Chris R. Quinlan

  2 Peter 1:16-18 16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"-- 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Peter has just been saying that his martyrdom was imminent and that his goal was to remind Christians of the things he thought were important. From what I can tell, Peter thought that it was important to live in a manner worthy of Christ. The other item, that was very important to all the original apostles, was the preservation of the true gospel message as given by Jesus. The passage today begins the emphasis on this subject that carries through as the main theme of this entire book. In today's passage Pet...

2 Peter 1:9-10 9For he who lacks these qualities ( moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love) is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; I included the qualities from verses 5-7 to remind you of the most important qualities that a Christian can strive to make a part of their lives. Moral excellence - Striving to live a life free from sin. Knowledge - Placing a priority on reading and studying the Scriptures. Self-control - Disciplining yourself to say "No" to temping desires, even when no one is looking. Perseverance - A determination to stay true to your faith, no matter what the circumstances. Godliness -  A desire to learn what God is like and adopt those characteristics into your own...

2 Peter 1:5-8 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 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. If I've learned one thing about what it means to be a follower of Christ, it's that there is a reason that I am still here and not in heaven right now. One thing is very clear to me, and that is it would be cruel of God to "save" me from my sins and then leave me in a fallen world, full of suffering and evil, for no reason except to wait for a natural death. What is that reason? The bible is clear that Christians have a mission. Let me describe what that mission is NOT . It is not to accept as true, that ...

I'm posting the missing parts of my series on 2 Peter in four parts. So if you enjoy these you can go back and finish the rest . It is my hope that you will benefit from this study I wrote years ago. Enjoy!  2 Peter, Verses 1-4 1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:   Welcome to my devotional study of 2 Peter. Hopefully those that read this devotional will be blessed as we open up God's word. I will attempt to explain the text when I feel like that is required, but I will also make comments, offer commentary, and give insight as I do my own personal study on this book. I fully understand that I may make errors as I go through, and I welcome discussions and correction if needed. Here we go. As we read this letter, we should be aware of the context. Peter is most likely writing this from a Roma...

"What is the best safeguard against false doctrine?  I answer in one word, 'The Bible:   the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied.' If we want a weapon to wield against the devices of Satan, there is nothing like 'the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.' But to wield it successfully, we must read it habitually, diligently, intelligently, and prayerfully. This is the point on which, I fear, many fail." ~ J.C. Ryle Warnings to the Churches , "Divers and Strange Doctrines", 77, 78.