EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/22/2025 10:42 PM
My Worship Time Focus: “PT-2 Salvation’s Source”
Bible Reading and Meditation Reference: 2 Peter 1-1
Message of the verse: “1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:”
I mentioned in yesterday evening’s SD that there is a lot in this verse, and we will be looking at it for some time, but I think that it will very much be worth looking at.
It can be certain that Peter viewed himself humbly as a bond-servant, however he also represented himself nobly as an apostle of Jesus Christ, one officially sent forth by Christ Himself as a divinely commissioned witness of the resurrected Lord, with authority to proclaim His truth. John MacArthur gives a fairly long list of verses that goes along with this last statement: (Matt. 10:1; Mark 3:13; 16:20; Luke 6:13; Acts 1:2-9, 22; 1 Cor. 9:1; 1 John 1:1; cf. Matt. 28:19-20; John 14:26; 16:13). Now Peter in presenting himself in these terms, sets a pattern for all in spiritual leadership: the submissive, sacrificial anonymity of a slave, combined with the dignity, significance, and authority of an apostle.
MacArthur goes on to write “The apostle sent this letter to those same believers who received his first one. They were part of God’s elect scattered in the Gentile reigons of ‘Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia’ (1 Peter 1:1). Those believers were predominantly Gentiles, but certainly Jewish Christians were also among the recipient of the letter, which Peter most likely wrote in A. D. 67 or 68, about one year after writing his first epistle.” I went over this when we looked at the introduction to his letter of 2 Peter quoted from John MacArthur’s commentary.
“The manner in which Peter described his readers is theologically rich, albeit brief, and points to the divine source of salvation. Having received implies believer’s salvation is a gift. The verb (lagchano) means ‘to gain by divine will’ or ‘given by an allotment’ (as in the biblical practice of casting lots to learn God’s will; cf. Lev. 16:8-10; John. 7:14; 1 Sam. 14:38-43; 1 Chron. 25:8-31; Prov. 16:33; 18:18; Jonah 1:7; Acts 1:16-26). Clearly it refers to something not obtained by human effort or based on personal worthiness but issued from God’s sovereign purpose. Peter’s readers received faith because God graciously willed to give it to them (cf. Acts 11:15-27; Gal. 3:14; Eph. 1:13; Phil. 1:29).
“A faith here could mean the objective faith, as in the doctrines of the Christian faith, or it could denote subjective belief. But it is best to understand it in this context without the definite article (in contrast to Jude 3) as subjective faith, the Christian’s power to believe the gospel for salvation. Even though belief in the gospel is commanded of all, so that all are responsible for their obedience or disobedience—and in that sense it is the human side of salvation—God still must supernaturally grant sinners the ability and power to believe unto salvation (Eph. 2:8-9; cf. 6:24; Rom. 12:3; 1 Cor. 2:5). Peter began his first epistle writing about divine choice and election in salvation, whereas here he refers to the human response of faith. God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility from the essential elements of salvation. Only when the Holy Spirit awakens someone’s dead soul in response to hearing or reading the gospel is saving faith initiated so the sinner can embrace redemption (cf. Acts 11:21; 16:14).”
9/22/2025 11:05 PM
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