There are two reasons why we wear shoes. One is function, the other is fashion. Of course, there are shoes with a mix of both. But, every pair of shoes has a number one reason for being. Now, I will show pictures of shoes and you tell me whether it is for function or for fashion. [Show the shoes slideshow.]
For me, as far as shoes are concerned, I go for function. I basically go for comfort. I also go for what is functional for my budget. I know for those who are athletic, whether for running, bowling or golfing, you go for shoes that give you firm footing.
One time we were in Rizal Recreation Center for a retreat. They have a bowling lane. When we play bowling, we are supposed to wear bowling shoes. Those shoes were made in such a way that you can slide as you throw the ball. But I wasn’t wearing bowling shoes. I was barefoot. So, I was so afraid that I would trip over that I could not throw the ball properly. I think almost all of the balls I threw went to the gutter.
Like those shoes, spiritual growth gives you such stability. So far in our series on “A Passionate Pursuit,” as we go through 2 Peter 1:1-11, we saw the reasons why we should pursue our spiritual growth passionately. Verse 8 tells us that the first reason why we must grow spiritually is that it makes us fruitful and effective: “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”[1] Here’s a person who is growing in intimacy with our Lord Jesus. Then, according to verse 9, the second reason is that we become focuses and not forgetful: “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” This person does not live for sin’s temporal pleasures. Now, we will see in verse 10 that the third reason why we must grow spiritually is that we would have a FIRM footing: “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Let us pray first…
The apostle Peter is so familiar with stumbling. He boasted before the Lord Jesus that he would not deny Him under any circumstance. But he ended up denying the Lord three times. That’s a great fall!
Yet, before that humiliating experience, our Lord gave him a gracious assurance: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”[2] That’s a scary thought! Imagine Satan sifting you like wheat. On our own, surely we won’t survive that. But, our Lord Jesus was so sure that His Father would answer His prayer for Peter that He said “when you have turned again” and not “if you turn back again”. Peter indeed turned back again and strengthened his brothers.
Now, can you imagine Jesus praying for us also that our faith may not fail? Hebrews 7:25 tells us what He is doing right now in heaven. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” He is praying for you and me right now! That’s why somebody wrote, “A true believer will neither totally nor fully lose his faith.”
Now, that’s God’s part. What about our part? One important lesson I learned in life is that we cannot do what God will do but God will not do what we must do. God will do His part. Jude 24 assures us that He “is able to keep [us] from stumbling and to present [us] blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy”. What about us? 2 Peter 1:10 tells us our part. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin.”[3] When we grow spiritually, we will have a firm footing in life.
We have already studied the first half of the verse: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election.” We saw that we have to make sure that we have not only a right relationship with Christ but also, much more, a growing relationship with Him. Our spiritual growth is our assurance that we have a spiritual life. John Piper wrote, “The danger… is not the danger of slipping into the kingdom with no rewards. It is the danger of not being saved at all. When Peter says, ‘Be zealous to confirm your call and election,’ he means that our lack of diligence in Christian graces may be a sign that we were never called and are not among the elect.”[4] The way to confirm that we are really believers is that we live obedient lives. A believer is a follower.
Let us read 2 Peter 1:10 again. “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” Again, the qualities we are to practice are those mentioned in verse 5-7 that we are “to supplement [to our] faith… virtue… knowledge… self-control… godliness… brotherly affection… [and] love.” The reason why we must “practice these qualities [is that we] will never fall.” Spiritual growth gives us a firm footing in life.
In the Greek, the word “practice” is in the present tense. So, we must keep on or continue practicing these things. We must grow regularly and progressively. Growth is not something on and off. It’s like riding a bike on an uphill climb. On a plain field, if we stop pedaling, we may coast for a while but, sooner or later, we will fall down. But in an uphill climb, we must keep on pedaling or else we slide down. That’s why, in his “7 Stages of Spiritual Growth” series, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson said, “Spiritual growth can be backward, forward or plateaued.” We stop growing, we start decaying. It must be a consistent growth. It is also in the active voice. That means that it is our responsibility to grow.
