Building on the Gifts of God

Good Soil

Jesus once told a parable of a sower. This sower went out to sow and spread his seed on four different types of soil. Only the seed that fell on the good soil bore fruit, and it bore a lot of fruit. Whenever I read that story, I want to be that good soil. But do I have any control over what kind of soil I am? Peter seems quite convinced that our fruitfulness does have something to do with us. In today’s passage, he teaches us how to be fruitful in the grace that God has freely given us.

2Peter 1:3-4 
His divine power has granted to us 
     all things that pertain to life and godliness, 
     through the knowledge of him who called us 
     to his own glory and excellence, 
by which he has granted to us 
     his precious and very great promises, 
so that through them you may become 
     partakers of the divine nature, 
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world 
     because of sinful desire. 

Peter starts by describing the gift of God’s grace in great detail. God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. And this gift comes to us through the knowledge of him who called us. But we are not just called. We are called to something. We are called to his glory and excellence. Supporting this calling, he has given us precious promises through which we can become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world.

The implication in all of this is that we now have the resources to do something that, prior to receiving these gifts of God, we could not do. There are many Christian slogans that we need to be careful with. Because, like all slogans, they are very limited in scope and context. They have to be, to be good slogans. For example, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more than He already does.” This is true, of course, but incomplete. In the parable of the sower, the sower had a reasonable expectation of the seed growing and bearing fruit. In the parable of the talents, the master expected a return on his investment.

So the question is not, what can I do to make God love me? He already does. Or, what can I do to make myself acceptable to God? Jesus has already done that, too. The question is, “What can I do to thank Him?” What can I return to God for His unspeakably generous gifts to me? Peter gives us some help with this question.

2Peter 1:5-9 
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith 
     with virtue, 
          and virtue with knowledge, 
          and knowledge with self-control, 
          and self-control with steadfastness, 
          and steadfastness with godliness, 
          and godliness with brotherly affection, 
          and brotherly affection with love. 
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. 
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, 
     having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Peter tells us that because we have been given such gifts, we must make every effort to build on them. Adding these virtues is the key to being effective and fruitful. This is our thanks - and our worship.

To lack in these virtues means we have forgotten our forgiveness in Christ. We have become blind to the value of the gifts God has provided for us. Paul comes to a similar conclusion in Romans 12:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, 
     to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, 
     holy and acceptable to God, 
          which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world, 
     but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, 
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, 
     what is good and acceptable and perfect. 
[Romans 12:1-2 ESV]

In light of the grace we have received, what can we do but offer our lives back to God as worship? But this sacrifice is not some mystical experience. Paul immediately gives this advice a very practical spin. We must be transformed in our thinking. And our new thinking must be tested(put into practice) to know God’s will and discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect. The testing Paul is describing is doing things. We are to do things in response to the gifts that we have been given.

So grace was not given to be passively received. It was given to change us, our thoughts, and our behavior. The precious seed of God’s grace has been planted in all of us to bear fruit for God. Our transformed lives are the purest worship.

Paul sums this up again in his letter to the Ephesians.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
     for good works, 
         which God prepared beforehand, 
              that we should walk in them. 
Eph 2:10[ESV]

So this week, let’s take Peter’s advice and build on the grace that has been freely given us. Let’s find ways to express our thanksgiving to God in our love for others. And I will leave you with the same encouragement Peter gave in our first passage.

2Peter 1:12[ESV] 
Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, 
     though you know them and are established in the truth that you have.

We have been given everything we need for life and godliness! We can afford to be generous, bearing fruit for God through our love for others.

Have a great week!