…in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary: There is knowledge, and there is knowledge. The kind of knowledge Peter is talking about is precise and detailed.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:8d — Zoom!”2 Peter 1:8d — Zoom!
2 Peter 1:8c — Growing Fruit
…and unproductive…
Summary: Productivity is not really a biblical concept, but fruitfulness is. Peter is helping us understand the kind of person Jesus wants us to be.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:8c — Growing Fruit”2 Peter 1:7a — A Tale of Two Pyramids
… and to godliness, mutual affection …
Summary: The humanist approach to life is very different that the direction we get from God.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:7a — A Tale of Two Pyramids”2 Peter 1:6b — Looking Back
… and to self-control, perseverance …
Summary: Self-control is not just a one-time thing. Real self-control extends through time.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:6b — Looking Back”2 Peter 1:6a — Self-Control
… and to knowledge, self-control;
Summary: Without knowledge, we have no reason to use self-control. Without faith, we cannot know what knowledge to believe and use.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:6a — Self-Control”2 Peter 1:5d — What is Knowledge?
… and to goodness, knowledge …
Summary: Human knowledge is every bit as reliable as humans. Goodness is a reflection of God’s love for us. There is a reason that Peter adds goodness to our faith before knowledge.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:5d — What is Knowledge?”2 Peter 1:4b — Awkwardness
… he has given us his very great and precious promises …
Summary: Peter is writing us a letter, but he is not a writer. His thoughts might seem a bit disconnected to us two thousand years later. (They might have seemed disconnected to his first readers, too.) Yet, if we give Peter a bit of grace, the meaning of his words shines very brightly.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:4b — Awkwardness”2 Peter 1:3b — A Godly Life
… has given us everything we need for a godly life …
Summary: What is a godly life? It is a question we should spend some time thinking about. Jesus is God, so we know that we should be like him, but are we to be like him in every way?
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:3b — A Godly Life”2 Peter 1:2 — I’d Know You Anywhere
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.
Continue reading “2 Peter 1:2 — I’d Know You Anywhere”Titus 3:15 (b) — A Gentle Reminder
Grace be with you all.
Summary: The ‘grace of God’ is a phrase that covers a lot of ground. By closing with this statement Paul is affirming the benefit of being restored to a relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ. He is also reminding us of something very important.
Continue reading “Titus 3:15 (b) — A Gentle Reminder”