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2nd Peter 1:10-11
January 3rd 2016
Okay we left off last week having read a
whole bunch of admonitions of Peter,
saying beginning at verse 5:
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.
And then we get our text for today:
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 Savior Jesus
Christ.
Just so we can hear these passages from
other views, here are a couple different
translations of verse 10:
2nd Peter 1:10-11
2nd Peter 1:10 (RSV) Therefore, brethren, be
the more zealous to confirm your call and
election, for if you do this you will never fall;
2Peter 1:10 (WNT) For this reason,
brethren, be all the more in earnest to make
sure that God has called you and chosen
you; for it is certain that so long as you
practice these things, you will never
stumble.
2Pe 1:10 (TCNT) Therefore, Brothers, do
your best to put God's Call and Selection of
you beyond all doubt; for, if you do this, you
will never fall.
2Pe 1:10 (BBE) For this reason, my
brothers, take all the more care to make your
selection and approval certain; for if you do
these things you will never have a fall:
In the face of these translations and the
difficulty of the phrases I think we need
to look carefully at the words used in
the Greek and see if there is an
amalgamated view that would better
describe Peter’s meaning than some of
these.
Why bother?
Peter has plainly instructed the believers
of that day to
“give all diligence to adding (to their faith)
manliness, and to that knowledge, and to
knowledge self control and to self control
patience and to patience godliness and to
godliness brotherly love; and to brotherly
love agape love” and he added:
“For if these things be in you, and abound,
they will keep the adherent from being
barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
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And he added a warning, saying:
“But he that lacketh these things is blind,
and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten
that he was purged from his old sins.”
And to top it all off he says – plainly – at
verse 10
“For this reason, brethren, be all the more in
earnest to make sure that God has called you
and chosen you; for it is certain that so long
as you practice these things, you will never
fall.”
Most of my Christian life I have been
told “it is impossible to fall from faith.”
Most of my Christian life I have been
told that we can know that we have
been elected by God – even from the
moment that the election is made
known.
2nd Peter 1:10-11
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give
diligence to make your calling and election
sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never
fall.”
Wherefore <dio> (dee-o)
“through which thing”
the rather <mallon>,
“an adverb, even moreso”
brethren <adelphos>,
“brother”
give diligence <spoudazo> Spoo-dadzo
“earnestly, speedily, with labor”
to make <poieo> (poi-eyo)
“to make”
your <humon> (Who-mone)
And most of my Christian life I have
been told that it is up to God to keep
those who are His and yet Peter in this
passage seems to set all of those phrases
aside.
calling <klesis> (klaysis)
In fact Peter seems to be saying that in
light of the fact that people who lack the
things I have instructed you to pursue
are blind, and that they cannot see the
big picture, and have forgotten that they
were purged of their former sins, that
“for this reason they needed to be ALL
THE MORE earnest to make sure of
their “calling and their election because
AS LONG as they PRACTICE the
laundry list they will NEVER FALL!
election <ekloge> (ek logay)
So first, let’s examine the words of this
passage and then the tenses etc:
(all mentioned about by him – things)
“an invitation”
and <kai> (kayhee)
“like a conjunction and”
election, selection, chosen
sure <bebaios> (beb-ah-yos)
stable, enforceable, firm
for <gar>
if ye do <poieo>
“if you make”
these things <tauta> (tow-ta)
ye shall <pote> <ptaio>
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never <ou me> (oo-may)
never ever ever
fall <ptaio>: (ptah-yo)
trip stumble or fall or offend.
From this exercise it’s easy to see why
there are so many subtle variances to the
translations – many of which actually
conflict with each other regarding the
doctrine.
For instance, where some say:
“ be the more zealous to confirm your call”
Another says
“be all the more in earnest to make sure that
God has called you and chosen you”
And another says
“do your best to put God's Call and
Selection of you”
and another says
“my brothers, take all the more care to make
your selection and approval certain.”
Then we have to wonder are we
“Called and elected,” “called and selected,”
or “called and chosen”
And then we have to ask if Peter is
saying that if we diligently do all of
these things we will never “trip,”
“stumble,” “experience a fall” or “will never
fall from grace?”
No matter what we determine all I can
say is that Peter seems convinced that a
person can indeed slip or fall from a
position of strong faith – he even wraps
the epistle up in chapter three saying:
2nd Peter 1:10-11
2nd Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing
ye know these things before, beware lest ye
also, being led away with “the error of the
wicked,” fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him
be glory both now and for ever.
Now, the whole verse is understood in
the following – which will probably
make the most sense to one person here
in our live audience – but here is the
Greek sense of the combination of
words
Wherefore (dio). “Or in light of the
exhortation and argument in verses 5-9.”
