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2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, make every effort to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. 12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.
Introduction: Christian Hackers
I always thought that if I ever had a chance to race cars, I’d be pretty good at it. Not a pro, obviously, but better than average. I thought that until I had an opportunity to race at a pastor’s event at Bandimere speedway called “The Faster Pastor.” I raced, and I got smoked by Bob every single race. Bob, it turns out, is actually the faster pastor. And not just Bob. If I remember right, I think I had a slower time than every pastor there. So not only am I not above average, I’m not even average. Poor showing.
Want to know what I’ve been doing to speed up my reaction times off the line? Nothing. I would love to be the faster pastor, but I don’t care enough about racing to work on improving.
I’m not going to get any better at that, just like I’ll probably never get better at golf. In golf, I’m what’s known as a hacker. A hacker is someone who just whacks away at the ball and rarely hits the fairway. And usually when people use that term, it’s not just to say the person is a bad golfer, but that he’s bad because he doesn’t take the game seriously. He never gets any better because he’s not even trying to get better.
That’s me. I haven’t always been a hacker. There was a time when I did take it seriously. I really was trying to get better. I would practice every day, I was trying to learn, even took a couple lessons.
But now—pure hacker. I never hit under 100. What am I going to do about it? Nothing. “No lessons?” Nope. “You’re not going to read a book about golf or practice more or watch a video on YouTube?” No. I’m good enough to be able to have fun playing, and that’s enough for me, so I’m not going to work hard at improving. Don’t get me wrong—I’d love to be better at golf, I just don’t have the time.
Is that a bad attitude? Not really. It’s the attitude you have to have toward almost everything. No one has enough time or energy to achieve at a high level at everything.
So the attitude I have about drag racing and golf—that’s the attitude everyone has to have about most everything in life. And that’s fine. It’s fine to have that attitude about most things, but there’s one thing it’s not okay to have that attitude about. The whole book of 2 Peter, and especially today’s passage, were written to urge us not to be Christian hackers. Peter wrote this book to prevent you from ever having the same kind of attitude toward spiritual growth that I have toward golf. The attitude of complacency. You’d love to grow and change, but not enough to really devote yourself to it with high energy—that’s what this book was written to help us overcome.
Peter is especially concerned for his readers in this area because he’s writing to seasoned Christians.
2 Peter 1:12you are firmly established in the truth.
Complacency is a problem for people who have been Christians a long time.
A lot of good things come with maturity, but one negative thing is often low passion and zeal. You get tired, you get a little bored, you get so used to God’s grace you start taking it for granted, you’re disillusioned in some ways because of how things haven’t gone the way you had hoped. And you settle into a kind of low energy complacency where you say, “I’m not going to coast, but I’m not going to stand up and pedal either.” In today’s passage, Peter is going to show us exactly where that attitude will get you.
Peter’s Sermon
The commentators refer to the first 11 verses of 2 Peter as a mini sermon. It has an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Today we look at the conclusion, which is in vv.10-11.
And as you might expect for the conclusion of a sermon, it begins with the word, “therefore.” Now, anytime you see the word “therefore,” if you don’t know what it’s referring back to, then you don’t understand what’s being said. If I say, “Therefore, no more potlucks on these Saturday night studies”—that sentence by itself is meaningless. What came before the “therefore”? If I say, “I’m gaining way too much weight, therefore no more potlucks,” that’s a lot different than, “From now on, Tracy and I are providing all the food for our meals, therefore, no more potlucks.” The meaning is totally different. The first one means we’re not going to eat together anymore and the second one means the opposite of that. You never understand what comes after a therefore until you know what came before it that it’s referring to.
This is an important principle for Bible study in general. Anytime you see the word “therefore,” if you don’t see the connection between what comes before it and what comes after it, then you don’t understand what’s being said. If I say, “McDonald’s changed its French fry recipe, therefore, when you go to church next Sunday, don’t sit in the back row”—you would say, “Darrell I have no idea what you mean by that.” And I say, “Why? There are no big words. No complicated sentences.” You might say, “I understand all the words except one—therefore.” If there’s a “therefore” and you don’t see what two ideas are being connected, you don’t understand any of it. If you don’t understand the therefore, you can’t say you understand 90% of what I said. You understand 0%. Everyone understands that in daily conversation, but they forget it when they read the Bible. “Oh, I love this verse. Oh, and that next verse is good too—put it on a coffee mug.” But they ignore the “therefore” in between, and they have no idea how the first verse is the basis for the second one, which means they don’t understand the passage at all. Back to my McDonald’s comment. What if I said, “They changed their recipe, and the new fries are disgusting. Now it’s a shoddy product, and it’s disgusting. Therefore, next Sunday, don’t sit in the back row and offer God shoddy worship. That’s disgusting to God.”
