If you’ve spent much time wading through the Bible, I’m sure you’ve experienced the reason it’s called the living, breathing Word of God. You can read a passage one day and it may impact you not at all. Read it another, and it’s like you’ve been hit over the head with a spiritual two-by-four. I often find myself marinating (or meditating, as my husband likes to correct me) over certain verses as if I’ve never seen them before. 2 Peter 1:3-11 is just such a passage.
Peter talks about precious faith. I would love that. There are days I feel as if my faith is so strong, I could stand against anything. Then life happens or I see a disturbing news report, and I become a spiritual weakling. I begin to question if I have what it takes to face that which Satan is certainly unleashing in our world, and if God will become so disgusted with me, He’ll decide I’m of no value. To have faith that can move mountains is precious indeed, and more valuable than any material thing we might acquire in our earthly lives.
My quest to understand this more fully led me to a sermon by Charles Spurgeon, which you can find in its entirety here. In this message, he calls the faith to which Peter is referring in 2 Peter 1:3 as “true saving faith.” He goes on to describe that our faith does not come from without; it must be obtained from within—”It is not a matter which springs up by a process of education, or by the example and excellent instruction of our parents; it is a thing which has to be obtained. Not imitation, but regeneration; not development, but conversion. All our good things come from without us, only evil can be educed from within us.”
Regeneration and conversion are that which can only be achieved by the grace of God. If you’re unsure if this is true, take a trip through Ephesians 1, another book that is so rich in context, I could spend months delving its depths.
In 2 Peter 1, he lists out the process by which spiritual growth is achieved in verses 5-7—For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. This plops me right back into the mistaken notion that my faith is something I can achieve in my own power. It is not, thank God!
It’s important that we are self-aware and regularly question where we fall short in our faith walk lest we become prideful. There are mountaintop experiences where we stand tall and certain and valleys where we struggle to remember who God truly is. What I often forget is something so crucial to our understanding the promises of God which is in 2 Peter 1:3—His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
To have faith like Peter did—after he received the Holy Spirit. Not the Peter who denied Christ three times the night of his arrest and subsequent crucifixion, but the Peter who requested he be crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner of Jesus Christ. To have faith like that would be precious indeed.
And we do, as Charles Spurgeon so eloquently preaches. “All faith is the same sort of faith. Our faith may not be like that of Peter, in degree, but if it be genuine, it is like it as to its nature, its origin, its objects, and its results. Here is a blessed equality. Speak of ‘liberty, equality, and fraternity,’ you shall only find these things carried out within the Church of Christ. There is indeed a blessed equality here, for the poorest little-faith who ever crept into heaven on its hands and knees, has a like precious faith with the mighty apostle Peter. I say, brethren, if the one be gold, so is the other; if the one can move mountains, so can the other; for remember, that the privileges of mountain-moving, and of plucking up the trees, and casting them into the sea, are not given to great faith, but ‘if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,’ it shall be done. Little faith has a royal descent and is as truly of divine birth as is the greatest and fullest assurance which ever made glad the heart of man, hence it ensures the same inheritance at the last, and the same safety by the way. It is ‘like precious faith.’”
I was so struck by the image of the “poorest little-faith who ever crept into heaven on its hands and knees.” There are some days it so accurately describes me. Oh, but for the grace and love of God, I would die in my sins and spend eternity in hell. I believe; help my unbelief. Is there anything more awesome than knowing God sees us, as believers in Jesus Christ, as holy and righteous because of His sacrifice and resurrection? That He called us to Him, and “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6. He is sure to be with us, carry us, and work through us even in our times of unbelief.
“Oh, brethren, be great believers! Little faith will bring your souls to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven to your souls.” -Charles Spurgeon
Comments 2
Jennifer, you have great faith, but we are only humble humans against Satan and all his minions. Life in this world is difficult. When it gets you down more prayers are needed. I heard a comment just last night from a Priest in my church. When your faith seems dried up as a desert, and at times it will, you need more prayers. The assurance of faith will return.
Thank you for this candid post. We ALL struggle with our faith especially in times of despair. I do not think it is that we do not have faith. I believe it is just a test of our faith. I agree that I can read a scripture I have read thousands of times and then one day I read it again, and it is like someone hit me with a brick! Thank you for sharing!