Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
When you read this verse, you probably noted that the first word offers up a transition. It says "rather," and then goes on to say what it says. It's important to note that because it's referring to what came before it. It's important to see that what is being discussed in 2 Peter before this verse is this idea of showing up to life with intentionality, seeking to live what is described as a spotless life, a sinless life.
Now, I know some of you who are listening to this are probably chuckling under your breath to think, how would it be possible for any human person to live what is being described here as an aspiration? How could I try to live a spotless life? Well, of course, what you're thinking is true. It's impossible for us, in our humanness, to be without even the hint of temptation from time to time.
Moving Toward Spotlessness
The hope that we have is that we would move in grace toward the fulfillment of this call. In other words, our hope is that our relationship to Christ, our connection to the Spirit of God, will continue to grow us in a way that we move toward the ability to live in a way where we slowly get closer to what would be described as a spotless life. What I love about this verse is there's a real key word in the middle of it, and it's that word grace.
The verse says, "You must grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord." The reason that we need to grow in grace is not only for what we extend to other people in our lives, but we need to grow in grace and understanding God's graciousness toward us.
The Simple Gospel
The Gospel is very simple. We deserve nothing. As a matter of fact, it says in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 1 that we are enemies and dead in our sins. We deserve to be rejected and cast away because our lives inherently, in their sinfulness, are adversarial to the living God. That's a bleak and dark picture when you really think about it. Understand that even though that's the reality, God, in His kindness, provided redemption through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
We who were counted because of our sin as enemies to God, it says in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 14, have been brought near by the blood of the Lamb. What that means is we receive the grace of God, that even though we don't deserve rescue, He provided it through the work of Christ.
Extending Grace to Others
That matters in a big way, because if it's true that we receive grace, we extend that grace to others. But in reference to this verse here, it says we're growing in grace because as we stumble, as we falter, as we long to be spotless in our life on earth, we grow in the awareness that God in His kindness has provided grace. Because of that grace, we don't continue to sin, but instead we're inspired to live differently because of who God is in our lives.
I pray that today you feel the smile and the kindness of God's grace in your life, and I pray that that's expressed in the way that you live around others.
