Read more

I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder -- 2 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

One of my fears is succumbing to dementia. With a history of it in my family, there is a real possibility of it happening to me. And having recently seen the effects of it first hand, I can attest that it is a living death. At some point, however, the sufferer is spared by no longer understanding what is happening. But I also think there is an amnesia that is a greater danger - Gospel Amnesia.

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:10-11(ESV)

Some stories stick with you. Do you know the story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Or have you heard the one about the Little Red Hen? These childhood stories are cute but they are meant to teach greater lessons like persistence and hard work. Through the plot and characters of narratives like these, we come to learn valuable lessons.

For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. -- 2 Peter 1:9-10 (ESV)

Have you ever doubted your salvation? Did you really mean the prayer you prayed? Have you done enough? How does God look at you? These are important and can be scary questions. When the answers to these questions linger we start to live in a circle of fear for our soul.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. -- 2 Peter 1:16 (ESV)
 
We live in a world of competing voices. You will define yourself and your story against other narratives around you. Who are you? What will you value? How do you know what is right? We would like to think that these are 21st century issues amplified by our connections to our world. But actually, these are questions that have resonated in the human heart since the the beginning with the fall.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. -- 2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV)

How would you describe the gospel? What adjective best displays it’s nature? Some of my favorites are - amazing, scandalous, grand, and gracious. To take sinful, rebellious creatures and redeem them through sacrificial love can only be described as super-natural. But that is exactly what God did through Christ. And that act is applied to us through the Holy Spirit granting us life, relationship, and family. When we understand this movement of God, we are driven to respond. That’s what we find in 2 Peter 1:5-7, our natural response to the gracious movement of God.