Now, you might say, “That’s a dumb argument,” and I would agree. But at least now you understand what’s being said. And what helped you understand? I repeated the word, “shoddy.” “This shoddy thing is bad, therefore don’t do this shoddy thing”—that makes sense of the “therefore.”
This one refers to the previous 9 verses, but that’s a little tricky because we’ve spent 10 months studying those verses. We’ve covered a lot of principles. What’s the one, big main idea that the “therefore” points back to?
Peter helps us with that by repeating a key word from the introduction. And when you understand that keyword, you can look at all those verses and realize, “Oh, Peter’s whole sermon has been about that one key word.”
Intro: God Called You by Name
“What’s the word?” Calling. In his introduction, in v.3, Peter identifies God as the one who
2 Peter 1:3called us by his own glory and moral excellence.
Then skip to the conclusion in v.10.
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, make every effort to make your callingfirm.
So it’s all about our calling.
The thing Peter tells us in the introduction is that the calling comes from God’s glory and moral excellence (his nature), and it’s a call for us to share in that divine.
2 Peter 1:3He called us by his own glory and goodness. 4so thatyou may share in the divine nature.
That’s the gist of Peter’s introduction—God called you to share in his nature.
Now, we can get inoculated to Biblical words like “calling,” but think of what a gripping introduction that is to a sermon. Do you remember the account of when God called Samuel in the night when Samuel was a boy? The first few times Samuel thought it was Eli. Finally Eli realizes what’s going on and tells Samuel, “That’s not me. It’s God. If it happens again, here’s how to respond …” Samuel goes back to bed, waits, looks at the ceiling, Is it going to happen again? Or was I dreaming. He waits …. And it happens again. Almighty God speaks to him audibly!
Put yourself in Samuel’s place and imagine what that would be like. A chill goes down your spine, you’re sweating, you’re shaking. “I can’t believe God is speaking to me right now.”
So Samuel says, “I’m listening.” And God says, “I’m about to do something that will make your ears tingle.” Try to imagine what that would be like if it happened to you.
And then realize, there was a day when it did happen to you. God called you, individually, by name—not audibly, but every bit as real as when he called Samuel.
And what did he call you to? To be a prophet, like Samuel? No—bigger than that. God called you to share in his divine nature! The day you became a Christian, the reason you became a Christian on that day was because God spoke to you and said, “Come, share in my glory and moral excellence.” Let that just blow your mind for a minute.
That’s the breathtaking introduction to Peter’s sermon. Then comes the body of the sermon (vv.5-9).
Body: Details of Pursuing the Call
The body teaches us all about what a life of living out that calling looks like—growing in the virtues by trusting the promises. That’s vv.5-9.
Conclusion: Secure Your Calling
Then we get to the “therefore” in v.10 which signals Peter’s conclusion. And the conclusion is a command. Intro: God called you to share in his nature. Body: Here’s what it looks like to live out that calling. Conclusion:
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, make every effort to make your calling and election firm.
“That calling I’ve been talking about—put it in cement.”
Firm Means Firm
Your Bible might say make your calling and election “sure” or “confirm” your calling and election. The Greek word is bebaios, and it doesn’t mean sure or confirm. If you look it up in a Greek dictionary, it says it means to make something solid, strong, firm, or steadfast. It’s used of anchoring a boat so it doesn’t float away. In the case of a legal document, it can mean to make something valid or binding. Peter’s saying, “Take your calling and election and make every effort to anchor them like a boat, so they don’t drift away. Make them strong and firm and steadfast so they don’t fade away or fall apart or become invalid.
Hard Saying
That’s the plain sense of the words. But here’s the problem: calling and election are God’s actions, not yours.
Election—God Choosing You to Be Saved
The Greek word for election is just like the English word—it’s just a synonym for the word “choice.” Your election is the fact that God chose you. Chose you for what? Salvation.
