2 Peter 1
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:3
How would you answer the question of what it means to lead a godly life? Peter answers this question in the opening chapter of his second letter. In verse 3 Peter makes a bold statement that God has given us everything we need to live a godly life. God’s power to live the godly life is through our knowledge of Him. This seems too simple and yet too complex at the same time. At a simple level just knowing who God is, is enough to live a godly life; this appears too easy. The complexity is how this can be true, and what it means to know God.
The study we are embarking on now on the attributes of God will definitely help us get to know God better as we explore God’s many characteristics. As we get to know Him better, we will get to love Him more.
We clearly get to know God through what we know of Jesus as described in the Bible. In John 14:7 Jesus says that if we know Him then we know God the Father. Jesus led the godliest life and so knowing Jesus and following His example is what we are called to do as Christians. Spending time in the gospels we get to know our Saviour, our Lord, our King, our Healer our Servant, our Suffering Servant, the author of our faith, the one who enables us to be children of God – and the list goes on. The rest of the New Testament gives us further insight into who Jesus is; amongst other things a humble servant; the ultimate judge; our interceder and the Creator of all.
We are dependent on the Bible to get to know God better, and Peter ends this chapter with a short defence of Scripture – that if we read the Bible, we are reading God’s holy Word. He states that even though Scripture was written down by men, the director of Scripture was God as men were guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore the Bible is completely reliable and so we should pay very close attention to it. It is through His word that we find life; the way to live and who we live for.
So, as we know Jesus better and listen to His Word more clearly, so we will know God better … and then we will have all we need to live a godly life.