Month: April 2022

1 John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

John had just said that they (the Apostles and eyewitnesses) were declaring to us the things that they had seen and heard concerning that eternal life (Jesus), for the purpose that we might fellowship with them and with the Father. Now here he says the Apostles are writing these things about Eternal Life for another purpose: that our joy may be full. The significant promise is this: when we read and hear the Scriptures, that testify of Jesus, we will be full of joy.

In a world of sin and a life of suffering we need a huge injection of joy. And the promise says we receive just this every time we hear the Gospel, receive the Sacrament, and remember our Baptism. This is a deep, abiding, inner joy, that nothing and no one can take away. This promised joy surfaces in the felt emotions of the Christian quite often, and it often shows in the eyes and smiling face of believers.

But not always; the joy is not always felt and the expressions do not always show it. We have worries and cares, anger and frustration, doubts and fears, sad times and bad times that cloud over and suppress the genuine joy that is always there. For this reason we need to believe the promise: we are joyful, we have the joy of the Lord. It has not left us; other emotions, deceits of the mind, and worldly struggles have crowded it out. Our cup is always running over; we are just in need of reminders. Therefore, we go to church, attend Bible classes, and spend time alone with God. And even, or especially, when we are not feeling good we pay attention to the Gospel of Joy; we respond with prayer, thanks, and praise. The Joy will return to our feelings, and even if it doesn’t right away we still believe it is there. Listen to “these things” that your joy may be full.

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John and the Apostles were eyewitnesses of the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ, and they are proclaiming it to us for this purpose: fellowship. God promises fellowship, an intimate personal relationship. This is the purpose and the promise of the Word of God. Fellowship normally implies a loving relationship between more than two persons. The three persons of the Trinity share their love and life with each other so perfectly that they are One. The Triune God desires, and promises, that same kind of unified, loving relationship with us.

John was present when Jesus revealed His Glory (the perfect love of God) on the mounts of Transfiguration, Calvary, Tomb, and Ascension. The Apostles were inspired to write down their testimony for the purpose of our fellowship with God.

”These things are written that you may believe, and that believing you may have life in his name.” The Spirit uses the written and oral proclamation of the Word to bring us to faith and eternal life.

Once we have faith in Jesus we enter into a personal relationship with the Almighty, Eternal God and with all other believers in an unbroken fellowship. We enjoy the mutual conversation and consolation of the brothers and sisters in Christ (Jesus with skin on); and we enjoy a continual back and forth conversation with Jesus all the time. This continual fellowship is built up and reinforced by particular times of hearing the Gospel and receiving the Sacrament and responding with prayer and praise and doing good to others.

2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

The penultimate promise of God (after the promise of resurrection) is that He is creating a new heaven and a new earth suitable for our resurrected bodies. It is edifying for us to ”look for,” that is, to reflect, dream, fantasize, imagine, and meditate on what this will be like. It gives strength and hope to us in our present condition.

We cannot imagine a life in an environment in which only righteousness dwells, for we have never experienced such a place. We live in world wracked with sin and death, and have used to it. But somehow, down deep, we know there must be a better life in a wonderful place. For we all have a vague memory of the first Paradise, and we hold the unquenchable hope of the future Paradise. This promised hope is sure. Faith sees this eternal new world. We are already a New Creation in Christ Jesus.

Year by year we grow closer to death, and we feel it. At the same time that the outer man is perishing and growing weaker, the inner man is being renewed and growing stronger day by day. And this Strong Life inside eagerly anticipates the revelation of the bodily resurrection and the new heavens and new earth. No one and nothing will be able to diminish the peace or make us doubt the promise.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The context for this promise of ”longsuffering” toward us is conversation about when the end of the world is coming. Is Jesus coming again soon or not? Why is God waiting so long for the coming of the End? What does ”I come quickly” and ”soon”mean? What’s the reason for the 2000 year delay?

First of all, Time to God and to humans is counted differently (one day is as a thousand years). Timing is everything to the Lord and He always does everything at the right time.” It may seem to us that God’s timing is off, but His time is always precise. We may not like it but we can believe that God’s will and God’s way and God’s time are always perfect. He knows what He’s doing, and when, and He is acting for our eternal good.

But the reason given for the seeming delay is the longsuffering, or patience, of God toward us. God is love, and His will is that all people will have time to come to repentance, faith, and salvation. His love demands that He will be patient with sinners and give them time to repent. He also allows more time so that more people might be born with opportunity to enter the kingdom.

The more personal aspect of this “patience” promise is that will be patient with us while He is developing our character. It takes time to grow us into the persons He wants us to become. And God is patient with us when we stumble and fall and get up again. He does not give up on us. And His will for us to come to repentance remains unchanged.

2 Peter 2:9 The .lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

The promise of God is that He will ”Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We believe the promise and so we pray as Jesus taught us. This doesn’t seem to be true in our actual experience, for we daily give in to temptations and bad things continue to happen to us. But this is precisely why the Lord gives us this promise and commands us to pray this way. The promise and command is given just because even the godly will face spiritual struggles every day. He warns us that we shall be engaged in spiritual warfare as long as we live on earth.

Therefore, He does not leave us defenseless, weaponless, or powerless, but we fight from a position of strength and assured victory. We know we will overcome! We will be tempted, bad things will happen, and the possibility of deliberately rejecting salvation and falling from grace always exists. Thus the promise: “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” ”God is faithful,…but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” In this way we pray, believe, and fight with confidence and assurance.

