2 Peter starts with some very wise counsel that is not really new, but is needed. Peter also puts it in a new way that can sometimes seem more inviting. In the first few verses Peter explains how we have been given everything we need to find eternal life and become "partakers of the divine nature" of God. He then invites us to escape "the corruption in the world" (2 Peter 1:4). That is all nice and dandy to read, but can we really apply it? I believe that escaping the corruption of the world comes in small steps. The next few verses go over the attributes that we will need to help us overcome the world, but I wonder what the application is for myself. I once went to a forum where the man speaking encouraged us to make a list of things that we will never ever give up, that we will do every day. He had small ones that he kept in his wallet and he checked it off every day. I made this list and I put it in my church journal, but the problem is that I recently have not been following it. Reading this has made me realize that I need to be following it if I wish to escape the corruption of the world. So that is how I will apply it.
We then read through a list, which Peter has created, of attributes to acquire in our search for eternal life. These include faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness, and charity. Looking in Doctrine and Covenants 4 you can find almost the exact same list, but they add humility, hope, and an eye single to the glory of God. Also, the way that Peter presents it makes it more of a progression where you can work on one attribute and then the next until you reach charity. It makes it seem more reachable to develop all of these attributes. There are many things you can do to work on each of these attributes, but for me I would like to start with charity. I have learned that we must pray for charity and then earnestly seek it throughout our day if we wish to acquire it. So this will be my goal, I will pray and then seek.
Then Peter makes an interesting promise. He tells us if we do these things (develop these attributes) then we will not fall. He will continue to remind us of the attributes so that we can remember them. But if we truly acquire them in abundance then we will not fall, which is what we are all trying to do to escape the corruption of the world.
Why else would we need these attributes? In John we are told that if we come to know Christ then we are on our way to eternal life. In 3 Nephi we are told to become like Christ. If we try to become like Christ then we will come to know him better because we will be like him. Being like him will bring us eternal life because he was the greatest example and showed us the way. We must work on these attributes.
In 2 Peter 1:10 Peter mentions something a little curious. He tells us to diligently work "to make your calling and election sure". There is a final promise that God can give us. This is that promise. After we have worked hard and overcome the world and are consistently doing what is right then there may come a time when we will not go astray and that is when we can receive this promise of our calling and election made sure. It is a promise of the highest level of the celestial kingdom. It is a promise of eternal life. This is what we all seek. We must work diligently to become like Christ so that we can receive the promise of eternal life.
Finally, in Peter chapter 1 Peter speaks of the scriptures. He tells us that the scriptures do not come by the will of man, but rather they come to men as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. These scriptures will come in the time that the Lord wants them to come, not when we want them to. However, this means that to understand and interpret them then we must have the Holy Ghost because as Paul taught us, we cannot understand the things of the Holy Ghost without the help of the Holy Ghost. We turn to prophets and apostles for correct interpretations of scriptures. They will show us the way and what we need to know. We can come to understand a scripture ourselves though. In high school I often wondered about how to get rid of my pride. I found a scripture that I don't remember making sense at all when I first read it, but I knew that it would help me. So I kept looking at it and I waited patiently to understand. One day, I did understand. I was taught what I needed to know. I now turn to Alma 26:12 all the time to see that I have no need for pride because I do nothing of myself, it is all given to me by God. He has given me all of my talents and earthly possessions. I am nothing by myself. I learned for myself.
Overall, I think Peter is fantastic. I really enjoy reading his works and wish he had written more. However, I am given what I need, I just need to work now.
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