1.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
1. Peter, as usual, like all of the apostles, in this verse subscribes himself “the slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.” A paradoxical expression to people who have not received the Pentecostal experience, which brings us all into the unutterably sweet love-slavery, in which we think of nothing but to do our Master’s will, which to us is an ineffable delight. Meanwhile we rest in perfect peace, free from every care, as the slave has no concern about what he shall eat or wear, or provide for future emergencies, since all that devolves on his master. As our Master owns millions of worlds, He is infinitely competent to supply all of our wants, and since He loves us so dearly as to die for us, we know it is His incessant delight to secure every possible interest of our immortal being.
2.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2. “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the perfect knowledge of Jesus our Lord.” This beautiful verse contains the paradoxical problem of spiritual mathematics. Conversion is addition; sanctification, subtraction; the filling of the Holy Ghost, multiplication; and soul-saving benefaction, division. We do not teach four works of grace in salvation, but only two, as in arithmetic. Multiplication is but a rapid form of addition, while division is simply a wonderfully expeditious method of subtraction. No teacher is tolerated in the public schools who does not understand the elementary rules. Well did Jesus say, “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.” How deplorable to find teachers everywhere in the school of Christ, i. e., the churches, who have never so much as reached subtraction, i. e., sanctification, to say nothing of multiplication and division. Good Lord, have mercy.
3.
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
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.
5.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6.
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7.
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
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.
9.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11.
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12.
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
13.
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
14.
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
15.
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
16.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17.
For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18.
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20.
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.