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2 Peter 1:1b
Peter addresses this letter to those who, “have obtained like precious faith with us” and he goes on to describe the, “precious faith” in which he is referring to. It is by the “righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” This letter is not addressed to just anyone, but its guidance and instruction is for those who have put their faith in God through salvation in Jesus Christ.
This is a promise of the Godly instruction that can be found in the Bible for those who believe in God through salvation in Christ Jesus.
This passage has been singled out because too many times we hear of someone who, when in a stressful or trying situation, calls out to God for help only to be disappointed when God does not answer their prayers. Even as Christians, God does not always answer our prayers in the way we desire, but that’s because we are seeking our will instead of His will for our lives. As we see from the introduction to this second letter penned by the Apostle Peter, biblical instruction and guidance only applies to those who put their faith in God through salvation in Christ Jesus. This means that you have opened your heart to Jesus and accepted the fact that He died for your sins; that you have sincerely humbled yourself to Jesus and confessed being a sinful person and asked His forgiveness; that you then repent (which means to go in another direction/change direction of your life) and begin living according to the instructions and guidance that we find from the teaching of Jesus in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and by the examples that we find in the other New Testament writings. We also seek to gain an understanding of God’s ultimate plan of salvation for all peoples through an understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures and how they lead to the New Testament teachings and salvation found in Christ Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:15-18, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. And in John 14:23-24 Jesus announces, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” And in John 3:16-18 Jesus proclaims, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
I also want to be clear; believing in Jesus does not prevent us from having trials and tribulations in this world, for this world is sinful and within this world is trials and tribulations. But believing in Jesus is trusting in Him to walk with us through the trials and tribulations of this world, that through them we might grow stronger in our belief in Him through experience with Him. And He will also be with us through the triumphs and victories that we experience, and His blessings through them will be glorious beyond words. I also want to make clear that it is never too late to put your trust in Jesus. We know this from the example of the thief that died on the cross next to Jesus, and yet through his sincere belief in Christ Jesus and his repentant heart, he too was saved (Luke 23:39-43). But this man did not get the privilege to experience God’s Holy Spirit working through him on this earth; to experience the blessings that God gives to one’s heart for following His instructions and guidance throughout our lives; to feel the blessings of sharing his testimony and knowing that it blessed someone else and helped them through their trials and tribulations; and to feel the blessings of fellowship in Christ Jesus with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus will never force you to open your heart to Him and ask of His forgiveness…but He died for you on the cross with His arms wide open in eager anticipation to embrace you and welcome you as a child of God. If you have put your belief in Christ Jesus, the instructions and guidance that we will study in 2 Peter are meant for you to learn and grow in your relationship with God through Christ Jesus. If you do not believe in Christ Jesus, maybe the instruction and guidance of our study of 2 Peter will lead you to do so, and then you too can join in the wonderful growth of a new life – in Christ.
Dear LORD,
Please help us to understand that Your guidance and instruction found in the Bible is clearly given to those who believe in You and salvation in Christ Jesus whom You sent to save the world from sin. Please help us to believe, and in believing help us to grow, and in growing help us to share the love You have shown to us with others that we all might be saved from sin and receive your blessing of eternal life – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.