2 Peter 1-Like Precilous Faith

** Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us…*

Like Precious Faith is a beautiful phrase. It speaks of equality and unity. Equality because we all come to faith in the same basic way and we are all unified by that communally shared faith. Note how Peter says *with us*. Peter became a follower of Christ 2000 years ago. Since then millions have come to know the Lord as he did. Now, you and I join that community of faith. We are united with Peter and all the others through history by our like precious faith.

Obtained means to get or acquire something. It also can mean to keep or to hold something. An interesting thought is that in Spanish this word has been translated as ‘alcanzado’. Alcanzado is like reaching for something and grabbing a hold of it. Alcanzar also means to draw near. When we use it in the past it means we drew near thus finishing our journey or successfully obtaining what we were seeking with great desire.

So, ‘obtained like precious faith’ is about the day that we finally found the only thing that could fill the emptiness inside of each of us. Once we found it we never let it go.

Our like precious faith is not about giving us something new to do, because we had plenty to do to keep us busy, like Peter did as a fisherman. There was plenty to fill his and our lives with activity, social engagements, family and entertainment, but we knew something else of more significance was missing. Something just wasn’t quite right. Each of us faced that realization in our own way. But we all had it. We all wanted to find it. We were all reaching for something more, something that filled the deeper part of us. We all wanted to come to the end of our long journey of unrest and lack of fulfillment.

That makes our faith precious. It is unique and of great value. It is of so much value and it took us so long to find it that we do not want to ever let it go.

Our ‘like precious faith’ is also unique in that any of us can obtain it or arrive at having it. It is available to everyone. There are not many things in this life that we can all equally obtain. We do not all have the same level of health. We do not all have the same amount of money. Nor do we all have the same career opportunities. Obtaining like precious faith in Christ, though, is obtainable to ANYONE! It is reachable! It is THE great equalizer! Which makes it all the more precious and its value immeasurable!

If our faith is so unique, precious, unifying, and gives the only true equality available in this life, we need to find ways to be adding more value to it, daily.

Peter lived a life that added to his faith. He accepted challenges, he faced his shortcomings, he learned to deal with negativity and disbelief in others and he spent time helping others grow in their faith. These are some good ideas for us to add to our own faith.

When Peter’s faith was new, he basked in being able to walk in the physical presence of his Savior. Peter could see, touch and experience his faith. It was easy because Jesus was right in front of him. The early days of our faith are lived in a similar way. Even though we could not see Jesus with our eyes, we saw the newness of our lives: new friends, a church community, a new life perspective. Our faith was fresh and it was easy.

But something changed for Peter. Jesus died. His ‘hero’ was gone and his faith took a nose dive. His loss was an unexpected and unwanted change. He started to doubt and question and go back to his old haunts and habits. His faith lost its ‘precious’ status.

I wonder if the same thing doesn’t happen to us when unexpected and unwanted changes come into our lives. Some of those unwanted things may be: Death of a loved one. Cancer. Financial ruin. Disillusion with our new community. Frontal attacks from the enemy.

Any of these can derail our faith, just as Peter’s was.

But, now at the end of Peter’s life, he calls his and our faith…like precious faith. A faith that has grown from being new and fresh and ‘fun’ to hard and wearing and challenging. But also, more rewarding. Because Peter’s faith became a daily joy to see what the Lord would do next in him and in those around him. He had ‘kept the faith’ long enough to see some of those hard times become good times. He saw his questions answered with truth and he experienced a continual comfort in God’s love for him. He also saw some of the fruit of his hard, long labor. And he saw miracles that occurred in people’s lives even though he wasn’t personally involved but the Lord quietly moved in their hearts.

And finally, he thought of you and me, those of like precious faith. Those that would come behind him, leaning on the same Lord and Savior that he did. We would, with Peter,trust Him through similar trials and pain.

We and Peter have lived the same lasting, enduring, tested faith in Christ. A faith that was beautiful in the beginning and it is more beautiful and precious years later.

In our next post, we will look at the ‘righteousness of God’. For now, I hope each of us will have some time to think about how the Lord has grown our faith into something unified, and equal to the precious faith of Peter. Maybe you would like to tell us about it in the comments.