All things that pertain to life and godliness

2 Peter 1:2-3

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

The apostolic greetings are often the source of many easily overlooked, yet astonishing gems about what God has done in and for His people.

[On a sidenote here, we also need to be aware of the importance of prepositions eg; We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Look out for these and what they mean in the above passage]

Grace and peace is a common greeting amongst the early Christian writers, and perhaps one we should use more today. In this case Peter records this wish of grace and peace as being multiplied to the reader through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Knowing God grants abundant grace and increases peace - a beautiful point to gain appreciation of in our lives.

This wish of spiritual wellness is bid with a call to remembrance, May your grace and peace be multiplied even as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.

This once again directs us to the source of life and all godliness: God Himself. It is as Peter said in the first verse I looked at several weeks ago "why do you look earnestly at us, as though by our own power or holiness (eusebeia) we had made this man to walk?"

Amazingly, we also receive all things to do with life and godliness through the knowledge of God - the One who called us to glory and virtue.

So when we know the One who called us, we receive all things related to life and godly living that allow us to fulfill the call to glory and virtue*. That's my understanding of it anyway.



*Virtue (arete) is an interesting word in itself and perhaps warrants further exploration in the future

P.S. I can't help myself but encourage you to look at verse 4 as well, since I will be starting my next post in verse 5. We are told that by these things (life, godliness, knowledge of God, glory & virtue) are given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that by these things we might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Becoming partakers of the divine nature! Escaping the corruption in world! While this verse was going to miss out by being in between my focal points, I must say, these things are surely the aim and ultimate goal of leading a godly life!