The Lord will lead us of out of the temptations that would lead us to death, separation from God. The Lord will deliver us from the evil of the bad things that happen to us. The evil being shame, despair, and separation from God. From this He does deliver us and He keeps us in the one true faith.

The negative side of the promised salvation coin is that injustice will end. The unjust, the unbelievers, are reserved for the day of judgment. Promised judgment on all sin and evil is necessary for the realization of mercy and eternal salvation. And in the End of it all, we shall be delivered!

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well to take heed, as into a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.

The sure word of prophecy is like a light shining in a dark place. One dark place is in the heart and mind of sinful flesh. We don’t even realize how dark it is inside our own souls until the Light (the Word, Jesus) shines there. We have gotten used to the darkness and think that’s the way it is. The word is Jesus, the light of life, which “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The analogy is easy to see, for we know what happens when we turn on a flashlight, flip a switch, or watch a sunrise. The darkness runs away for it really has no power to overcome the light. So it is in the soul when Jesus (the Word, the Light) enters and penetrates the soul. Sin and evil flee away quickly.

Another dark place is the world in which we live. The dark world reinforces the inward sinful flesh tempting us to sin easily. But Christians are the light of the world. If we could see, we would see ”points of light” penetrating a dark world and pushing back the darkness of sin and evil.

The promise for us is this: the day will dawn and the day star will arise in our hearts every day. The day star is Jesus. The day star is the sun, the brightest light we know of. And just as surely as the sun will rise every morning and push away the darkness, so surely will Christ arise in our hearts, forgive our sins, shine the light, and give us new life. The Day Star greets us when we awake. Waking to a new day reminds us to repent anew and believe the gospel afresh. Then the ”sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings [Malachi 4:2]” That’s a promise.

2 Peter 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God promises us an entrance into the Kingdom. Jesus says the gate is narrow that leads to life and few find it, but the good news is that He also says, “I am the door,” which makes it easy to enter. We enter by faith in Jesus.

Human sinners like us cannot stay on the narrow path that leads to the door that leads to life. ”Few there be that find it” is a polite way of saying that no one will find life or enter the eternal kingdom on his own. We must not only have help, but we must have someone do it for us and give it to us. This is why we have this promise: “an entrance into the kingdom will be richly provided.”

God graces life to us. ”It is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Faith in Christ, also a gift, receives the promised free gift. We are also told to seek first the kingdom. This does not mean: try to find it by your own reason or strength, for it is already given ”within you.” It means put it first in thought and living, ahead of self and the world. Believe the promise and life will be better.

2 Peter 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, ye shall never fall.

A historic theological argument rages over the doctrine of eternal security, or the perseverance of the saints. Can one lose his salvation? Can one fall from grace? Is it “once saved always saved,” or can a one-time believer later reject grace and salvation?

Paradoxically, both are true: on the one hand, God promises to keep us through life unto final salvation and He keeps His promise; but on the other hand, and at the same time, He does not force Himself and He permits us the free will to reject Him if we choose. God’s action is secure; human action is unsure. ”No one will snatch them out of my hand” but one can himself choose to jump out. A saved Christian retains the power to say No.

Though God promises you shall never fall, the very fact that He promises implies that it is possible. However, we are told to “make our calling and election sure.” We do so for our own peace and security, not because we doubt God’s grace and ability to keep. How do we do that? Simple: repent and believe the gospel. Examine yourself: am I sorry for my sins and believe Jesus died for me? We may do this weekly and daily, and so rest assured I will never fall. The peace of God will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Peter 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a conditional promise: if these these things are in you, then you will not be empty and useless, ”barren and unfruitful.” Put positively, He promises that you will be full of God’s life and you will bear abundant fruit. It is the knowledge of Christ that will work to produce such a fruitful life. To ”know” Jesus is to believe Him. It is to have a living and loving relationship with Him, to be in love with a real person. This person living inside makes you live a beautiful, fruitful life.

That’s the promise, but there is a condition that causes such living: ”if these things be in you.” These things are given in verses 6-7: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. God is in you, and so these qualities are in you. You don’t produce them and make them happen; they are given by grace. These things are in you; therefore, you are fruitful. “Abide in the Vine, and you will bear much fruit.”

The Holy Spirit gives faith through the hearing of the gospel. Then He adds these personality characteristics to your faith so that you look like Christ. We repent and believe the gospel promises and we will be fruitful. Thank God!

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature; having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God promises us, and has given us, many wonderful promises. In this series of blogposts we are trying to look at, study, understand, believe, receive, and make alive these precious promises from the Lord. The purpose, and the outcome, of God’s giving and our receiving these great promises is that we will be partakers of the divine nature.

God promises to share His life with us. This life, of course, is eternal. We partake of God’s very nature. His life is living in our life. The Spirit of God indwells the believer’s human spirit. That Spirit then influences the soul and then the body. We cannot fully understand this ”partaking.” We don’t usually know what is God and what is me, except when sin and self are involved. Then we know. The Spirit’s movements are so subtle that we rarely sense when He is doing something. But we believe that we are partaking of the life of God working in us.

Sometimes we are able to see the effects afterward. Like Jesus says, ”The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” God’s life mixed with our life is a mystery that must be believed. We believe it happens and we trust the Lord to work.

All people were created in the image of God to reflect His love and life to others and to the world around us. We lost the image in the Fall, but the Lord is in the process of restoring the image of God during our lifetime. And He will finish the job through our death and resurrection.

Meanwhile, trust the promise: God is in you doing good things. In Him you are also escaping the corruption of the world. That means several things, but one thing we escape is the sentence of death that is on the world. We have God’s eternal life.