Growth and Glory (2 Peter 3:18)

Peter closes his second letter with an exhortation and a doxology. Both concern Jesus. The exhortation is connected to growing in knowledge of him and the doxology is a desire for him to have glory.

Growth and Jesus

Jesus is identified by two titles – he is the Lord and he is the Saviour. The first title refers to his position and the second refers to his purpose. When did he become Lord? While several answers could be suggested to that question, the likely answer is at his exaltation. It is possible that Peter is referring to a personal relationship rather than his position, and if he is doing so, then he became the Lord of Peter and his readers when each of them was converted. But usually this title refers to his position given to him as his reward for his successful work on the cross.

This position is a very high one because he is at God’s right hand. The Father invited the ascended Saviour to sit there, on the throne of God. He is in control of all things, which means that it is a great privilege to get to know him. The higher a person is, the greater the privilege of those who are in contact with him. Usually, the problem for such a person would be giving the time for others to get to know him. This is not a problem regarding Jesus because he has all the time in the world.

In addition to it being a privilege, it is also a pleasure. Getting to know Jesus is soul-satisfying because he has so much to share with his people. Peter describes the resources of Jesus as grace because it includes a wide variety of blessings, each of which is connected to our spiritual needs.

Moreover, knowing Jesus in this way is progressive because we have to grow in it. Growth, by definition, is progressive. It indicates progress. The progress stated here is experiential knowledge. While it will include increase in intellectual awareness of Jesus, primarily the growth concerns contact and communion. It is always possible to know Jesus better.

How would we answer this question? Did Peter make more progress in the knowledge of Jesus during the three years that he spent with Jesus as a disciple than he did in the thirty years since Jesus had ascended? While they are different classrooms, the higher and more intimate one happened since Jesus ascended. Peter had grown in this knowledge of Jesus during the past three decades, and he had grown in knowing him as the Saviour.

How had this growth occurred? One good way is to think about Jesus as our prophet, priest and king. Consider him as your prophet or teacher. He teaches us from his word about how to live, about how to avoid dangers, about what he has promised. In this classroom, all the pupils have one-to-one learning. He began his teaching of them at conversion and he continues doing so throughout life. Many are the blessings that occur through his teaching when he enlightens us by speaking to us in his Word.

Then we can think of him as our priest. Jesus is our advocate whenever we sin. He represents us in the presence of God. While he never condones our sin, he never fails to provide the reasons why we should be forgiven – his own work on the cross. As our priest, Jesus also sympathises with his suffering and weary people as they make their way through this world. He always knows their needs and he always has the blessings that they require.

And Jesus is our king. He rules over his people and for his people. By his great power he defends them from their enemies (the world, the flesh and the devil). He also defeats their enemies at the same time. There never is a neutral outcome in which the opposing sides share the spoils. We can be wounded by the enemy, but not overcome because Jesus is our king.

Jesus the Saviour engages in those activities as Saviour while united to his people through the work of the Holy Spirit who indwells them and leads them into the possession of heavenly blessings. He is in them as the Comforter (the One who helps) and as the foretaste of the glory to come. He is the Sanctifier who is enabling each of his people to become like Christ and he conforms them gradually into his likeness.

When we think about it in these ways, we can see why Peter exhorts his readers to aim for spiritual growth. But we can add to them the truth that there is no spiritual growth in other ways. We could try and do so without the involvement of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, but such a method is bound to fail. This is the path of spiritual growth and we should not be surprised at Paul’s words in Philippians 3 where he says that his aim in life as a mature believer is to know Christ and the power of his resurrection.

Peter here is stating the remedy against the dangers he had mentioned in the letter from the activities and messages of false teachers. How would we identify a false teacher? Such can be identified by whether or not they are growing in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus. It is the same standard for all Christians, whether ministers or people. The question always is, ‘Do we know Jesus better?’

Jesus and glory

Peter closes his letter with a call to praise Jesus now and always. There are different levels of praise. We praise a workman if he does his task well. We praise a politician if he leads well. Praise is linked to an expected fulfilment of a person’s role. But if a plumber fixed your tap forty years ago you would not mention it to him for the rest of your life. And you certainly would not want to do so for the whole of eternity. In fact, while there may be someone who would be praised throughout life, such as a general who won a war, who has the profile and the achievements that result in them being praised for ever.

When we think of Jesus, there are reasons in the past to praise him, there are reasons in the present to praise him, and there will be reasons in the future to praise him forever. Life with Jesus from one point of view is the accumulation of reasons for praising him as we experience his ability and receive the benefits of his achievements. His people are not only saved from sin and its punishment, but they are saved to glory, to holiness, to adoption, to fellowship with the triune God throughout eternity. And Jesus is central to that now and will be so forever.