2 Peter 1:11

2 Peter 1:11

for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

When do we enter into the kingdom of God and why is it important to us that it be abundantly supplied to us? I have to think that Peter is talking about entrance upon salvation in this verse because of the context. Everything he has said thus far has been in regards to our salvation and Christian life here on earth. We enter into the kingdom of God the moment of salvation. At salvation we are declared righteous (justified), we start becoming more like Jesus (sanctification), we are now coheirs with Jesus (adoption), all of these things happen at the moment of salvation! So it is a great thing that our entrance into His kingdom is abundantly supplied to us. Jesus does not start us out with just a little and give us more as we follow Him. I believe that going back to what Peter said in verse 3 is true that we have everything at the beginning. We lack nothing once we are saved we have everything we need to be successful in Christ. How easy it is to look at people we consider to be great Christians and wish we could be like them or we are intimidated by their relationship with God but we need to realize that we have the fullness they have supplied to us already! Partake of what God has given You! When I was an intern in Virginia Beach I used to tell some of my students that they need to remember that they have the same Holy Spirit that I have they just have to let Him work in their lives. If I speak and the words that leave my mouth happen to impact their lives it is simply the Holy Spirit at work. This is the same Holy Spirit that indwells all believers!

The Christian life is a struggle to put down the flesh and to let the Spirit fills us. There is pain in Christianity because we are not where we should be. God has to open doors in our lives that we want to keep closed, He has to peel back layers and layers of sinful habits. I love C.S. Lewis and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader there is a scene where Eustace who had been turned into a dragon is told to bathe in a pool by Aslan to ease the pain in his arm. But before he can bathe Aslan tells him to undress from his dragon form. No matter how many layers of snakelike skin he shed he still remained in his dragon form. Finally he gave up and turned to Aslan for help. Aslan ripped into his flesh with his claws and the process was described as the most painful yet most enjoyable experience of Eustace’s life. Aslan pulled back the layers of dragon skin to reveal the true Eustace but it took great pain to get there. This is how it is for us as we attempt to live in the abundant life Christ has given to us upon entrance into His kingdom. There will be great pain as He pulls back the dragon skin of our old natures and reveals the true us underneath. While it is hard and painful it is more that worth it in the end.

(if you have not read Lewis you need to stop reading this blog and pick up one of his books! I recommend you start with The Screwtape Letters or Mere Christianity.)