One of the most powerful and practical passages in all of Scripture is found in 2 Peter 1. Verses 2-4, specifically. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
The first thing we see here is that grace and peace come to us “in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” How different from what the world tells us! We are bombarded with the message that if we could just change our circumstances (more money, better family, improved appearance, a different town, etc), then we would have peace. Or we try to achieve the favor of God through better behavior, increased service to others, or stricter rule keeping, thinking that is the way to grace. And how often we press forward in these pursuits, only to never quite get either grace or peace. Instead, this passage makes it clear that, far from being elusive, grace and peace come only from knowing God and Jesus. Not knowing about them but rather an intimate knowledge of them. Realize that even the demons know about Christ (and they tremble!) but they certainly do not experience His grace and peace because they are not in relationship with Him where they love and treasure and obey Him. That is where the power comes from, the divine power that supplies everything we need for life and godliness. Notice that all inclusive word – everything. In a world where we often can feel overwhelmed, insecure, inadequate, the Apostle Peter tells us we have everything we need in knowing God. This ever-deepening relationship is the pipeline through which grace and peace are supplied to us, the power we need for life. Not things to know or doctrines to embrace but power to experience. Power that is given to those who rest in the righteousness of Christ and continuously thirst to know Him more. Power that is greater than anything else on earth.
But, how practically do we experience that power? How does it become activated in our daily lives? The knowledge of God, seeing His glory and excellence, impacts our daily lives as we know and embrace His great promises! How does that work, not in theory but in daily application? Suppose you are wrestling anxiety. Then find 2-3 promises from Scripture that address anxiety. Isaiah 26:3 says “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.” And Philippians 4:6,7 promises us “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” So, when we need to defeat anxiety, God has given us the knowledge and power to do so – we fix our minds on Him. Over and over and again and again. We fixate on His glory and His excellence. We meditate on His attributes and His gifts to us. And we pour out our hearts to Him, thanking Him for His character and His generous goodness to us. We do this for as long as we need for His divine power to flow into our hearts and put our minds at peace.
Or, say we struggle with assurance of salvation. This is definitely one we must fight for! We find one of His precious promises, such as John 6:37 – “whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.” Or John 5:24 – “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” And then we proclaim that truth to our hearts, over and over, and again and again. The power comes not from our faith, but rather who our faith is in.
If you cannot shake guilt, then you stand on the promise of 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And you tell your heart that He is not a liar – His Words are true and dependable.
Sin (doubt, fear, worry, greed, lust, selfishness and the like) makes a false claim to us – it promises us that we will be happy and better if we succumb. And the author of sin is a liar. He never delivers what he says – rather than having what we need for life, we find ourselves depressed and angry and anxious and guilt-ridden and unfulfilled when we place our confidence in those claims. Therefore, I urge us all to dig into God’s Word and find His precious and faithful promises. Speak them to your heart and mind – out loud and silently – and find His divine power being abundantly supplied to you, indeed everything you need for life and godliness.