[Blogger]

Your reading of 2 Peter 1:5-10 does not agree with the text. If Peter wanted to say what you impute into it, he would have said it. But he did not: he lists a program of sanctification that, he says, will make the election secure.

Oh come now, Annalex, you know better than that!

Look at what Peter is talking about. Here are some of the verses which precede this:

" According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:"

Okay, lots of things in this portion of Scripture. First we have a gift that is given by a giver. The giver is God. Who by his divine power gave us certain things. That is significant. God is the giver. What does He give us? All things pertaining to life and godliness. So God all things. Who does He give them to? Small word, He gives them to "US." He doesn't give them to everyone. He gives them to "US." And, who is the "US" that Peter is referring to? The ones he is addressing: Verse 1:"them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" It's the saved by faith in the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ." In short, God's elect.

So, we have God giving His elect all things necessary to life and godliness. But that isn't all that He gives us. He gives them promises. And not just promises, but exceeding great and precious promises. It isn't just scratch my back and I'll scratch yours - but these promises are indicative of how God Himself has worked in their lives. Peter says: "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." These promises help us to commune with and experience God's nature in ways that the world can not but there is another little nugget here - it says we have escaped the world's corruption already. It is not that we are escaping it. We've already escaped it. How? Through the power of God. By His grace we escaped. Done deal. We aren't subjected to the world's corruption. We should have peace, right? Well... we should but don't always. Peter continues.

Peter says, already having escaped the worlds corrutpion through the power of God by faith and having received the promises of God add to your faith these things. Virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness, charity. Sound familiar? It should. Galatians 5: 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Peter and Paul are both speaking of the fruit of the Spirit in one's life. We don't work these things up. The workmanship of God in our lives brings them about naturally. They are the Spirit's fruit. Not ours. And what does Peter say then?

"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

What is he talking about there? If these things be in you and abound in you, then you will be fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord. It isn't talking about a loss of salvation or lack of salvation. Rather, it is talking about a fruitfulness in one's life and growth as a Christian. Continuing..."But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." If a true Christian doesn't have these things abounding in their lives, he may suddenly become forgetful that he was purged from His sin and can only see his current state. He isn't fruitful. He is blind in his knowledge of Christ. He isnt' growing. And very likely, he is feeling insecure because He has forgotten that He was already purged from sin. But, let's wrap the verse up...Wherefore the rather, brethren, [those who are of the elect] give diligence [1) to hasten, make haste2) to exert one's self, endeavour, give diligence] to make your calling and election sure[translation:unshaken]: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall[translation: stumble (in your understanding of what Christ has done for you)].

In summary, Peter's verses are not speaking of how one can make their salvation sure by doing good works. The subjects are already those who have already escaped the corruption of the world, been given the promises of God through faith, and have had their sins purged. Rather, he is speaking to those who may have some doubts because the fruit of the Spirit isn't evident in their lives as it should be. They have forgotten, perhaps. But, he is saying "make sure." That's all. Make sure that you are Christ's. And to you that have doubts, but do see these things evident in your lives and abundant, you don't need to worry because they are the Fruits of the Spirit in your lives, indicating that You are His.

[annalex]

Peter's verses are not speaking of how one can make their salvation sure by doing good works. The subjects are already those who have already escaped the corruption of the world, been given the promises of God through faith, and have had their sins purged. Rather, he is speaking to those who may have some doubts because the fruit of the Spirit isn't evident in their lives as it should be. They have forgotten, perhaps. But, he is saying "make sure." That's all. Make sure that you are Christ's. And to you that have doubts, but do see these things evident in your lives and abundant, you don't need to worry because they are the Fruits of the Spirit in your lives, indicating that You are His.

This is spin.

St. Peter speaks of those who are called in v 3. They also have knowledge of Christ. In the next verse, the promise of the partaking of the divine nature is made conditional: you may partake if you flee the corruption of the world. Then verses 5-7 enumerate virtues in which one is to grow. Then in v. 8 there is another condition: that if one grows in virtues, he will be fruitful in the knowledge of Christ. Thus the very knowledge spoken of in v. 3 will bear fruit, but conditionally, if the virtues are practiced.

In v. 9 a warning is given to those who fall off the program. How they do it? they forget the knowledge ("having forgotten that he was purged from his old sins"). The journey, for those who complete it, culminates in the security of the election and they "shall not sin at any time".

If the condition of those described in v. 3 were the same at the beginning of their labor as in the end, the passage would have been meaningless. Your theory is, it is there to let the hesitant know how to get a sense of security. But the exhortation to labor in v. 10, and the promise of holiness as the goal there militate against that theory.

Once again, the Catholics read the Scripture and you theorize about it.