PT-5 “The Believer’s Precious Faith—Part 2: Its Certainty” (2 Peter 1:5-11)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/08/2025 10:30 PM

My Worship Time                  Focus: PT-5 “The Believer’s Precious Faith—Part 2: Its Certainty”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  2 Peter 1:5-11

            Message of the verses:  “5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

 

            I continue to quote from John MacArthur’s introduction to this chapter and these verses beginning this evening with his seventh point.

 

            “Seventy, others lack assurance because they do not known and obey the Word, and thus, fail to walk in the Spirit, whose ministry it is to assure obedient Christians (Rom. 8:14-17).  He does so first by illuminating Scripture for them (1 Cor. 2:9-10).  The very process of illumination means that the Holy Spirit is confirming to believers that they are children of God.  Second, the Spirit testifies through salvation itself, as He reveals to saints that Jesus Christ is indeed their Savior (1 John 4:13-14).  The Spirit’s work in the hearts of the elect causes them to love Christ and dwell in the love of God (Gal. 4:6).  Third, the Spirit’s testimony draws believers into communion with God, as the expression ‘Abba! Father!’ in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 indicates.  That term of intimacy connotes a Spirit-generated petition of praise and worship offered to the Father.

 

            “Finally, and perhaps mingled through all the previous issues, some believers lack assurance because they are willfully sinful.  Clearly, one who walks in the flesh and fulfills its desires (Gal. 5:16-21) will not know the blessings of spiritual fruit or the joy of assurance (vv. 22-23).  Purity and assurance go hand in hand, as Hebrews 10:22 points out: ‘Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.’  When believers fall into sin, they may fall into doubt, as happened on various occasions even to the psalmist (e. g., Pss. 31:22; 32:3-4; 77:1-4, 7).  Whatever the causes for lack or loss of assurance, the reliable cure is to walk in the Spirit and thereby obey God’s commands (Ezek. 36:27; John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:12-13).

 

            “Assurance of one’s gracious standing before God is not a small matter but is actually the supreme blessing of the Christian’s experience (Rom. 5:1; 8:38-39; cf. Ps. 3:8; Isa. 12:2).  This is true because the doubter forfeits the enjoyment of all other blessings of life in Christ (cf. Eph. 1:3-14).  Assurance first causes the heart to live at the highest level of joy.  Regarding the purpose of his first letter, the apostle John told his readers, ‘These things [tests of salvation’s genuineness] we write to you that your joy may be full’ (1 John 1:4, NKJV).

 

            “Second, the blessing of assurance lifts the soul to seek God’s purposes above anything else.  The familiar opening words of the Lord’s Prayer suggest this:  ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’’ (Matt. 6:9-10; cf. v.33).

 

            Assurance also fills the heart with gratitude and praise.  The psalmist demonstrated this:  ‘But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more.  My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long; for I do not know the sum of them’ (Ps. 71:14-15; cf. 103:1-5).”

 

`Lord willing we will begin with a fourth blessing of assurance in tomorrow evening’s SD.

 

10/8/2025 10:49 PM