J.A. Matteson
When a person is born again they have bestowed within them the fullness of sanctification. It is up to saints to realize that which is theirs as heirs of Jesus Christ by reverently working out the gift within them in the daily experience of living. "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness...." (2 Pet. 1:3). The zeitgeist of contemporary western Christianity doubts the apostle at this point. God has given His children everything necessary for them to grow in grace; the power of His Spirit to know and understand Him; the power of His word through the Scriptures to exhort and correct; the power of His church to extend the good news to the farthest reaches of the planet; the power of fellow pilgrims to comfort and protect our sensibilities when suffering and temptation threaten to diminish us. It is foolishness to be beholden to anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ for life and godly living. All of the books and seminars in the world, intended for good, can ever replace the simplicity of coming directly to Jesus Christ and being taught by Him. We cannot expect others to do that work for us, we must take the initiative to come to Him and grow in Him. The saints of old had neither seminars or books, yet they grew in grace. The same power for godly living that they knew is yours today in Jesus Christ and the power of His word. The grace of God accepts us as we are, but the grace of God does not leave us as we are.
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