2nd Peter 1:1-4, Part 1

[Hidden In Him]

Escaping Eternal Corruption, By Attaining Unto Glory And Virtue, Part 1



When is the last time someone preached to you that the Lord Jesus Christ has called you to His own glory and virtue? While I do not teach the doctrine of sinless perfection, I fully believe that we are called to emulate Him by following the same pattern He set for us, which including living a virtuous and godly life, something Peter will now start this letter off with by preaching as well:

1 Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those having obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the recognition of God and Christ our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the recognition of Him having called us unto His own glory and virtue, 4 through which He has given unto us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:1-4)

The word "virtue" was used three times in the opening verses of this letter because Peter especially wanted to drive home a point. There was a heresy called Gnosticism now sweeping the churches, and as will be covered in later studies, many were falling back into the sins of the flesh they once escaped from because of the presence of these heretics in the churches. Those being seduced back into sin will cause Peter to warn in the next Chapter:

20 If after having escaped the pollutions of the world through the recognition of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow having been washed to wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:20-22)

This is why even now in his opening verses, Peter was urging readers to "escape the corruption that is in the world through lust." They were to emulate Christ in fleeing from sexual immorality and instead embrace the moral virtue and purity He walked in, because this was highly valued in the eyes of God. Even in Roman society moral virtue was valued. An example can be seen in the Vestal Virgins (pictured above), who swore an oath to maintain their virginity and moral purity until the age of thirty. Those chosen as Vestals were therefore held up within Roman society as the epitome of what virtuous women were like.

Virginity was of paramount importance in Roman society, particularly for the Vestal Virgins, who were expected to embody the highest standards of purity. Their vow of chastity was not merely a personal commitment but a reflection of their role as representatives of the state’s moral integrity... A Vestal who broke her vow could be punished by being buried alive, a fate that underscored the seriousness with which Roman society regarded their sacred duties. This harsh reality contributed to the cultural perception of the Vestal Virgins as paragons of virtue. (The Role of the Vestal Virgins in Upholding Roman Virtues. Roman Mythology Worldwide).

This same attitude of regarding virtuous women as treasures of immense value was expressed in scripture as well regarding the women of God. One writer put it well by stating it this way:

The Bible has much to say about the two words "virtue" and "virtuous." For most Bible believing women, the first verse to come to mind is Proverbs 31:10, where the Lord said, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." This virtuous woman who is so rare is priceless. No amount of money can buy her for her price is so far above the most precious jewels. God, himself, puts this high price on such a woman. (A Biblical Study of the Word Chaste, Understanding Your Bible.com)

But while virtuous women were placed on a high pedestal, they could also be corrupted, which if it happened brought shame upon husbands who had entrusted their hearts and lives to them. As an ancient proverb stated, "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that makes ashamed is like rottenness in his bones." (Proverbs 12:4)

Unfortunately, early church records show that both men and women were being targeted by the Gnostics and seduced by them. Christian men were being lured into sexual sin by female "prophetesses" such as the one described in Revelation 2:20, and Christian women were being targeted by Gnostic sorcerers with extraordinary yet demonic supernatural gifts. The call of God, therefore, was to maintain moral purity in the face of sexual temptation, which was now increasingly creeping into the churches in the form of heretics bent on seducing believers into sexual immorality (Jude 1:4). As Peter will state later in this letter concerning them:

13 These are spots and blemishes, reveling in their own deceits while feasting together among you, 14 having eyes full of an adulteress and incessant sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained upon sexual covetousness; they are accursed children. (2 Peter 2:13-14)


Changing From Glory To Glory

So how were such temptations to be resisted? By depending upon the grace of God and His Divine power. As Peter exhorted, "His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness." In other words, the Lord was calling them to escape the corruption that was in the world through lust by walking in His glory and virtue. Though not readily apparent, the apostle Peter was actually making reference to Christ's transfiguration here, which Peter himself had been an eyewitness to:

1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid... 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." (Matthew 17:1-9)

To quote Peter again, his exhortation was "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you in the recognition of God and Christ our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the recognition of Him having called us unto His own glory and virtue." He was therefore saying here that they needed to walk in the recognition of who Christ truly was; the Son of God made manifest, and clothed in glory and virtue, not the mythological one the Gnostics were teaching who engaged in sin. If they saw Him as He truly was, they would continue becoming conformed to His image; the Son of God, made manifest in the flesh.

The apostle Paul likewise made the same point when he said to the Corinthians that by beholding the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would be changed from glory to glory into His image:

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Peter had witnessed Him transfigured on the mountain, whereas the apostle Paul had been taken to Third Heaven, where he undoubtedly saw the Lord Jesus Christ in His glory firsthand as well. And Paul initially encountered Christ Jesus supernaturally on the road to Damascus, where scripture records:

3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:3-5a)

Stephen saw a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ being seated at God the Father's right hand in Heaven. Thus, they were all "seeing" Him in His glory in one way or another, whether through their own experiences or through what was being reporting to them. They were also seeing Him manifest Himself in their midst through supernatural gifts. He was addressing them directly through prophetic utterance, including when the churches received letters like the Book of Revelation, where the Lord addressed them directly regarding what they were doing, what He was seeing, what He was pleased with, and what He was not (Revelation 1-3). So in one way or another, all were "seeing" and hearing Him. The only question was, who were conforming themselves to His image based upon what they were seeing and hearing? Fortunately, when it came to conforming themselves, they were not alone, for as Peter stated above, the power of God to do so was being granted to them through the Holy Spirit, which was being poured out upon the churches in great abundance.