Give the more diligence (mâllon
spoudasate) "Become diligent” (first
aorist ingressive active imperative of
spoudazô) “To make” (poieisthai).
Present middle infinitive of poieô, to make
for yourselves. “Calling and election”
(klêsin kai eklogên). Now here’s the
interesting thing – from what I can tell.
These words together give us the
meaning (klêsin, “the invitation,”
eklogên, our actual acceptance of the
selection).
If ye do (poiountes). Present active
circumstantial (conditional) participle of
poieô, "doing."
Ye shall never stumble (ou mê ptaisête
pote). Strong double negative (ou mê
pote) e subjunctive of ptaiô, old verb to
stumble, to fall.
Consulting a bevy of scholars this is
how they interpret this passage:
The Geneva Bible Notes says:
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“Seeing that our calling and election is
approved by those fruits, and is confirmed in
us, and moreover seeing this is the only
way to the everlasting kingdom of
Christ, it remains that we set our minds
wholly on that way.”
Adam Clarke says
Wherefore] Seeing the danger of apostasy,
and the fearful end of them who obey not the
Gospel, and thus receive the grace of God in
vain; give all diligence, spoudasate, hasten,
be deeply careful, labour with the most
intense purpose of soul.
Family Bible Notes says:
Make your calling and election sure; by
diligently obeying God, obtain evidence that
you are chosen and born of him. Never fall;
from Christ and perish.
Jamison Faussett Brown says:
Give diligence--The Greek aorist implies
one lifelong effect [ALFORD].
to make--Greek middle voice; to make so
far as it depends on you; to do your part
towards making. "To make" absolutely and
finally is God's part, and would be in the
active.
your calling and election sure--by
ministering additionally in your faith
virtue, and in your virtue knowledge, &c.
God must work all these graces in us, yet
not so that we should be mere machines, but
willing instruments in His hands in making
His election of us "secure." The ensuring of
our election is spoken of not in respect to
God, whose counsel is steadfast and
everlasting, but in respect to our part. There
is no uncertainty on His part, but on ours
the only security is our faith in His promise
2nd Peter 1:10-11
and the fruits of the Spirit (2Pe 1:5-7,11).
Peter subjoins election to calling, because
the calling is the effect and proof of God's
election, which goes before and is the main
thing (Ro 8:28,30,33, where God's "elect"
are those "predestinated," and election is
"His purpose," according to which He
"called" them). We know His calling before
His election, thereby calling is put first.
fall--Greek, "stumble" and fall finally (Ro
11:11). Metaphor from one stumbling in a
race (1Co 9:24).
John Wesley said:
Wherefore-Considering the miserable state
of these apostates.
Be the more diligent-By courage,
knowledge, temperance, &c.
To make your calling and election firmGod hath called you by his word and his
Spirit; he hath elected you, separated you
from the world, through sanctification of the
Spirit. O cast not away these inestimable
benefits!
If ye are thus diligent to make your election
firm, ye shall never finally fall.
The People’s New Testament says:
Diligence to the end is needful in order to
salvation.
Calling and election. The calling is first in
order; the election comes when we accept the
call.
Sure. Our own efforts are needed to make
them sure.
William Burkitt said:
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As if our apostle had said, "See that in the
diligent exercise of the afore-named graces,
and in the daily practice of the aforementioned duties, you make your calling
and election, which are sure in themselves,
sure to you; for so doing, you shall never fall
or miscarry eternally."
Here note, “That it is their own calling and
election which Christians are called upon to
make sure, not another's; we must leave
their case and state to God that searches the
heart; we cannot know the hearts of others,
it is well if we know our own: Make your
calling and election sure.
Learn! A Christian may be assured of his
own salvation. 2. Assurance of salvation
requires all diligence. 3. That assurance of
salvation deserves all diligence. 4. That the
way to make our election sure, is first to
make our calling sure.
Matthew Henry (a Reformed believer)
said:
The apostle proposes two particular
advantages that will attend or follow upon
diligence in the work of a Christian: stability
in grace, and a triumphant entrance into
glory.
(1.) It is the duty of believers to make their
election sure, to clear it up to themselves
that they are the chosen of God.
(2.) It requires a great deal of diligence and
labor to make sure our calling and election;
there must be a very close examination of
ourselves, a very narrow search and strict
2nd Peter 1:10-11
enquiry, whether we are thoroughly
converted, our minds enlightened, our wills
renewed, and our whole souls changed as to
the bent and inclination thereof; and to come
to a fixed certainty in this requires the
utmost diligence, and cannot be attained
and kept without divine assistance, as we
may learn from Ps 139:23; Ro 8:16.
