Action Faith

 

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. Make grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Often when we give thought to the apostle Peter, we think of the man who was so impulsive, but God’s Spirit has changed all of that and now he has been disciplined by years of trials and suffering, Peter has learned to listen and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.  In his second letter to the churches, he refers to his own death in 2 Peter 1:14, and the central theme of the letter is a warning against false teachers and scoffers.  What blew me away is his words in the introduction: “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Now let’s be clear on some facts; Peter was very special because God chose him to be part of His Sons earthly ministry.   He was picked to hangout with our Lord, to show us what could happen to flesh when changed by the Holy Spirit, and that was after the total disgrace of his denial of Christ.  It was God’s grace that shown so strong in Peter’s life, and Peter’s power came because he chose to be God’s fool and reject the foolishness of man.  This new Peter, a new creation in Christ was willing to suffer trials and rejection with joy, knowing that his life on earth was just a mist, but that he had exchanged that life for an eternal life with Jesus Christ.

With that said, Peter is addressing “those who have obtained a faith of equal standing” and the question must be asked, do you and I believe he is referring to us?  The answer is unequivocally yes.  So where does faith come from and the answer is found in Luke 17:5, it comes from God.  If you have any doubt of this turn to Hebrews 12:2, “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”  We are given faith in the same way and the same kind as Peter, but that faith must be put into action to be of value to man or God, James 2:17.  Yes, Peter had living faith, it was full of action, and that faith was centered on these truths; God is faithful, God and His word can be trusted.  But James tells us that faith that is not active is dead, its what is referred to often as head faith and not heart faith, it talks big, but it never shows up, it has no impact on the kingdom of God.  So how can you and I share this faith, by being resilient, by acting as if Jesus tells the truth, by sharing it with others in action and word.

Yes, we must do as the apostle, when they ask Jesus to “Increase our faith” in Luke 17:5.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice