2 Peter 1:1-4: The Pursuit of God

2 Peter 1:1-4: The Pursuit of God

This morning, we’re beginning a journey working through the book of 2 Peter passage by passage, and the first passage we come to is 2 Peter 1:1-4. It says,

1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Let’s pray: Father, we read in Psalm 19 that your law is perfect, reviving the soul. Your testimony is sure, making wise the simple. Your precepts are right, giving joy to the heart. And your commandments are pure, enlightening the eyes. So, please, as we dig into your Word this morning, revive our souls, give wisdom to our minds, impart joy to our hearts, and enlighten our eyes. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

I’ve always found it ironic that so many modern scientists are either atheists or agnostics. Even though their entire careers are devoted to studying the things God’s created, they seem strangely unaware of the God whose creation they’re studying. 

For example, a scientist might study sunsets and, to some extent, appreciate their majestic beauty as the sun casts a golden glow over the sky—and sometimes even colors the sky with an exquisite pink or orange hue. Yet the scientist never asks, “How could something be this beautiful? And how is it that I even have the capacity to appreciate this beauty in the first place? Does it really make sense for my appreciation of this beautiful sunset to merely be the product of Darwinian evolution?” Or consider a cell in the human body—an incredibly complex structure that scientists have only begun to understand. A scientist might study cells and marvel at their astounding complexity—including aspects of those cells that are what we might call “irreducibly complex,” meaning that the cellular system wouldn’t be functional at all or have any evolutionary advantage if it wasn’t incredibly complex from the very beginning. Yet the scientist fails to ask, “How could such complexity possibly arise out of such chaos? How could disorder ever produce order?” And so, in the midst of studying the wonders of God’s created order, these scientists miss the God who created all of these things. 

Yet I have to wonder whether those of us who are Christians often end up doing something surprisingly similar to this in our lives as well. Now, obviously, we’re quite convinced that God exists and would also be quick to affirm every doctrine that’s taught in the Bible. However, I believe it’s possible for us to be so caught up in good things—even church-related things such as church Bible studies, church outreach events, and other church activities—and yet miss the God who’s at the center—or, at least, should be at the center—of all these things. So, just as many scientists ironically miss God in the midst of their study of God’s creation, many Christians are likewise prone to miss God in the midst of their involvement in church. 

And when I say that Christians might “miss God,” I don’t mean that they’re not saved or that they don’t have a basic understanding of who God is. I mean, rather, that they only experience God to a very limited degree. Like, when they read things in the Bible like Psalm 34:8, where the psalmist exclaims, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good,” it’s kind of hard for them to relate to that. Because the reality is that many Christians only have a very limited experience of close fellowship and communion with God as they go about their day, they know relatively little of what it’s like to be captivated by God or to sense his presence as they pray, and their experience of joy in God and all-consuming delight in God is greatly diminished by 1,001 other things that are continually calling out for their attention. As a result, many Christians often hurry from one activity to the next without experiencing God in a meaningful way—essentially living lives that are busy but barren. 

So, how can we make sure that’s not us? How can we experience everything God would have us experience as Christians in terms of a close relationship with him? And also, backing up a few steps, what exactly is it that God wants us to experience in the first place, and how does it relate to everything else we’re called to be and do as Christians? These are some of the questions we’ll answer during our time together this morning. 

Now, this is our first Sunday studying the book of 2 Peter, so I’ll give you a little bit of background. This letter was written by the Apostle Peter to the same churches to which he wrote the letter of 1 Peter—the churches scattered around modern-day Turkey in the geographic regions of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Peter probably wrote to these churches from Rome sometime during the years of 64-67 AD and probably did so while he himself was in prison and awaiting execution. That seems likely given some of the statements he makes about his situation in the letter. 

So, let’s look at how the letter begins in verse 1: “Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” The first way Peter introduces himself is as a “servant”—or, more literally, a “slave”—“of Jesus Christ.” John MacArthur writes the following about this designation. He says, “In Peter’s day, to willingly call oneself a [servant] was to severely lower oneself in a culture where slaves were considered no better than animals. Whereas that practice may have been demeaning socially, it was honorable spiritually. It was to acknowledge that one was duty bound to obey his master, no matter what the cost.” Yet, not only is a Peter a “servant” of Jesus, he also states that he’s an “apostle” of Jesus—that is, one who was personally sent out by Jesus himself for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel as an eyewitness and also with unique authority to clarify the gospel and other doctrinal teachings for the church as a whole. 

