Peter Warns All Believers Against False Teachers Within Volume 8

Making our Calling and Election Sure (to ourselves & to the world 🗺) Part 5 2 Peter 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑James Version Peter wants all of us to see where persistent deficiency on any of our parts of feeding on Christ and His Holy Word will lead us into; First, Peter says in 2 Peter 1:8 that "he that lacketh these things is blind." We all know and understand what physical blindness means, but there is a far worse blindness of the spirit for the son or daughter of Christ Jesus our Lord. Spiritual blindness can cause any of us to not feel near or close to God the Father. It is just like in the natural family where Parents and children can drift away from one another in closeness and fellowship caused by many different things on both parts, however, with our Heavenly Father when the closeness or intimacy begins to fade it is always we His children that have moved away from Him, for He never moves away His redeeming, restoring, and resurrecting love away from us. Here is how Charles Wesley declares it, "The eyes of his understanding are again closed. He cannot see God, or his pardoning love. He has lost the evidence of things not seen. Not able to see afar off - Literally, purblind. He has lost sight of the precious promises: perfect love and Heaven are equally out of his sight. Nay, he cannot now see what himself 🖐and pulled us out of that sinking sand and lifted us up and placed on firm ground where we could now see clearly with new eyes 👀and we looked back at that quicksand of sin that we thought was normal and with new eyes 👀we found it disgusting, dirty, and diseased. Therefore, to lack virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brother kindness, and love would not just be a small thing, but it would be terrible, for it would show our ungratefulness for being rescued from such a horrible state or condition. Peter says it is if we have shut our spiritual eyes 👀which has caused any of us to forget that our old filthy/rotten sins were 'purged' and this English word is translated by the Greek word katharismos which means a washing off, that is, (morally) expiation (the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing, that is, a satisfactory clearing of all sin): - cleansing, purge, purification. Remember what Paul declared to the Corinthian Church ⛪with these words, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such WERE some of you. But you were WASHED, but you were SANCTIFIED, but you were JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) (NKJV). This is what our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ did on that Cross ➕at Calvary by shedding His Holy Blood to WASH every sinner who repents of their sin, that is, turns from their sin (180 degrees) to Him. If you ever think that sin is a little or light thing with God the Father, then just look at Calvary and see what He allowed to happen to His Holy Son for you and for me. We cannot and we must not ever forget what our sin cost God. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of 2 Peter 1:9, "But he that lacketh these things,.... Or in, and with whom, they are not; that is, these virtues, as the Arabic version reads, as faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity; where the principles of those things are not, and they are not exercised and performed, such an one is blind: let him boast ever so much of his light and knowledge, and value himself upon it, and expect to be saved by it, let him live as he will; for he has no true knowledge of God, as in Christ, as the God of all grace, as his covenant God and Father; nor does he know what it is to have communion with Him in Christ; he only professes to know Him in words, while in works he denies Him; nor has he any right knowledge of Christ, only notional and general, not spiritual, experimental, particular, and practical; he does not see the Son, so as truly to believe in Him; he has no true sight of His beauty, suitableness, and fulness, and of Him for himself; nor any experience of the work of the Spirit of God upon his heart, whom he neither receives, sees, nor knows spiritually, any more than the world itself does; nor does he see the plague of his own heart, the corruptions of his nature, and the exceeding sinfulness of sin; nor has he any true spiritual light into the Gospel, and the doctrines of it, only a form origour. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, 'trying with the hand', as blind men do, feeling and groping to find the way; see Acts 17:27, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins; not by baptism, from the sins committed before it, for that does not purge from any sins, old or new, but that which it leads the faith of believers to, for pardon and cleansing, even the blood of Christ; but this also, and purification by it, is not meant here, though generally interpreters give this as the sense, and understanding it of the sin of ingratitude in such a person, who had received so great a benefit by Christ, and was unmindful of it; since it cannot be thought that one so described as above should ever have had his conscience purged by the Blood of Christ from his old sins, or those before conversion, unless it be by profession; and then the sense is, that he has forgotten that he once professed to have been purged from all his sins by Christ; which, if he had, would have made him zealous of good works, and put him upon glorifying Christ both in body and spirit. The Ethiopic version renders it, 'and he hath forgot to purge himself from shapen in sin, and went astray, and was called a transgressor from the womb; he does not think that he stands in any need of being purged from former sins; and is entirely unmindful of, and neglects, the purification of them by the Blood of Christ." If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Peter Warns All Believers Against False Teachers Within Volume 7

Making our Calling and Election Sure (to ourselves & to the world 🗺) Part 4 2 Peter 1:8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑James Version The Apostle Peter wants us to know that the gift of grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) that we have received must be exercised in order that we not become as it is written, 'be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ' as he declares here in 2 Peter 1:8. Let us examine the little English phrase 'be barren', for it is translated by the Greek word argos which is a negative particle meaning to be inactive (by implication) to be lazy or useless or idle. In other words, not adding those qualities listed above to our faith will make our faith 'in Christ' to become weak somewhat like our muscles in our human body undergo atrophy, that is, weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use). So it is with our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, we must exercise our faith 'in Christ' through communion with Him in unceasing prayer and consuming His flesh and His blood (through continual intake of His Holy Word) as our Lord Jesus told us with these words, "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." (John 6:55-57) (NKJV). Peter understood this emphatically for when our Lord Jesus asked all the Apostles if this teaching of eating His flesh and drinking His blood was to h🌎, but to do as Paul the Apostle wrote with these words to the Corinthian Church ⛪, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58) (NKJV), for this mentality will cause us to want more and more from the gift 📦of grace through faith so undeservedly received by us from the gracious and loving Hand of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!!! Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say of 2 Peter 1:8, "For if these things be in you,.... Are wrought in you by the Spirit of God, and exercised and performed by His assistance, who works in His people both to will and do: and abound; increase in their acts and exercises by the frequent performance of them: they make you; both by way of influence and evidence, that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a knowledge of Christ which is barren and fruitless; and those that have it are so in their conversations, and it will be of no avail to them another day: and this is a mere notional and speculative knowledge, such as is not attended with any inward experience and application of Christ to themselves, or any fruits of righteousness in their lives, and is a bare theory of things relating to His person, offices, and works; but there is a knowledge of Him that is spiritual and experimental, by which a soul not only approves of Christ, but places its trust and confidence in Him, and appropriates Him to himself, and practically observes His commands and ordinances in the faith of Him; and in love to Him he performs the above duties, and exercises the above graces; from whence it appears, that he is neither barren nor unfruitful himself in the profession of his knowledge of Christ; 'or in the acknowledgment of Him', as it ma If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...