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2 Peter 1:1-2 – Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
It makes my mouth hang open, to be honest—Peter writes to a bunch of quite ordinary Christians, and the first thing he says is that they are “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours.” What, are you saying that our faith is equal to that of the apostles? Seriously?
I’m used to thinking of the apostles as being so high above me—I mean, people who lived with Jesus for three years, who ate and drank and slept with Him, who heard Him teaching every day. These are people to whom He gave the power to do miracles when He sent them out to preach. These are the people He trusted to lay the foundation of the earliest Christian church—to go out to tell the whole world about Jesus. These are the people who saw Him suffer, at least one of whom saw Him die—and all of them were eyewitnesses who saw Him alive again after His resurrection. How could I possibly have a faith like theirs?
But Peter explains Himself. He says that we got this faith, not by our own hard work, but “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” That’s right, Jesus is the One who has gotten this faith for us, through His death and resurrection for us. The Holy Spirit has planted it in our hearts, this gift of Jesus—and now it grows there, making us fruitful for the Lord we love, just as His first disciples were.
Because it’s not a contest. They got their faith from Jesus, and so do we. It’s the same gift, the same faith, the same Holy Spirit who lives in us and through us. And so all of us have a share in the love of God the Father, who has made us His children forever. All of us serve Jesus in love and thankfulness. And we look forward to the day we see Him face to face in His kingdom.
What a gift!
WE PRAY: Dear Lord, thank You for giving me faith and making me Yours. I’m so glad to belong to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- If faith is a gift, is there any reason for you to be proud of it?
- In what ways is your very ordinary life like that of the apostles?
- What has Jesus asked you to do, just as He asked the apostles?
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