2 Thessalonians 2:13God chose you to be saved.
Election is God choosing which individual will be saved. Your election is the fact that God chose you to be one of those individuals. And he did that before you were ever born.
Ephesians 1:4 He chose us ... before the creation of the world.
Calling—God Calling You in a Way that Worked
So election is God’s activity, not ours. Same thing with calling. When God called you to share in his nature back in v.3, it wasn’t just an invitation. It was an act of God’s power that moved you to respond. There are two different ways New Testament writers talk about calling to salvation. The first one means to invite. God calls everyone to salvation in that sense—everyone is invited (Revelation 22:17, Matthew 22:14). But most of the time when you see the word “calling” in the NT, it refers to a special kind of calling that always works. That’s not to say it forces you. It’s like when a dog owner can call his dog in a way he knows that dog will respond. He doesn’t force the dog against his will, but the dog always responds.
When God invites everyone in the world, most people ignore that call. But no one ignores this call, ever. And that’s the kind of calling Peter is talking about here. The day God called you to share in his nature was the day you became a Christian.
So if calling and electing are God’s actions, how can we do anything to make God’s actions more firm or less firm? If it said, “Make every effort to make your faith firm” or “Make your love steadfast,” or “Make your self-control rock-solid,” that would make sense because we have a hand in those things. But our calling and election? How can Peter command you to make those firm?
And what if I don’t make my calling and election strong, Peter? Am I at risk of losing them and becoming non-elect? Look at the rest of v.10.
2 Peter 1:10 ... make your calling and election firm. For if you do these things, you will never fall.
You need to strengthen your election so that you don’t fall away.
In and Out of Election
And as strange as that may sound, this isn’t the only place in the Bible that talks like this about calling and election. Probably the longest section of Scripture about election is Romans 9-11. And the main point of chapter 11 is that while God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable, individual participation in that depends on faith. And so depending on what happens with your faith, it’s possible to go from being non-elect to elect or to go from being elect to non-elect.
Just read through the chapter. The Jews are elect (v.28). But when individual Jews didn’t believe, they were cut off (v.17). How is that possible? How could they go from being among the elect to being non-elect?
Romans 11:20they were broken off because of unbelief.
And then you were grafted into the vine (v.17). How did that happen? How did you join the ranks of the elect?
Romans 11:20they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.
Does that mean my fate is settled in stone now?
Romans 11:20you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.
Be afraid? Afraid of what?
20be afraid, 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God ... kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in.
That’s as clear as it can be. In and out, in and out. First, they’re in and you’re out. Then they’re out and you’re in. Now you’re back out and they’re back in—all based on faith or unbelief. The question of whether or not you are among the elect is fluid in this life. It can change in either direction based on faith and unbelief.
And that’s not the only place Paul spoke like that about election.
2 Timothy 2:10 I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
They are currently elect, but Paul is taking beatings, getting flogged, imprisoned, abused, stoned, tortured—all for the purpose of seeing to it that those believers obtain final salvation in eternal glory.
That was Paul laying down his life to make their calling and election firm.
When Did You Join the Elect?
Now, if you’re trained in systematic theology, you’re probably thinking, “How is this possible if election happened before the foundation of the world? Doesn’t that mean I’ve always been one of the elect even before I became a Christian?” No. You were elect from the foundation of the world, but the Bible also says Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Does that mean when Jesus was born he already had wounds in his hands and side? No. He wasn’t crucified until he was crucified. Slain from the foundation of the world means that was his destiny. It’s what God had decided would happen.
Chosen from the foundation of the world means God decided beforehand that you would join the ranks of the elect, but that didn’t actually occur until you believed. Prior to believing, you were not one of God’s beloved elect—you were an object of God’s wrath (Eph.2:1-3). That’s why God had to call you. You didn’t join the ranks of the elect until Jesus called you and you believed.
Assurance?
Paradox
Now, everything I’ve said so far wreaks havoc on most everyone’s theological system. I don’t care if it’s Calvinism, Arminianism, Dispensationalism—whatever side you’re on, if your system ends with “ism,” you’re probably mad at me right now.
