As a continuation of the “Knowing God” series this week, Dr. Evans reminded us that coming to know God more deeply is not a one-time event but rather an on-going process. Although we frequently leave church and devour a Sunday afternoon feast, that single meal is not enough to sustain our bodies for the entire week. Just as our physical bodies need on-going nourishment to survive, we need to learn to continually feed our spiritual hunger to know God. Dr. Evans directed our attention to the apostle Peter, a man who was intimately concerned with knowing how to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ….” (2 Peter 3:18). From Peter’s own experiences came three important truths that will aid us in sustaining a lifetime of growth in the knowledge of God.
1. Believers have been given every benefit they need to sustain a lifetime of growth--2 Peter 1:1. Peter begins his letter by reminding his readers that they have “received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). This faith is one which comes packaged with “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter1:3). When Jesus Christ gave us the gift of new life through his finished work on the cross, it was a gift that came fully outfitted and completely packaged. Just as all the power and possibilities of a fully grown person are already present at the conception of a child, so, too, are all the possibilities for godliness residing within the believer. Although some gifts that we purchase come with the warning “batteries not included,” believers also receive the “divine power” of God at work within them through the presence of the Holy Spirit as referenced in 2 Peter 1:3.
2. There is a greater experience of these benefits as we grow deeper in our knowledge of God--2 Peter 1:2, 4. Peter directs us toward a fundamental truth of the spiritual life that an expanded experience of the benefits and gifts of God must be preceded by growth in the knowledge of God: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2). The benefits of grace and peace come only through a pursuit of the knowledge of God. We experience “everything we need for life and godliness” only “through the true knowledge of Him” (2 Peter 1:3). It is when we draw near to God, pursuing a deeper knowledge and experience of Him, that we come to know all that He has provided for us: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11).
3. The knowledge of God must be accompanied by specific practices if we are to bear the fruit of a godly life--2 Peter 1:5-8. True knowledge of God always results in specific patterns or practices that indicate that we are growing in our love and experience of Him. As the apostle Paul puts it, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13). Peter composed a checklist of specific practices that grow out of “applying all diligence in your faith” (2 Peter 1:5). These practices include: moral excellence or virtue (intentionally seeking to make God look good in all that we do); knowledge (an informed faith); self-control (self-restraint and accountability for our actions to others); perseverance (the patience to wait for God in the midst of our struggles); godliness (an awareness of God in all areas of our lives); brotherly kindness (reaching out in kindness to others even when we are suffering); and, finally, love (going beyond brotherly kindness, extending love to those who are undeserving). This checklist of practices, Peter tells us, will keep us from being “useless” or “unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).
In closing, Dr. Evans reminded us that the final practice in Peter’s checklist, the gift of underserved love, is crucial to our growth in the knowledge of God. Peter ends his checklist with a warning not to forget that we have all been recipients of the undeserved love of God, having received “purification from former sins” (2 Peter 1:9). Though the process of growing in the knowledge of God and experiencing the benefits of a godly life may take time, by remembering God’s great love given to us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8) we will be encouraged and strengthened for the journey.