Peter then addresses the letter “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours.” Keep in mind that Peter’s writing this letter as a Jew to churches that were comprised primarily of non-Jews—or Gentiles. And that’s what Peter’s likely referring to in this statement. The Gentiles had “obtained a faith of equal standing” with the Jews—that is, a faith in Jesus that resulted in the Gentiles being on the same spiritual footing and enjoying the same spiritual privileges as those who had historically been God’s chosen people. 

And that’s quite relevant for us as well. All Christians enjoy the same standing before God, the same access to God, and the same spiritual privileges given by God. That’s because our enjoyment of all these things is based not on our moral accomplishments or religious achievements but on God’s grace, freely given in the gospel. Now, in a system based on human accomplishments and achievements, some would indeed be higher than others. But since we believe in a grace-based system that revolves around Jesus and what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf, we’re all on the same spiritual footing. In Peter’s words, we all have “equal standing” before God. 

Peter then writes that all of this is ours “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” The first thing I’d like us to notice about this is that it’s one of the clearest statements of the fully divinity of Jesus in the entire Bible. Jesus isn’t merely like God or similar to God—he is God. He’s God in human form—fully God and fully human. 

And moreover, it’s by his “righteousness” that we enjoy the spiritual blessings we enjoy—namely being saved from our sins and having the promise of eternal life in heaven. You see, there was a time when we were separated from God because of our sin—and actually not just separated from him but under his wrath and on our way to hell. That’s the punishment our sins deserved. However, God loved us so much that he sent his own Son Jesus into this world in order to rescue us. Jesus did that first of all by living a perfectly righteous life—a life of perfect obedience to God. Jesus then voluntarily allowed himself to be crucified in order to suffer the punishment our sins deserved. On the cross, God the Father’s wrath came down on Jesus so it wouldn’t have to come down on us. Jesus was then raised from the dead so that he’s now able offer forgiveness and cleansing and eternal life to everyone who puts their trust in him. That’s the good news of the gospel. 

And Peter presents it here in a very abbreviated fashion by speaking simply of the “righteousness” of Jesus that’s been made available to us. As those who have put our faith in Jesus, we’re clothed, as it were, with his righteousness and are therefore able to have a right relationship with a holy God and be fully qualified for heaven. 

Think of it this way. In order to get to heaven, you need a perfect score on God’s test. You need a grade of A+, 100%. That perfection is what’s required in order to dwell in the presence of a perfectly holy God in heaven. Now, obviously, every single one of us has failed that test. And not only have we failed the test, we’ve actually failed miserably with a grade of 0%. You see, the Bible says in Isaiah 64:6 that even the most righteous things we do are nothing but “filthy rags” in the eyes of God—because they all flow out of a sinful heart and are therefore tainted. So, our grade isn’t just barely shy of a passing grade, which is 100%. Our grade is 0%. Yet, when Jesus came to this earth and lived as one of us, guess what grade he earned? 100%. He answered every question on this “test” correctly and earned a perfect grade and therefore passed the test. 

Now, here’s the beauty of the gospel: as we put our trust in Jesus, we get to swap test scores with him. Jesus takes our 0% on himself and suffers the penalty for our failure on the cross. But remember…we still need a 100% test score to get into heaven, don’t we? So, not only does Jesus take our 0%, he also gives us his 100%. His perfect test score is applied to our record. The theological word is “imputed.” His perfect righteousness is imputed—or transferred over—to us, so that we’re clothed with his righteousness. That’s the truth Peter’s speaking of here. 

Then, moving on to verse 2, Peter writes, “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” The word “grace” refers to God’s undeserved favor toward sinful people, resulting in all the blessings of our salvation—including past blessings, present blessings, and future blessings. And the word “peace” refers primarily to the inward peace and contentment and joy we experience within our hearts—even in the midst of all of life’s trials. This subjective experience of peace is, of course, based on the objective reality of the peace we have with God as those who have been reconciled to him. 

Yet notice how Peters says we come to experience these blessings of “grace” and “peace.”  These blessings are given to us “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Our enjoyment of grace and peace is inseparable from us acquiring “knowledge of God.” “Knowledge of God” is the gateway to us enjoying grace and peace. 

Keep in mind that this word “knowledge” doesn’t refer merely to an intellectual understanding of something but rather to what one commentator refers to as a rich and thorough and intimate familiarity with something. So, to have a “knowledge of God,” in this sense means not just to know about God but to actually know God and have experienced God in the context of a personal relationship. Another commentator states, “This knowledge is not merely intellectual or academic. It involves a firsthand experience of relational intimacy with God.” 

So, for example, I might say that I know about King Charles of the United Kingdom. I’ve read about him and understand a few basic facts about his life. But I’ve never met King Charles and therefore can only claim to know about him rather than to actually know him. However, by contrast, I can claim very accurately to know my wife since we have a very close relationship. So, there’s a big difference between merely knowing about someone and actually knowing someone. And here in verse 2, Peter’s referring not just to knowing about God but to actually knowing God. 

