Inspiring Phrases from 2 Peter: grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus
Inspiring Phrase: grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus
Context:
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18
My response:
I was spoilt for choice here with inspiring phrases galore, but maybe this one is the one which encompasses all the others.
For all of you out there who are reading this and have accompanied me on this journey through the Bible, I do consider you my dear friends. I know who some of you are, not all, and may never get to meet some of you face to face, but the fact we are travelling together on this journey of faith gives us a bond. I’ve been writing this blog for the past five years to support my journey of faith, but also yours – with the aim that we all grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. That’s my hope and prayer for all of us.
These recent letters from John and Peter have warned about false teachers and those people amongst the believers who are stirring up dissent. They are writing into their context, but it is right that we should be on our guard too. We should not believe everything we read and hear. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, we will be better able to discern God’s truth in the midst of all these false promises and fake news.
To me, being on my guard is not fear-based, not rooted in suspicion. It’s about being ‘woke’, living life fully aware, embracing conscious living with my eyes wide open to the consequences of my choices and decisions. Our position in Christ is secure – He has done what it takes to ensure that. But our faith can be shaken if we get distracted from God’s way: that’s what we need to be on guard for.
Jesus is the focus of this grace and knowledge, for he is not simply a man named Jesus – He is the Christ, the Lord, the Saviour of all the world. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus – to know more about him (knowledge) and to know him more (grace).
And this is where this letter ends, with the focus firmly on Jesus – to him be the glory, now and forever. That’s the reason for all that we do – to give the glory to Jesus, to shine a spotlight on him as our reason for being.
As we enter into a new year, a new decade – there’s no better way to do so than with Jesus as the centre of our lives.
