May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord! I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.
2 Peter 1:2-8 NET
One of the blessings of reading the Bible in different translations is the opportunity to overcome the spiritual dullness that comes with familiarity. I love those moments when I read a familiar passage and have to stop and say, “What?” In this passage, I was very comfortable with the King James reading of the end of verse 8, “…you shall not be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The difference is not great, but the nuances are worth comparing:
- Growth in these things reflects progress in the Lord. “If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.” CEV
- Growth in these things produces fruit. “If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” ERV
- These things prompt you to be more effective. “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” NIV
- These things move you toward more intimate knowledge of Him.
- “Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately.” TPT
- “If these things exist in you, and continually increase, they prevent your being either idle or unfruitful in advancing towards a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Weymouth
The Greek word for this “intimate knowledge” is the same word translated “rich knowledge” in Peter’s prayer in verse 2. There is a difference between knowing about the Lord (gr. gnosis) and knowing him richly and intimately (gr. epignosis). It’s possible to believe the Gospel and not have an intimate, personal relationship with the Risen One, a relationship that makes us useful and productive. The desire for this is what propels us forward in our faith. I want to be useful, to live a meaningful and effective life. What about you?
As we go to the gathering of the saints, let’s open our ears and hearts to hear things that will move us out of complacency and into excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and unselfish love. Lord, we have Your nature, now let us look like You!
pastorvirgil.com 