When others shall fall into heinous and
scandalous sin, those who are thus diligent
shall be enabled to walk circumspectly and
keep on in the way of their duty; and, when
many fall into errors, they shall be preserved
sound in the faith, and stand perfect and
complete in all the will of God.
I couldn’t find commentary by
Spurgeon, but let me add this one from
a commentary called the Teacher's
Commentary which says:
“Your calling and election sure. All
Christians have been called, but they must
work out their salvation.”
Of course this falls hand in hand with
Paul’s words in Philippians 2:12 which
says
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling.”
If we stop for a minute and look at the
paradoxical nature of these passages
listen again.
Paul begins with:
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“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now
much more in my absence, work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Which makes it sound like it is entirely
up to us to work out the ways and
means of our respective salvation.
But that verse is followed up in the very
next verse with:
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of his
good pleasure.
Which makes it seem like it is God that
is doing the work in and through us in
the first place and properly aligns how
this working out of our salvation ought
to look. But then in the very next verse
Paul adds:
14 “Do all things without murmurings and
disputings.”
Which again places orders or commands
upon the believer to do (or not to do) in
order to be acceptable.
2nd Peter 1:10-11
Yet in looking at the life of even Christ
we can’t help but note He made choices.
At least we can assume He was making
the choices to live by the Spirit rather
than the flesh. And this process was
tantamount to suffering.
We remember Hebrews 5:8-9
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered;
and being made perfect, he became the
author of eternal salvation unto all them
that obey him.”
I understand the theoretical and even
scriptural ideas of God electing and God
causing. But passages like the one in
question today trouble me to no end
and I cannot help but believe every
believing person – called by God –
chooses to receive the call (and is
therefore elected) AND that all of us
have a choice to then live by the Spirit or
live by the flesh.
So on the one hand we cannot deny that
we have verses that clearly state that we
are in charge of how we respond to the
Holy Spirit within us.
Whether or not Peter was suggesting
that believers can fall from grace or
salvation or if he was just describing
someone who slips from being steadfast
in their walk to being slovenly and
unfruitful remains to be seen.
There is SOO much talk about how God
does what He wants through us and we,
as His elect, are simply going to do His
will.
But I think we are truly being ignorant if
we allow ourselves to think that honest
to goodness believers never slip or trip
or fall in steadfastness.
So much of this that we have gone and
submitted to an almost automaton
philosophy of God electing who He
would and nothing on earth can change
this.
For this reason I am convinced that this
is Peter’s meaning.
I think he is saying that as a means to
ensure that a believer does not stumble
in their walk the things He has
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suggested are an excellent means to
protect oneself.
If those who read His recommendations
do them they will never slip back from
the steadfastness of faith in which they
were presently walking and in never
slipping back they will make their
calling and election sure to
THEMSELVES.
Finally, and much to the behest of other
sound believers, I am convinced that the
redemption of Man is a two way street.
In light of scripture – both micro specific
examples and macro themes – I cannot
for the life of me look to the heavens
and believe that God does not respect
our moral agency and freedom to do
what we will.
I am convinced that in and through the
exercise of human agency that those
who truly love Go truly prove it –
similar to Adam and Eve who were
given an opportunity to relate to God
freely and lovingly or to do their own
will.
So where Christ certainly saved the
world from sin, just as God certainly
created a garden without sin, each and
all of us have the ability to freely love
and receive all the gifts offered to us – or
to reject them.
By accepting Him freely, and choosing
to love Him we step out of the reign of
our flesh and allow Him to bring us
through this life by the Spirit.
The instructions Peter and Paul and
Jesus give are insights on how we both
2nd Peter 1:10-11
get out of God’s way AND how we
allow Him to reign Spiritually over our
natural inclinations.
“Do these things,” Peter says, “and you
won’t stumble in your flesh. And you
will make the calling – extended to you
by God – and your election –sure in
your own minds.
I find this approach supported by
Paul when he wrote in Ephesians 4:1-3:
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech
you that ye walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in
love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Earlier, in Romans 9:11 Paul explained
the election Peter refers to saying:
(For the children being not yet born, neither
having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might
stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Truly God does the electing, but this
does not seem to mean that the elected –
once elected – are not expected to
respond.
“The Elected are Expected to be
Corrected.”
And this seems to be at the heart of
Peter’s message –
“Retain and know of your election and
calling by allowing yourselves to be
corrected by God through the Spirit,
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which will manifest itself in you as you
submit to letting
Manliness
knowledge;
temperance;
patience;
godliness;
brotherly love
love for all abide
The circular argument is always:
“Those who have truly been elected will
respond to such things.”
