Remember Your Calling

Recently I’ve seen a number of athletes on television—after making a good play—cup one of their hands and repeatedly move it toward their mouth as if it were a spoon. The idea they’re trying to convey is, “Keep feeding me the ball, and I’ll keep producing!” By implication, if you don’t give the athlete the ball, then he won’t be able to keep making good plays. In the same way, Peter is suggesting that if we don’t unleash these qualities in our Christian lives, then ineffectiveness and unfruitfulness will be the result.

Both of the negative traits in verse 8 qualify “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8), one of the dominant themes of Peter’s letter. Once again the word here is epignosis, referring to that full and intimate knowledge of Christ secured at conversion. The idea is not that having the virtues listed in verses 5-7 leads to a greater knowledge of Christ but that the knowledge of Christ provides everything the believer needs for godly living (Vaughn and Lea, 1, 2 Peter, 152). Repeating the same idea found in verse 3, Peter reiterates that knowing Christ provides everything that’s needed for the believer to live an effective, fruitful life. And a failure to unleash these godly characteristics will produce an impotent knowledge of Christ!

By way of contrast, Peter strengthens his aim in verse 9 by showing the result of disobeying his appeal. He says, “The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted” (v. 9). Most translations place the rare word “nearsighted (myopazo) before the term “blind” and convey the two as parallel terms. However, the language of the New Testament is actually in reverse order—blind and then nearsighted. But that seems strange. How can someone be both blind and nearsighted? The resolution is likely found in the fact that the word nearsighted is a participle that qualifies the state of blindness. So a better reading is that “they are blind, being nearsighted.” An even more colloquial expression would be that these people are “so short-sighted that [they] cannot see” (GNB).

The point is that such a person is focused on his or her present desires (Davids, Letters, 186). He is blind to how the gospel of God’s forgiveness affects everything in his life and instead is engrossed in earthly pursuits. He can’t see the big picture but only what is close at hand. This understanding is consistent with the immorality and earthliness of the false teachers that Peter is soon to describe (M. Green, 2 Peter, 92).

This spiritual blindness is a result of such a person’s having “forgotten the cleansing from his past sins” (v. 9). The Bible frequently uses the idea of “forgetting” to convey not a mental process but a practical failure to take into account something’s true meaning and significance. So there’s an intentionality involved in basically “ignoring” the fact that Christ has died for one’s sins and rendered them forgiven. While many think the phrase “cleansing from his past sins” refers to baptism as the ceremonial expression of this forgiveness, Peter is likely just using the frequent biblical metaphor of “washing” or “cleansing” as a way of portraying the forgiveness of sins (Moo, 2 Peter, 48).

By way of application, there are two ways to look at the condition being described here. One is to see this as a description of the beginning of what eventually manifests itself as apostasy, or a denial of the faith. This is a subject Peter will pursue in more detail in the next chapter (cf. 2:20-22). Moo sees the people being described here as “fake Christians . . . who at least claim to have had their sins forgiven by Christ but who are not now living as if that makes any difference to them” (Moo, 2 Peter, 48). This is a reality for “professing” believers who never grow in Christian virtues, whose lives really don’t look any different than they did before their profession. Their lives have no fruit.

A second way to understand Peter’s description is to hear him describing people who are truly saved but whose sin is clouding their testimony. And no doubt their “gospel amnesia” is also undermining their assurance of salvation. Believers who forget the cross and begin to dabble in the sin that characterized their former lives can never be confident that they were ever cleansed and rescued in the first place. If we don’t see an increasing effect of godly character in our lives, we can’t be sure that we’ve ever truly been saved. “Assurance of salvation is directly related to present spiritual service and obedience, not merely to a past salvation event made dim in the disobedient believer’s memory” (MacArthur, 2 Peter, 44).

We don’t have to know which of these two conditions Peter had it mind. In fact, it’s safe to say that Peter didn’t know. All he knew was that there were some professing Christians who were ineffective and unfruitful when it came to the godly traits he listed in verses 5-7. It’s still that way today. Our faith in Christ was never intended to be limited to our initial conversion experience. Faith was and is intended to mature. Many people have professed faith in Christ for decades, but their faith looks exactly like it did when they first confessed it. So the jury is still out on whether their “calling” (cf. vv. 3,10) is legitimate. That’s why Peter goes on to compel his readers—then and now—to remove any shadow of doubt.

2 Peter 1:10-11

Periodically I take my wife to a nice restaurant where they have valet parking. In those situations I usually need to tip the valet for taking care of my car while we’re eating. But I’ve been to other restaurants that share parking spaces with other vendors; and, therefore, they simply “validate” parking instead of providing a valet. In those situations I park my own car but then get my parking ticket validated in the restaurant. When I exit the parking lot after dinner, I don’t have to pay for parking because the restaurant validated the fact that I ate there. The validation isn’t necessary for me to get my food, but it is necessary to prove that I had some!