The Assurance View
If you just go with the plain, ordinary meaning of Peter’s words, they wreak havoc on most theological systems. And so the popular approach to this passage is to say, “Peter can’t mean we’re supposed to make God’s actions firm. That makes no sense. So it must be that what Peter really meant was to make your calling and election firm in your own mind. Your calling and election are already a reality; you just need to work hard to really convince yourself of it. So Peter’s not really suggesting that you’re in danger of losing your election. All he’s saying is you could lose your assurance.”
Make every effort to keep growing because if you stop growing, you won’t know for sure whether you’re saved or not. That’s by far the most common interpretation because that alleviates the tension of the paradox. It solves all the problems, makes the passage super simple with no tensions and zero theological or logical difficulties.
Is that a biblical idea—seeking assurance of your salvation? Yes. That’s one of the main purposes of the book of 1 John. Assurance is important. God doesn’t want you to always be wondering if you’re in his family or not. So yes, you should seek assurance of salvation, but is that what this passage is about? I don’t think so, and I’ll give you three reasons.
Problems with the Assurance View
1) Peter Could Have Specified Assurance if That Were What He Meant
2)
First, because that’s not what it says. The word translated “firm” doesn’t mean confidence or assurance. Peter doesn’t say to make it firm and steadfast in your own mind or to become convinced that it’s firm or even to prove that your calling and election are firm. He says to make every effort to make them firm. If Peter were talking about assurance, there are words he could have used to actually say that, but he didn’t.
2) Not the Natural Meaning
Secondly, no one would read Peter’s words and come away thinking he’s talking about assurance if it were anything other than calling and election. For example, if Peter said, “Make every effort to make your self-control firm/steadfast,... ” no one would take that to mean “Work hard to gain assurance that you’re already a self-controlled person.” Everyone would take it at face value—make every effort to see to it that your self-control stays strong and doesn’t fade away. That’s the straightforward meaning of the words Peter used. The only reason the assurance interpretation exists is to solve the theological difficulty of the verse.
3) Entry into the Kingdom Is at Stake
And then third, look at the reason Peter gives for why it’s so urgent that you make your calling and election firm. Let’s follow his logic closely.
Urgency
2 Peter 1:10make every effort
Your Bible might say “Be all the more eager” or “all the more diligent.” The Greek word is spoudazo—same word as back in v.5 when he told us to make every effort to grow spiritually. It’s a word that speaks of high energy, high urgency, high priority, and all-out effort. Why is it so urgent Peter? The rest of this passage is Peter answering that question.
2 Peter 1:10make every effort to make your calling and election sure. For means because. Here’s why it’s so urgent:
2 Peter 1:10 make every effortFor if you do these things, you will never fall.
What kind of falling is he talking about? Does he mean falling away from the faith? Read what he says next and see what you think. Verse 11 starts with another “for,” so v.11 is further explaining what he means by not falling.
2 Peter 1:10 ... you will never fall, 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Making your calling and election sure means making sure that instead of falling away, you enter the kingdom.
Lack of Effort Leads to Disaster
The readers are mature, established Christians. Peter knows that as you live the Christian life, and time wears on and the years go by, eventually you’ll cool off and say, “Man, I’m tired. Maybe where I’m at is good enough. I’m not Billy Graham. I’m not the Apostle Paul. I know I should be growing. I’d like to be better, just like Darrell would like to be better at golf. But I just don’t have the energy at this point. And if I’m honest, I kind of like where I’m at. So I’m a bit of a hacker spiritually, but at least I’m saved. Maybe I’ll just keep going like this.”
And Peter says, “Keep going like that and you risk your calling and election.” You could very well fall away and end up on the wrong side on Judgment Day. Having the same attitude toward spiritual growth that I have toward golf is a catastrophic error that could end in total disaster.
Keep Yourself in God’s Love
Now, you might be squirming in your seat thinking, “Darrell, I don’t like the direction of this sermon because it sounds like you’re saying I have to keep myself elect. Sounds like heresy.”
Keep yourself elect. You know what that sounds like to me? It sounds just like Jude 1:21.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in God's love.
Who decides whom God will love? God does. And yet, the Bible commands us to keep ourselves in his love.
I believe that statement is almost identical to Peter’s command to make our calling and election firm. In fact, I think that’s probably why Peter added the word “election.” Peter’s whole sermon has been about calling, but then at the end when he tells us to make our calling strong, he adds election into the mix. Calling and election often go together in Scripture (1 Corinthians 1, 1 Peter 2, Revelation 17). So it’s not unusual, but I think Peter may have done that for the purpose of highlighting God’s love, because election is an expression of God’s love. Election is God choosing to love you.