 

[Hidden In Him]

Leaning On His Divine Power

What did Peter mean by saying "His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness," and how was that playing out in real life? The general principle was "walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh," but what did that mean specifically? This is where I personally believe the supernatural gifts must still play a prominent role in lives of believers, or we actually know nothing of His Divine power by experience, and we will not "see" His glory being manifest enough in our lives to begin truly conforming to it from glory to glory. The early church appears to have placed too high a reliance upon continuing to operate in the supernatural gifts not to. Jude, for instance, who was writing about the same Gnostic temptations Peter had, had this to say regarding what their response should be:

17 Beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk in accordance with their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are the ones creating divisions, soulish individuals who do not have the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 1:17-21)

In other words, the means of keeping themselves in the love of God (i.e. in His good graces rather than falling into deception and rampant sin) was to continue building themselves up upon their most Holy faith, by praying in the Spirit. By this he was referring primarily to corporate prayer which included praying in tongues, and in turn facilitated all the other supernatural gifts as well, such as prophecy, word of knowledge, healing, etc. It was an integral part of continuing to walk in the Spirit. Receiving Spirit-filled preaching and teaching (whether from the Spirit directly or through others), engaging in Spirit-filled worship, praying in the Holy Spirit, operating in Spirit-breathed ministry, and every activity scripture described as being Spirit-led is what was empowering them to continue conforming themselves to Christ's image, and continue changing from glory to glory.

It was also the clear distinction Jude was making between the heretics and the saints in his letter. The Gnostic heretics were merely "soulish men" who did not "have the Spirit." But true believers did, and they needed to continue abiding in Him by fanning the flames of the Holy Ghost and not let them go out. If the church devolved back into no longer operating in the gifts, how would they differ from any other soulish religion concocted by the minds of men or worse yet by demonic spirits, including the heretical lie now being foisted upon the church by the Gnostics?

The empowerment to walk in godliness and depart from sin was also being facilitated in the process of engaging in these things as a lifestyle, for the fruit of the Spirit was being increasingly made manifest as well, such as the fruit of self-control, which specifically referred to the empowerment to bring the flesh under submission. And unlike with the Vestal Virgins, it was actually being generated not be "the self" but by the Holy Spirit present within the believer; not by them simply having to deny themselves through the power of the flesh alone, but by God's empowerment within them. As the apostle Paul told the Galatians:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

The apostle Peter will mention self-control in this letter as well, but reiterated that it was something believers needed to add to their faith. It would not simply fall on them. They would need to continue walking in the Spirit, renewing their minds, and retraining their natural instincts until all the qualities of Christ became ever-increasingly manifest within them:

But applying all diligence, reinforce your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly kindness, and brotherly kindness with love, for these things being in you and abounding make you neither idle nor unfruitful in the recognition of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:6-7)

For the New Testament writers, self-control (which included the power to fast the flesh) was the principle element involved in walking in virtue, especially for men, and it likely explains why both appeared in Peter's list. By operating in the power of the Spirit, His presence was there, and with it came the empowerment to exercise self-control over bodily desires and the sex drive.

Unfortunately, virtue is no longer valued in Western society like it was amongst the ancient Greeks. Satanist influence in the Western world has eroded morality to the point where it is actually looked down upon and mocked in many circles as a sign of inexperience in life. But as the end-times progress and the moral landscape becomes increasingly darker, it will provide an even more dramatic backdrop against which the glory of God will shine even brighter, and moral virtue in every sense will stand out even more. It will not happen, however, through those who have abandoned faith in the supernatural gifts and outpourings of the Spirit. It is through the Spirit-filled church that He will manifest both His glory and His virtue, as a witness to the world that purity and holiness not only still exist but will stand out that much more starkly amidst the earth's increasing moral degradation.

I will get more into discussing the influence of ancient Gnosticism on the early church in Studies 6, 7, and 8. For now, suffice it to say that it is again on the rise in the earth, and something the end-time church will increasingly have to account for before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.


Questions & Applications

1. What thoughts came to your mind in reading this study? (Is there anything that can to mind, or that you remember thinking as you were reading through it).

2. For at least a decade now there has been a movement aimed at encouraging Christian youth to "Wait until marriage." Some opponents of it, however, have argued that the movement can be hypocritical, and that many who adhere to it have engaged in premarital sex at some point without admitting it. Do you feel such teachings would be more effective in accomplishing their goals if greater stress were laid upon operating in the supernatural gifts and walking in the Spirit? If so, how and why?

3. Both Christ and Paul gave teachings speaking favorably of celibacy, and Jesus even taught on the virtuosity of becoming a eunuch (Matthew 19:10-12). Do you think it should still be taught today, or do you think such teachings are going too far in today's society and thus outdated in a different context from New Testament times?

4. Revelation 19:7-8 speaks of the bride of Christ preparing herself with "fine linen, bright and pure," which symbolizes righteousness and purity, and Revelation 21:2 represents the church in her final, glorified state, as being "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." What do you think it will take for the church to finally become spotless, and fully adorned in the beauty of holiness for the returning King?

5. As an aside, for people who might be reading along and do not have a Charismatic fellowships to attend, and have little or no experience of the supernatural gifts yet desire to, what would your advice to them be?