Paying for parking is one thing, but being sure about whether you’ll spend eternity in heaven or hell is on a whole different level. The stakes are much higher, so God wants us to be sure about this issue. Therefore he inspired Peter to strongly encourage us to nail that down, to “validate” that we are true disciples of Christ and legitimate citizens of his kingdom. He doesn’t ask us to earn our salvation, but he does require that we demonstrate that we have it. That’s what’s happening in verses 10-11, where Peter offers a sobering plea and a stirring promise.

Based on the sobering realities of verses 3-9—God’s gracious provision, our responsibility to bear his fruit, the risk of having to wonder if we’re really saved—Peter pleads for his beloved readers to “make every effort to confirm your calling and election” (v. 10). The imperative make every effort is the main verb in the sentence and speaks of zeal, diligence, and expending energy. Peter has already used it in verse 5, so obviously he is unapologetic in his conviction that believers have some responsibility in their salvation journey. The term indicates making something a high priority by exerting both physical and moral effort (Davids, Letters, 187). And because it’s in the present tense, whatever it is that Peter is talking about is to be an ongoing activity for the believer.

What is that activity? This expenditure of effort is to be offered in relation to one’s “calling and election.” These words obviously are synonymous in concept, both referencing the glorious, gracious, and sovereign work of God in our salvation. God’s salvation is both elective and effective. It’s elective in verses 3-5 of this text—creating faith, resourcing us for the God-life, giving us the divine nature, and freeing us from sin. It’s effective when at some point in history the gospel is preached, we respond, and all of the above are applied to our lives (Schreiner, 1 and 2 Peter, 304). Praise be to his glorious name for his gracious calling and election!

But hold the phone for a moment! Many have erred at this point by settling in on this gracious work of God as if it were the main thrust of these verses. It’s not what God has done that Peter is emphasizing here but what man needs to do! We are to “confirm” (bebaian)—or ratify—our callings as believers in Christ. The verb is in the emphatic position. So Peter is underlining, putting in bold, and highlighting this activity and thus calling attention to its importance. The Christian is responsible for doing this, and it’s of utmost importance.

How do we do this? The context indicates that we ratify our callings by growing in the virtues discussed in verses 5-7. What Peter is describing is the active involvement of the Christian in confirming his or her salvation. As believers, we aren’t assured of our salvation because we pray a prayer, respond to an altar call, go through a class, memorize verses like 1 John 5:13, or even get baptized. We’re assured of our salvation as we progressively grow in our likeness to Christ and in the influence of his character to the culture around us. If that’s not happening, the authenticity of the believer’s salvation is suspect at best. As Bauckham says, “The ethical fruits of Christian faith are objectively necessary for the attainment of final salvation” (Bauckham, 2 Peter, 190).

This truth flies in the face of some believers who attempt to take Reformed theology to a place it was never intended to go. They highlight God’s role in salvation while neglecting—and even ignoring—man’s responsibility. Michael Green is helpful at this point:

Make your calling and election sure is an appeal that goes to the heart of the paradox of election and free will. The New Testament characteristically makes room for both without attempting to resolve the apparent antinomy. So here; election comes from God alone—but man’s behaviour is the proof or disproof of it. Though “good works” (gratuitously read here by some mss) are possible only through the appropriation of God’s gracious aid, they are absolutely necessary, and fairly and squarely our responsibility. . . . Christian calling and Christian living go together. (2 Peter, 93; emphasis original)

Apparently, the false teachers were boasting about their divine calling and election, and they were using that glorious truth as a license to sin with abandon because they claimed to be predestined to righteousness. Many professing believers today toy with this heresy, believing their salvation is secure enough without them progressing in the qualities of Christlikeness. Peter—under the inspiration of the Spirit—emphatically denies such a contradiction in the lives of Christ’s disciples.

So the concern here is nurturing assurance of salvation, not earning it. Peter isn’t suggesting that we must add Christlike qualities in order to be elected. He is suggesting that doing so is the verification of whether we’ve truly been elected. This tension is at the heart of the paradox of election and free will. Our calling and election are secure in the mind of God, but our calling and election are insecure if they aren’t validated by growth in Christ’s character.

Beloved, this is a serious and urgent matter! Peter’s plea must be heard and heeded by church members today. In the language of the New Testament, the infinitive to confirm highlights the necessity of the professing Christian to exercise his or her will to get this done. Nothing is more deceptive than the lie that going through some religious motion or exercise secures eternity and that such an effort excuses stagnant and even rebellious Christian living. At the same time, the true believer whose life isn’t bearing fruit will constantly wrestle with wondering whether he or she is really saved. Only progressive growth in Christlikeness clearly demonstrates genuine salvation that gives assurance to the child of God and brings delight to the heart of God (cf. Phil 2:12-13).

