Click here to open the Video Devotional
2 Peter 1:3b2
God’s divine power has given these things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3a), through(the action of giving and receiving – for all who will believe), and it is through His knowledge that it originates. And it is He who called us to Him by His glory and His virtue. Glory is a splendid array of majestic beauty and purity that comes only from God in its pure form. Virtue is to have a moral excellence that once again comes only from God in its pure form.
This is a promise of God’s knowledge being of purity in glory and virtue that calls us to Himself for life and godliness.
We use the terms glory and virtue loosely in society to give one another praise, but these are terms that should be used only for God and His only begotten Son Jesus. I personally don’t know anyone who walks around portraying a majestic array of glory, and I do not know anyone who is worthy of virtue, being of moral excellence, as the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary puts it. But that is the sinful nature of Satan at work in us all to have the desire to be gods and be glorified in and of ourselves. But God gives us His glory and virtue through His Son Jesus by salvation in Him and the new life that He gives us. It is only through Christ Jesus that we may or can obtain these things, and they don’t belong to us to give to each other as if they are presents that we can give freely. No, they are reserved for God and our Savior Jesus Christ who is worthy of such things, that we would reflect back to God in completing the circle of love given to us by God through His Son Jesus. God gave us glory and virtue that we would give it back to Him.
Dear LORD,
Our sinful nature loves to be glorified, and we love to be viewed as virtuous, but please help us to see that these things describe what can only be You. Please help us to shun the sinful nature of selfishness, and through Christ Jesus reflect back to You the glory and virtue that we are allowed to experience through our faith in You and our Savior Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.