. . . to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1
I’m still stuck – not stuck exactly, but trying to internalize the truths made known in just the very first verse of Peter’s second letter. In my last post, i talked about how the story of Esther is a preview to the gift of righteousness given to us by Jesus Christ.
Peter wrote his letter to those who have received a faith…by the righteousness of Jesus.
What does it mean to receive something? Receiving sounds very passive, like it isn’t even a verb, but in fact, receiving is an action. Let me use a picture:
Let’s say I want to give you a cat. For the sake of this story and because some of you might not like what you think of as a cat, this cat that i want to give you cooks, cleans, is toilet trained, and doesn’t shed. Completely hypo-allergenic. Plus, he tells great jokes. You definitely want this cat. OK?
Now, i can raise this cat, train this cat, name this cat, make this cat exactly all the things you ever needed. I can put this cat in my car, drive him to your house, walk him up to your door and introduce you. And i can say, “this is now your cat.”
At this point, i can do no more for you regarding this cat until you take an action. You must take the action of receiving the cat. If you do not open your door to the cat and welcome him into your home, you have not received the cat, and my gift, the price i paid, the work i did to raise and teach and toilet train this cat for you, will not be of any benefit to you.
But let’s say you saw the cat, and you knew that the cat would cook and clean and tell great jokes, and you wanted the cat in your home. So you opened the door and welcomed the cat. You made a bed for the cat and other accommodations so that the cat would be comfortable in your home. Then you have taken the action of receiving the gift that was given to you. Now the cat can do all the things in your home that he was trained to do. He can benefit you, and now the price that i paid to raise and teach and train your cat will change your life because you took the action of receiving my gift.
I know that this cat is a silly example, but i hope he paints a picture you don’t soon forget. The gift of faith by the righteousness of Jesus is a gift. You must receive it in order for it to benefit your life. You must open the door to your heart and welcome this faith; you must make a bed for it and make it part of your every day life. Otherwise the gift Jesus paid does not benefit you. But if you do open the door, He will change your life forever, and the gift will not be made in vain.