2 Peter 1:10
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; NKJV.
Building On A Math’s Lesson For Moles With Memory Problems
We Protestants against spiritual abuse, against doctrinal deviousness, yes, we reformers of a previous and terrible travesty of pure religion, now hang our certain and hopeful hats on five giant pegs, those being,
1 Sola Scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
2 Sola Fide (“by Faith alone”)
3 Sola Gratia (“by Grace alone”)
4 Solus Christus (“Christ alone”)
5 Soli Deo Gloria (“Glory to God alone”)
How wonderful.
It is therefore a real shame that the outworking of these five central pillars of Protestantism, of Biblical Christianity, have on the whole led to an ever emergent and “lazy ass” Christian. We have become far too much at ease with the once wonderfully simple marriage of faith and grace, which seem nowadays to have given up producing vigorous, respectful, thankful and sacrificial offspring and have somehow been left with a nasty nest of twittering cuckoos, all over-fat children, who in their subsequent and sedentary post-modern growth, display little relation to the revelation of Scripture, which that marriage of faith and grace once so wonderfully proclaimed, and so subsequently, they have no heart or inclination, no stomach and no staying power, to either know what they should look like, desire to become nor be determined to die for. This must be rectified. We Protestants have gone soft.Our text for tonight, is built on a ‘Therefore.’ So, looking at the previous verses in the opening of 2nd Peter, we see they speak of a multiplication of a Divine grace and peace, which in turn results in a super abundance of faithful and fruity action! 2 Peter 1: 5-9, is in fact a math’s lesson for blind moles with memory problems and is rooted in the superabundance of the promises of God and therefore prefixed with a very demanding and all encompassing action phrase, translated as, ‘Giving all diligence!’ Phew, I am tired already! Yup, this maths lesson for moles with memory problems demands ACTION. Indeed, the word diligence here, is from which we derive our English word, SPEED. Peter says in effect, “Give all eagerness, all earnestness, all business, all forwardness, haste ,despatch, diligence, yes, give all SPEED, to add my previously stated seven ‘active ingredients’ to your Christian life. Why? Well because if you do not, you will turn into a smelly blind mole which burrows in pig swill and bathes in dog vomit.” Simple!
So, now in our text for tonight, Peter goes on to say, “Be EVEN MORE diligent.” Peter uses the verb SPOUDAZO here, so in other words he says, “Hey, move faster still folks, for when it comes to being SURE of your calling and election, I want you to PUT YOUR SPEEDOS ON!” Oh, yes indeed! We might paraphrase Peter then by saying, “Oi! If your knowledge and testimony, if your service and story of present salvation and future happiness is as real as you say it is; if it is truly through God’s grace, by faith alone in Christ alone, resting in the Scriptures alone and all for the glory of God alone, then show me the active goods! No, more than that, forget assuring me so much of your salvation, rather, ASSURE YOURSELF! Yes, make your calling and election forcefully firm to your own heart. Make it steadfast, make it sure and certain to yourself! Do this all the time. Yes, let your action reveal your faith, first of all to yourself .”
Friends, the outcome of such a speedy and consistent effort which is rooted in those five Scriptural pillars, is that you shall run so confidently, that you shall never run and ruin yourselves in the bumbling and blind blundering of ignorant little moles. Now that’s magnificent!
Listen: - But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. James 2:20-24 NKJV
Pray:- Lord, deliver me from the bondage of works but help me always to righty and continually, make both my calling and election sure. In Jesus name I ask it, amen.
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