For example, we should not read the Bible only when we have an issue or a question or a problem in life. We should keep on reading it. It’s like eating. Let’s say we have a problem with malnutrition. We don’t solve it by suddenly gorging on nutritious food. To become healthy, we must eat it regularly and consistently every meal, every day. It’s the same with the Bible. We should not just gorge on the Bible during Sundays. We may try to make-up for lack of Bible reading during the week by listening to the sermon and attending Sunday school. Instead, in addition to that, we must spend time reading the Bible every day. Joshua 1:8 commands us, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” We can only experience the renewing of our mind when we regularly train ourselves to think biblically. We can only experience change the way we behave when we change the way we think.
Again, let us read 2 Peter 1:10. “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” The word “fall” can also be translated “stumble.” But when we hear the words “fall” or “stumble” we usually think of accidental falling. But the verb is in active voice. So it could mean to commit a mistake or to go astray.[5] According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, “The Greek word for stumble means ‘to trip up’ or ‘to experience a reversal.’ Certainly one who is maturing in Christ will not trip up in his spiritual life as readily as one who is immature and nearsighted.”[6] Note the word “readily.” It is an intentional falling. It is committing a sin. It’s not a weakness. It’s disobedience. That’s why the NET Bible translated verse 10 this way: “For by doing this you will never stumble into sin.” Growth gives us stability. It gives us firm footing in life. A stable life is an obedient life.
We are not talking of a living a sinless life. We already heard the saying, “Christians are not sinless. But they sin less.” I agree with the general sense of that statement. As we grow, our lives must be characterized with obedience. We obey more and more and sin less and less. But let me remind you that we are not running a score card here. Some of us may use that as an excuse to sin. We tell ourselves, “As long as I keep my sins to a minimum or to an acceptable level, I’m okay.” We try to play with sin and try to maintain an appearance of spirituality. Good enough is not good enough! We would be just fooling ourselves. Please keep in mind that God gave us liberty to obey. He did not give us license to sin. We are free to obey. We are not free to disobey.
In 2 Peter 1:10, the word “fall” also carries with it the idea of suffering misfortune as a result of sinning.[7] In the Good News Bible, the last half goes this way: “if you do so, you will never abandon your faith.” How can stumbling lead to abandoning? Hebrews 3:12-13 warns us, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Sin hardens our hearts. Before, our conscience bothers us when we sin. If we keep on sinning, we are no longer bothered. That leads to “an evil, unbelieving heart”. If we don’t change our ways, it could lead us “to fall away from the living God.” That’s the sad result of living a life of sin. That’s why the Bible calls it a “fall.” It has disastrous consequences.
If we live a disobedient life, that way of life could even show that we are not believers in the first place. 1 John 3:9 tells us, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” A believer cannot continue in sin. In fact, according to 1 John 2:1, the goal actually is not to sin. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Let us raise the bar of our obedience. Our goal should not be, “I want to sin only a little.” Our goal should be “I don’t want to sin.”
We need to grow in obedience. 2 Peter 1:10 promises us that “if [we] practice these qualities [that is, if we grow spiritually, we] will never fall.” The way it is phrased or worded in its original form is so powerful. It can actually be translated, “for if you practice these qualities you will never, never ever fall.” Growth gives us such a firm footing so that sin will not sweep us off our feet. We will be so stable in facing life’s challenges.
So, brothers and sisters, we must grow spiritually because it makes us fruitful and effective. It also allows us to be focused and not forgetful. And now we saw that it gives us firm footing. Next week, we will look at the last and final reason why we must grow spiritually. When we pursue our spiritual growth passionately, we finish well.
Let us pray…
[1]All Bible verses are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.
[2]Luke 22:31-32.
[3]The NET Bible.
[4]John Piper, “Confirm Your Election.” Available online at http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByScripture/29/344_Confirm_Your_Election/
[5]NET Bible notes.
[6]Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:867.
[7]NET Bible notes.
