Don’t Be Overcome
by Edwin Crozier
As we continue our walk through II Peter, we will do something a little out of the ordinary. We will begin by commenting on the end of the chapter. We do this because we need to know where Peter is going and what is at stake in all he writes.
In II Peter 1, we considered the need for diligent cooperation with God's work as we grow in maturity. At the end of II Peter 2, we learn why this work is important. Giving all diligence to add Christian qualities to our faith, to increase them, and to make our call and election sure does not determine the difference between getting an A+ in Christian maturity and an A-, but between succeeding and failing, between eternal life and eternal destruction. The fact is, spiritual growth is always dynamic and never static. We are either progressing or regressing.
It is true, none of us can grow to maturity by our own effort and strength. Only by God’s grace can we gain maturity. However, refusing to put in the effort is tantamount to abandoning the grace God offers. Though we once escaped the corruption of the world, we will fall back into it. That does not mean we will simply miss out on some earthly blessings. Peter says that if we are again entangled in the defilements of the world and overcome by corruption, our latter state is worse than our first. The first state was being lost, hopeless, without God. Peter says we would even be better off if we had never known the way of righteousness than if we had known it and then turned back from it.
He then cites Proverbs 26:11 to explain how foolish and horrific such enslavement is. In such a state, we are like washed pigs going right back to the mudhole. Worse, we are like dogs returning to eat their own vomit. Whatever the dog ate made him sick the first time. Now it’s going to eat it again. How foolish! Yet, if we do not make every effort to grow and mature as Peter instructed in chapter 1, God will allow us to drift back into the corruption from which He freed us.
As we’ve learned before, whatever measure we use, God will measure back to us and give us more besides. But if we refuse to put in the reps, if you will, God will let even what strength He has given us atrophy.
With this in mind, I’ll ask you to take seriously what Peter has written both in II Peter 1 and what we will read in II Peter 2.
Trust God. He knows what He’s talking about. If you give up, procrastinate, or apathetically live your life, don’t be surprised when you fall. However, if you apply diligence, even when your diligence doesn’t measure up to others’, He will grow you. He will multiply your efforts. He has given you all you need. Give Him all you have.