Peter wants his readers to be sure of their salvation so they won’t cave in under the onslaught of false teaching. He wants them to be steadfast as they face the invasion of error. The last part of verse 10 and all of verse 11 contain a wonderful, twofold promise to the Christians who ratify their calling and election with progressive growth in Christlikeness that leads to confidence in their salvation. The two ideas have to be seen together in order to get the meaning. When Peter says, “Because if you do these things you will never stumble” (v. 10), he no doubt is thinking ahead to his reference to “entry into the eternal kingdom” (v. 11). The stumbling referred to in verse 10 is of a final nature and stands in contrast to receiving entrance into the kingdom. The general idea in this context is that the individual who progressively displays godly virtues won’t stumble and fall on the pathway to God’s kingdom and thus fail to arrive (cf. Jude 24; Bauckham, 2 Peter, 191).

Let’s back up and unpack this truth in more detail. The first part of the promise is that a person who demonstrates what’s described in verses 5-7 will never “stumble” (v. 10). The imagery here is taken from the sure-footedness of a horse. If an individual is making steady progress in manifesting Christian virtues, then his or her life will be the tacit evidence of God’s calling and election (M. Green, 2 Peter, 94). And that person won’t stumble along the way by demonstrating unregenerate qualities. Instead he will travel the path to heaven with a surefooted confidence and the assurance that he will never commit apostasy.

The second part of the promise is that such a person will gain “entry” (eisodos), which is the focal point in verse 11 and stands over against the stumbling in the previous verse. The entry image is common in the New Testament, especially in Jesus’s teaching (Matt 5:20; 7:21; 18:3; 19:23; Mark 10:23-25; Luke 18:17,24-25; John 3:5; Acts 14:22). So Peter picks up that gospel theme here and answers the question, “Who will enter, and what will enable that person to enter?” (Davids, Letters, 189–90). His answer is the person whose life is characterized by the progressive demonstration of Christlike character. Peter isn’t describing salvation by works; he’s describing salvation with works (Schreiner, 1 and 2 Peter, 306).

This entrance into Christ’s eternal kingdom won’t be any routine or mundane affair. It will be “richly provided” (v. 11) for the one who lives in a godly way. The main verb in verse 11 is the same as the main verb in verse 5, making an obvious unit. The divine wealth expressed in the phrase richly provided serves as the reward for the temporal exertion expressed in the phrase supplement your faith (v. 5). The picture here is of someone extravagantly welcoming a friend who has arrived at his home, or of the citizens of a city celebrating the hometown hero who is returning from his triumph at the Olympic Games. This lavish welcome no doubt results from the richness of divine generosity (Rom 10:12; Eph 1:7; 1 Tim 6:17; Titus 3:6), and it reciprocates what the believer has provided for himself by growing in godly virtue (Davids, Letters, 189).

Many different views exist about God’s activity in salvation. One of the realities that clouds the discussion is that there’s often no uniform view even among those in the same camp. While I certainly don’t claim to have solved all the disputes, I have my opinions. My personal conviction is that God sovereignly and graciously calls some people to be saved, woos them by his grace into his salvation, and ultimately makes sure they safely arrive in his eternal kingdom. I can’t explain all of that, but I believe the Bible says it. I do know, however, that it’s easy to overemphasize these truths to the point that we overlook what God says about human responsibility in passages like 2 Peter 1:3-11 (see Rom 6:15-23). When we do that, we end up manipulating the truth to fit our theology.

For example, some have suggested that Peter is calling on the elect simply to make their election sure in their own minds. In other words, they see “confirm” as referring to a person’s subjective awareness of his or her election, not that person’s actual objective status. But the language in this text won’t let us go there. It demands that we accept this as an “antinomy,” a truth that is not contradictory but that we can’t neatly reconcile in our minds. What is this antinomy? We have to respond to God’s grace in our lives if we’re going to confirm his calling and election of our lives and make it into his heaven. “God chooses us and ensures that we get to heaven. We need to choose God and live godly lives so that we can reach heaven” (Moo, 2 Peter, 60).

I love antinomies! Why? Well, partly because the word is just fun to say! But mostly because antinomies in the Bible remind me of the difference between me and God. There are some seeming contradictions in the Bible that the human mind can’t reconcile, but they can easily be reconciled in the mind of a sovereign and almighty God. The truth in this paragraph is one of them. How can it be that God already “has given us everything required for life and godliness” (v. 3), and yet we have to “confirm [our] calling and election” (v. 10)? Only God knows. What we know is that this text begins with what we already are in Christ, as ones possessing the divine nature, but then it moves to what we are to become, as ones who are compelled to live accordingly (M. Green, 2 Peter, 96). Beloved, remember your calling as a steward of the divine nature and live to confirm its validity by looking more and more like Jesus every day.