And that should be our goal as Christians. The twentieth century theologian A. W. Tozer writes, “[I]t is not mere words that nourish the soul [such as the words of Scripture or the words of good sermons], but God Himself [who nourishes the soul], and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, [and that they] may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.”

And friends, that’s what we were made for. We were created so that we can know God. Not only that, knowing God is also why we were saved. God saved us so that we can know him in the context of a personal relationship for all eternity. In John 17:3, as Jesus is praying to God the Father, he states, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God.” So, according to Jesus, knowing God isn’t just one aspect or feature of eternal life—it is eternal life. Eternal life consists in knowing God. So, even on this side of heaven, knowing God should be what we desire above everything else. It should be our highest ambition. 

As God says in Jeremiah 9:23-24, 23 …“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me….” Of course, these verses aren’t saying that we should actually boast. Rather, they’re saying in a sort of tongue-in-cheek fashion that if we theoretically were to boast, we should at least boast about something significant. Looking at the things listed in verse 23, don’t boast about inconsequential things such as how much education you have, how physically fit you are, or how much money you’ve acquired. Instead, God tells us in verse 24, “let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me.”

So, have you made it the highest ambition of your life to know God? Is that what you’ve determined to pursue above everything else?

And I imagine that there are some here today who have never even come to have the initial knowledge of God that we obtain when we put our trust in Jesus and are saved and enter into a relationship with God. If that’s you, understand that God’s made you so that you might know him. And knowing him is the only thing that can satisfy the deepest longings of your soul. Jesus says in John 7:37, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” That’s God’s invitation to you today. He invites you to look to him for a kind of satisfaction that isn’t available anywhere else in this world. As the early church father Augustine so famously said, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.” 

And that’s essentially the point Peter’s making back in our main passage as well. According to verse 2, “grace and peace” come to us “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” In fact, as we’ll see in the subsequent verses, this is the idea that pervades the entire passage. So, if you’re taking notes, the main idea of this passage is that knowing God is our first and highest calling. Again, knowing God is our first and highest calling. 

This becomes even more evident in verses 3-4. Look first at verse 3. Referring to God, Peter writes, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” So, we don’t acquire “life and godliness” through our own moral or religious accomplishments. Instead, this verse says, “all things that pertain to life and godliness” are “granted” to us by God. And to be more specific, they already have been granted to us by God. That’s what the verse says, right? “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” It’s a done deal. God’s already granted to us everything we need to enjoy eternal life and godliness. 

However, notice the means by which we enjoy and experience these things. We do so “through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” So, how is it that we enjoy the manifold blessings of our salvation and experience those blessings to the fullest extent possible? It’s through the knowledge of God. 

And I love how Peter describes God at the end of the verse. He refers to God as “him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” If you’re wondering what your ultimate life calling might be…there it is, clearly stated. God’s called you, first and foremost, to “his own glory and excellence.” Of course, I’m sure we can all agree there are a variety of different things God calls us to do in our lives. God calls us to repent of our sins, to put our faith in Jesus, to make disciples, to minister to one another in the church, to care for our families, to contribute to society through our vocation, to exhibit godly character, and to do many other things. But the calling that’s fundamental to all of these other callings is the calling to “his own glory and excellence.” 

The “glory” of God refers to his transcendent splendor and majesty. And the word translated “excellence” refers to God’s impeccable moral virtue. So, basically, God is glorious and praiseworthy and desirable and delightful in every way—and he calls us, first and foremost, to know and experience all of these different facets of who he is. You might say God’s given us the greatest gift that could ever be given, and that is the gift of himself. 

This means that, while it’s very appropriate to enjoy the other gifts that God gives—such as family and health and material possessions and nature and art and good food—our enjoyment of all of these other gifts should ultimately lead us to a deeper enjoyment of God and a greater knowledge of him and a greater appreciation of who he is. 

I appreciate the way C. S. Lewis says it. He writes, “I have tried…to make every pleasure into a channel of adoration. I don't mean simply by giving thanks for it. One must of course give thanks, but I meant something different…Gratitude explains, very properly, ‘How good of God to give me this.’ Adoration says, ‘What must be the quality of that Being [who created] this!’ One’s mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun.” Isn’t that a good analogy? Having our minds run back up the sunbeam to the sun itself. That’s what all the blessings and benefits God gives to us should do. They should direct our minds ultimately to God himself and lead us to know him and adore him in an even greater way. And that’s what it means for us to be called, in Peter’s words, to God’s “own glory and excellence.” That’s God’s calling for us and his purpose for our lives. We’re never experiencing God’s purpose for us more than when we’re captivated by him. 