Deuteronomy 7:6 …The Lordhas chosen youto be his people, his treasured possession.
Ephesians 1:4 He chose us in him before the creation of the worldIn love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons
Romans 11:28as far as election is concerned, they are loved.
God bestowed his love and kindness on you in election, but what happens if you fail to continue in that love and kindness?
Romans 11:22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
Your election is all about God’s decision to love you and draw you into his family. It’s his action of bringing you under his roof, into the realm of his fatherly love.
We’re going to see in this study that 2 Peter and Jude are very closely related. We don’t know if one copied the other or if they both used the same outside source, but in some places they are almost word for word. And I think this is one of those places where the two writers are saying almost exactly the same thing. Keep yourself in God’s electing love.
This is such an encouraging truth. When you read Peter’s words in light of a theology textbook on election, make your election firm could sound oppressive and burdensome. But when you realize it’s just another way of saying keep yourself in God’s love, you realize it’s a delightful command. Persevering in the faith is not a matter of buckling down and following all the rules or measuring up to some impossible standard. It’s like a husband telling his wife, “Always stay married to me.” When God says make your calling and election sure, he’s saying, “Just stay in my arms. Don’t wiggle free from my embrace.”
Has Peter been calling us to something rigorous? Yes, most definitely. But it’s rigorous love, not bondage. And putting energy into love is a delight. It gives joy to life.
How Is it Done?
“These Things”
So what does Peter say you have to do to make sure that remains valid, to make it steadfast and secure? How do you make your calling and election firm so you don’t fall away and be denied entry into the eternal kingdom?
2 Peter 1:10 If you do these things you will never fall
What things? It’s the same wording as when v.9 talks about “these things”—they’re both referring back to the list of virtues in vv.5-7. If you keep growing in the virtues, that track of growth will keep you from ever falling away and entry into the kingdom will be richly provided to you by God. And how do you do that? How do you keep growing? By trusting in the promises (v.4). By trusting the promises. How do you share in the divine nature? By trusting in the promises. How do you make your calling and election sure? Just keep trusting the promises.
But if that’s the case, why doesn’t Peter just say that each time? Instead of saying, “Make every effort to make your calling and election firm, why not say, “Therefore, make every effort to make your trust in the promises firm”? If the way to keep yourself in God’s love is through faith, why does the Bible say, “Keep yourself in God’s love” instead of just saying, “Keep trusting”?
One thing that does is keep our focus on where the power comes from instead of on our own faith. If Peter’s big conclusion was, “Therefore, keep trusting the promises so that you will be granted entry into the eternal kingdom,” we might get the impression that the thing that has the power to keep us saved is our faith.
Faith has no power. None. 100% of the power comes from God’s grace. Faith just gives you access to that grace.
When God says, “Keep yourself in my love” it’s like a husband who tells his wife, “I’ll take care of you, protect you, provide for you, love you, juststay married to me. Keep yourself in the sphere of my love.”
It’s like God is a father who says to his son, “Don’t ever leave this family. I’ll provide everything you ever need.” And the son says, “Well dad, I’ve seen some guys who get disillusioned with their family, and they end up walking away. How do I make sure I never get to that point?”
His dad might say something like, “Stay away from drugs. Those guys who turn their back on their family—a lot of times it’s because of drugs or booze.” Or maybe he would tell his son, “Watch out for bad friends—people who influence you in a negative way. That could end up pulling you away from the family.”
If the dad said that, would that mean kid earns his place in the family by staying off drugs or by keeping good company? No. Will staying off booze provide that kid with shelter and food and everything he needs? No. Being a part of the family will do all that. His dad will do all that. Staying off drugs is just the way to keep himself from getting to the point where he’s tempted to walk away from dad.
Basically what the dad is telling him is this, “Just stay close to home, son. Keep your heart close to home. If we have a conflict, let’s work it out. Don’t set your eyes one something that will draw you away from this family.”
Conclusion
God loves you. God chose you. God called you. But God doesn’t force you. A thousand liars in this world will try to entice you away from him. Make every effort to keep yourself in his electing love.
