Conditions, context and continuity…

Peter makes it very clear that there are specific conditions within the gospel.

People today fight against the actual context of the word in order to force scriptures to say something otherwise than what was actually written. Peter makes it very clear that there are conditions within the process of salvation and he does so with perfect continuity flowing from the first chapter of his second epistle to the second chapter. Well in fact all of scriptures demonstrates the same contextual continuity from end to end!

I used bold letters below to help folks find these conditions and other essential points easier and I also provided short commentaries in case they still cannot see it clearly.

We will start with 2 Peter 1:1-11:

[1] Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

[2] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

[3] According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

[4] Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (Continuity check, see also the next chapter, chapter 2, listed further below, verse 20)

[5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

[6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

[7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

[8] For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. <= “IF” is a conditional statement that is accompanied with an implied “THEN this will happen”. The “THEN this will happen” is, in this case, one will not be barren or unfruitful. See John 15:1-6 to see that the unfruitful are thrown into the fire. This is a serious situation to say the least!

[9] But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. <= Past tense! This is very important as most get this wrong…We are not purged from future sins only the past ones. See also Romans 3:25

[10] Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: <= “IF” is a conditional statement that is accompanied with an implied “THEN this will happen”. If you do the things that Peter listed then you will never fall but if you don’t then you will fall. This falling is not a stumble and an “oops” but it is a fall from grace, a fall from salvation. The following verse, verse 11, clearly provides further proof that this is the correct context.

[11] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Also, for all those who are still hung up on the false assumption that the gift of salvation comes with no conditions (i.e. no strings attached) the following will likely shock you.

The gift of salvation, well Peter refers to it as “the holy commandment” in the second chapter and the 21 verse of his second epistle. See further below.

If one cannot see this fact due to their skewed doctrinal glasses then just take them off so you can see the truth in the correct and literal context.

And yes, a believer can turn from the holy commandment or in other words they can forfeit their salvation by going back to sin and away from righteousness.

[18] For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

[19] While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

[20] For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Continuity check, see also the previous chapter, chapter 1, listed further above, verse 4), they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. <= “IF” is a conditional statement that is accompanied with an implied “THEN this will happen”. This is the big “IF” that OSAS proponents either ignore or they take out of context in order to satiate their doctrinal presuppositions. If one who was once saved goes back to their sin then they are worse off than before they were saved. Why? Because they absolutely know better! They are once again under condemnation due to their not walking after the Spirit (see Romans 8:1). They have turned from righteousness so now their former righteousness is no longer remembered. (See Ezekiel 3: 20).

[21] For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. <= “HOLY COMMANDMENT” Emphasis mine…

[22] But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 2 Peter 2:18-22

#conditions #salvation #context #continuity