So, let me encourage you to pursue that. Don’t let yourself get so caught up in various activities that you end up living a life that’s busy but barren. If the central purpose of our lives is to know God and worship him and be captivated by him, then make that the central thing you pursue. 

You know, it kind of reminds me of going on a vacation supposedly to relax. And yet, on many vacations, at least, what’s the one thing we somehow never quite get around to doing? Relaxing! We go on vacation but somehow forget to relax and return home in many ways more tired than when we left. Similarly, as Christians, we’ve been saved so that we can know God and enjoy him endlessly for all eternity. Yet, how often do we allow ourselves to get so caught up in a dizzying array of other things that we somehow lose sight of what should be our central pursuit?

And listen, I know we talk a lot around here about the mission God’s given us of spreading the gospel and making disciples. We recite the Great Commission Sunday after Sunday in order to remind ourselves of that mission. But if we really want to be effective in our mission, that begins with us knowing God in a progressively deeper way and being transformed by God and thereby being able to make a much more significant impact on the people around us than we’d otherwise be able to make. If the branches of our church’s gospel witness are going to spread wide, our roots have to go deep. 

Then, moving forward in our passage, Peter drives home his message in verse 4. Continuing the sentence he began in the pervious verse, in which he spoke of God’s “glory and excellence,” Peter writes, “by which [that is, by God’s glory and excellence] he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” The promises of God that Peter refers to here include all of the promises he’s made to us in the gospel, including the promises of forgiveness of sins, a new heart, adoption into God’s family, the Holy Spirit within us, and an eternal inheritance in heaven. 

Peter then says something that can only be described as absolutely stunning. The end result of these promises, Peter says, is that “through them,” we actually “become partakers of the divine nature.” Now, be honest here. If you didn’t know that statement was in the Bible and you just saw it on some random posting on social media—someone saying that they believed we can be “partakers of the divine nature”—would your first instinct be to believe that or to wonder whether that might be taking things just a little too far? I mean, surely God gives us some wonderful blessings in the gospel, right? But to be a partaker of the divine nature…that just sounds so extraordinary that we might wonder whether it could actually be true. And yet, here it is in the Bible. 

Now, to be clear, this doesn’t mean that we in any way become God or become a part of God. However, we do become partakers of God’s nature in the sense, first of all, that God himself comes to reside within us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. It also means that we come to share some aspects of God’s nature. As God transforms us to a progressively greater degree, we come to resemble him more and more and reflect his glorious attributes in our lives. 

I love the way Paul says it in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where he writes, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” So, beholding God’s glory leads to us being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another. In other words, we don’t just behold God’s glory; we actually come to share in God’s glory. I believe that’s also more or less what Peter’s referring to in our main passage when he talks about us becoming “partakers of the divine nature.” 

To state it another way, knowing God transforms us. It transforms every aspect of our lives. For example, as we gain a deeper understanding of God’s wisdom and sovereignty and goodness, we become a lot less anxious. As we gain a deeper appreciation of God’s power and faithfulness, we find ourselves becoming more inclined to pray. As we comprehend more of the depth of God’s love for us, we’re naturally led to demonstrate that same love toward others. As we contemplate the forgiveness God’s extended to us despite all of our sins against him, we find that we’re now able to extend forgiveness to those who have done things against us no matter how terrible those things have been. And as we become more aware of the perfect holiness and righteousness of God, we also become more aware of the ways we fall short of that holiness and righteousness—and more eager to repent of those sinful shortcomings. So, do you see how our knowledge of God is affects every aspect of our lives? 

This is why A. W. Tozer wrote that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Think about that. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” So, again, let me encourage you to give your life to the pursuit of God. Make it your highest ambition to know him in a deeper and more meaningful way. 

And if I could just give you two practical suggestions about doing that, here’s what those would be. First, whenever you read the Bible, do so first and foremost as a means of seeking God. Read whatever biblical passage you’re reading with this question in mind: “What does this passage reveal about God? What can I learn about God from this passage?” And second, when you pray, do that also first and foremost as a means of seeking God. Make sure that you’re not just seeking things from God but that you’re primarily seeking God. Of course, God invites us to seek things from him and lay our requests for various things at his feet. But our central pursuit in prayer shouldn’t be any of God’s gifts but rather God himself. Spend time in adoration as you simply marvel at who God is. Praise him for the wonderful and breathtaking and indescribable facets of his being. Thank him for being so beautiful and so wonderful and so perfect in every way. And ask him to lead you into a deeper knowledge of him and make you more aware of just how glorious he is.