Amen.
We who have believed on His name have the power
to become sons of God.
To become denotes a process that involves our participation with the Holy Spirit who has been given to us to help us, as well as lead us and guide into the truth.
Peter says it this way -
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:2-11
Key Phrase:
- But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
There’s work involved in this process.
Most people don’t want to hear this.
It’s called working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Is this self effort?
No, but this passage says He has given us all things that pertain to life (eternal life) and godliness.
We have the grace and power of God, the same Holy Spirit that Jesus Christ has, that Paul has, that Peter has, to help us in this process of becoming.
Again -
- But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Spending time in our prayer closet, alone with the Lord, worshipping Him, thanking Him, praying for our families and this nation, then with His presence filling us, go and study to show ourselves approved, filling our minds with His word, we will then have embraced this process of becoming.
I see this process as threefold.
Perceiving the process
Embracing the process
Enduring the process of becoming sons of God.
JLB
Thanks.
