about God, and find He comes to us in peace, seeking only our good. our reward is a closer relationship as we live in obedience. We grow more secure, stable knowing He is our refuge in this ever increasing stormy world.
As we know God we are drawn to the lepers. In His power we reach out in love and without hesitation touch them. There is nothing to compare with the look on their face when they feel the love of Christ being extended to them.
Good devotion and comments.
I think besides the disciplines of the faith, I would point them to the surrender of the will to God. To know Him as Lord. To have that same desire that we see in Philippians 3: 7 – 14. I am working on growing in this desire myself. It is the point and purpose of meaningful discipleship.
Brother Rich,
Great point! In a nutshell, surrender to the Lord is the essence of Christianity. (We certainly cannot stand before our Maker in our own pride!)
The Philippians passage is powerful. Thank you for sharing it.