And it is on this point where I stop and
wonder. Certainly God elects who He
will elect and it seems that those who
truly do love Him will respond, but
there are far to many warnings in
scripture to believers, to the elect, about
tripping and falling and even walking
from salvation to believe that election
and calling are synonymous with
certainty of performance.
Perhaps we get better insight from the
Greek word translated “sure” here.
I say this because the terms can mean
stable. And if we read the passage this
way:
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give
diligence to make your calling and election
“stable or steadfast” for if ye do these things,
ye shall never fall:
It makes better sense. And again, it
cannot be referring to God, that we
2nd Peter 1:10-11
make our calling or election stable or
sure to God because it does not seem to
be that we can do something to make
our salvation more certain on His part
so the reference must relate to making
our salvation sure on ours – internally.
We might put it this way. If we were a
branch stemming out from a vine, and
had no concept of self – meaning as a
branch alone we could not find any real
identifiers of who or what we were
growing out from, then the only way to
really know what type of branch we
were (and from what vine we came)
would be by the fruit we bore.
This fruit would tell us we are His. And
so Peter is saying to bear these fruitful
characteristics and in so doing we
would never stumble or fall from the
knowledge that we have been called
and elected.
The Syriac, the Vulgate, and some Greek
manuscripts all insert here the
expression "by your good works," that
is, they were to make their calling sure
by their good works, or by holy living,
which would prove to them who they
were.
Calvin maintained that these additions
are not authorized by the best authority
in scripture but it does not materially
affect the sense.
This was the message of James 2 – by
the fruit of our love we would prove the
presence of our election.
If we think about it God has not really
given us any assurances or signs that we
have been elected. There are plenty of
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very bad and apparently unregenerate
people who believe they are God’s elect.
We don’t get a voice, or vision, or new
revelation, to prove that we are elect. It
is hard to really rely on internal feelings.
Our sense and intellects are certainly
prone to self-aggrandizement.
So for ourselves – and frankly when we
look at the lives and professions of
others, the only INDICATORS are the
fruits of the Spirit that bear the image of
Christ that we can say we are His.
I think we have to conclude that Peter
believed in the doctrine of election. He
uses the language here in the verse.
We also have to admit that just because
God has chosen those who shall be
saved, does not mean we can lay there
producing nothing and know within
ourselves that this is the case.
Peter does seem to suggest that it is
entirely possible to make our OWN
calling and election sure and that this is
accomplished through our abiding in
the characteristics named in verse 5-7.
And if this can be accomplished in this
life, it should be. Perhaps there is
nothing more important for us to pursue
than to know that we have been elected
and called, that proof of this comes by
and through His bearing fruits through
us, that we recognized these fruits as
being Him in us (and not of ourselves)
and than in and through this
recognition we can personally know we
are tapped into the vine and are His.
We have to note that Peter does write:
2nd Peter 1:10-11
“For if ye do these things.” (if we do the
things referred to in the previous
verses).
We will never fall – whether it be
stumble temporarily or into perdition I
cannot tell – and the scholars cannot
agree.
And then he adds at verse 11:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered
unto you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
For so an entrance. Again, language
that seems to intimate that our
admittance inot the Kingdom of God is
predicated on what we do (or allow to
be done) within us.
“In this manner you shall be admitted into
the kingdom of God.”
“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto
you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.”
This is interesting because the
admittance (in the case of those who
embrace or allow these characteristics to
flow through them to producing
abundant spiritual fruit) is described as
“an abundant” entrance.
“One that is richly bestowed upon us.”
“A most ample entrance.”
No doubt of admission.
This isn’t the first time in scripture that
admission into heaven is described in
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2nd Peter 1:10-11
terms of scale – that some apparently
squeeze in while others have the gates
thrown wide to receive them.
that the gates open as wide as necessary
to allow our corpulent selves into the
eternal kingdom.
It’s really simple to teach that the gates
remain at one width and heighth and
breadth but from these descriptions its
hard to support such a thought.
And maybe those bearing backpacks of
this world will first have to have them
rubbed off in a fiery lake of God’s spirit.
Maybe, just for fun, the gates of heaven
open up and only allow for
characteristics of the spirit to enter
through.
So if we’re heaving a back-pack full of
fleshly attributes and attitudes the gates
won’t open at all.
But if we are obese in characteristics of
the Spirit, fat with love and faith and
patience, and hope, and selflessness etc,
Don’t know.
All we do know, however, is there are
very few certainties in all of this except
that the more we embrace and allow the
characteristics of the Spirit to abide and
thrive in us, the more stable and
steadfast our calling and election will be
AND the less chance we will stumble,
stammer or fall.
Q and A