Never Stumble
"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble…"
2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV)
2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV)
What if I were to tell you that it is possible to never stumble? You might think I’m crazy or off my rocker. I used to think such a thing were impossible myself…until I came to this precious section in 2 Peter 1:1-11. The passage is broken out into two main sections. Verses 1-4 speaks of the wonderful things God has given to the believer – “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (verse 3). And then verses 5-11 speak of the Christians responsibility to respond to the Lord by maturing in the faith.
As we skip down to verse 10, we see an enticing promise in the Lord’s Word – that if we “do these things” we will never stumble. The question then becomes, what are “these things” spoken of here? The answer is in verses 5-8. As we explore these verses, we find that a Christian is not to be stagnant. They are not to have simply and only believed in Jesus but are to have a responding faith; an active faith; a growing faith. Our knowledge of Jesus should cause us to be a living participant in the truth. Peter gives us a list of what a growing Christian looks like. He says they will model virtue, grow in their knowledge of Christ, persevere, be godly, practice brotherly kindness, and that the love of God will overflow from their life into others. As we are obedient to put on these godly qualities, something amazing happens – we become a fruitful and productive member in the body of Christ for the glory of God according to verse 9. And this is the desire of Jesus for believers – that we bear much fruit (John 15:8). And then, of course, we have our devotional verse of the day here in verse 10 – that if we do these things we will never stumble.
“How is that possible?” you say. Well, think of this – it is impossible to walk in the flesh and the Spirit at the same time. Clearly the things mentioned in verse 5-8 are things of the Spirit, and if we are walking in the Spirit, we can’t possibly be in sin at the same time. To help emphasize this fact, let me remind you of Paul’s words in Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
I hope these words will be a comfort to you today, my friend. May you put them into practice and by doing so never stumble.
Anchored in Christ,
Aaron R. Force
As we skip down to verse 10, we see an enticing promise in the Lord’s Word – that if we “do these things” we will never stumble. The question then becomes, what are “these things” spoken of here? The answer is in verses 5-8. As we explore these verses, we find that a Christian is not to be stagnant. They are not to have simply and only believed in Jesus but are to have a responding faith; an active faith; a growing faith. Our knowledge of Jesus should cause us to be a living participant in the truth. Peter gives us a list of what a growing Christian looks like. He says they will model virtue, grow in their knowledge of Christ, persevere, be godly, practice brotherly kindness, and that the love of God will overflow from their life into others. As we are obedient to put on these godly qualities, something amazing happens – we become a fruitful and productive member in the body of Christ for the glory of God according to verse 9. And this is the desire of Jesus for believers – that we bear much fruit (John 15:8). And then, of course, we have our devotional verse of the day here in verse 10 – that if we do these things we will never stumble.
“How is that possible?” you say. Well, think of this – it is impossible to walk in the flesh and the Spirit at the same time. Clearly the things mentioned in verse 5-8 are things of the Spirit, and if we are walking in the Spirit, we can’t possibly be in sin at the same time. To help emphasize this fact, let me remind you of Paul’s words in Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
I hope these words will be a comfort to you today, my friend. May you put them into practice and by doing so never stumble.
Anchored in Christ,
Aaron R. Force
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