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Second Peter chapter 1 exhorts us to "make every effort to confirm your calling"(v. 10a NIV).
It seems odd that Peter would write this to people who were in the very early stage of an exciting new faith. Revelation calls it a "new love" (Revelation 2:4).
If they needed to hear this, don't we?
"Make your calling and election sure" (KJV).
Why do we contemporary people need to hear Peter's admonition?
Believers can forget that they have been forgiven of their sin. Without a full gospel perspective, people can live under a cloud of uncertainty and false works. Be sure of your position before God for your own solace. He is quite willing to take you in His "arms." False guilt and false inadequacy are tragic!
This does not mean Peter is suggesting that we are to earn our salvation, which is impossible, because salvation is a "gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
Secondly, obviously believers must examine themselves continually that they are walking "in the Spirit" and not the flesh (Galatians 5:16). We are to walk circumspectly (Ephesians 5:15). Our goal is to please God, but we also have an obligation to support other believers with our good example and inspire unbelievers to walk uprightly. If we are careless, we imply that scriptural exhortation is not important.
At the same time, we need to be clear that our character is not a test of salvation. Some pretty bad characters are now considered "saints"! But that's another message!
Thirdly, Peter's admonition is for all of us. But it is most needed by people who are lackadaisical about their Christian life. (Those who occupy a pew on Sunday morning and claim a place in God's family but do nothing to grow or serve the Lord, people who don't grow much spiritually after their initial acceptance of Christ.)
God wants us fully equipped for the life to which He has called us so that we are fruitful and productive spiritually and are equipped with the "full armor of God to stand firm against the schemes of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11, 13).
Who better than Peter could know how important this word from the Lord is? He stood broken before the risen Lord when he was asked, "Peter, do you love me?" He hadn't lost his salvation, but he had lost his apostleship! Remember the angel's instruction to the three women at the open tomb? "Tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee'" (Mark 16:7). Jesus wanted to restore him to his calling.
Everybody knew how Peter stumbled. So Paul has a similar warning as Peter: "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12 NASB).
Satan desires to sift all of us like wheat. It behooves us to make our calling and election sure.
Jerry A. Cline, pastor of Word of God Community Church, a house church in Jersey Shore, 570-447-1076, cline3336@comcast.net