The Big Reason We Don’t Change

Why don't we change? We know God is perfect, and His ways are best. The big reason we don't change is that we believe the world's view of abundance, not God's. Jesus talks about the abundant life in John 10:10, as does the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1.

If you want the abundant life, you will pursue transformation into the image of Christ. When Peter says, "For this very reason..." (2 Peter 1:5), he refers to the previous four verses. He tells us what we have been given: a precious faith like the apostles, all things for life and godliness, exceedingly great and precious promises, partake in the divine nature, and escape from corruption in this world. We read that those priceless gifts are ours, but we still don't change. 

A huge reason we do not change is that we do not understand our role in transformation. So, let's look at the words in 2 Peter 1:5.

Key Terms

Before the specifics of each step are considered, there are three key terms that Peter provides at the beginning of verse 5. These are especially important because they set the stage for the eight steps.

“For this very reason…”  

As you were observing this verse, you may have asked, “What reason is Peter referring to?” The answer to the question is in the previous verses. Peter stated that God provided you “exceeding great and precious promises”, gifted you “all things pertaining to life and godliness”, allows you to be “partakers of the divine nature,” so you may escape “the corruption in the world through lust.”  Remember all of that? Any one of those four is “reason” enough to do what Peter is about to ask you to do. God’s provision means that you are thoroughly equipped for what follows, thoroughly equipped for transformation!

“…giving all diligence…”

A standard issue raised by Bible scholars and disciples concerns God’s control over all things and mankind’s ability to choose freely. Much energy is put into these discussions, trying either to reconcile them or to determine which should be emphasized. The issue is worthy of your consideration, and this passage makes those discussions relevant.

How much of this transformation is God’s job, and how much is yours? This phrase clearly states your responsibility to choose. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit enables you to fulfill your choice. Transformation requires diligence to trust in the power of God in you, discipline to choose that power, and focus on what God says in His Word. Your sin nature will drive different actions if you are not diligent to follow what is offered here in the next few verses.

“…add to…”

Not only are you asked to be focused and diligent, but the Greek word translated “add to” carries additional meaning.

…the verb epichorēgein comes from the noun chorēgos, which literally means the leader of a chorus. Perhaps the greatest gift that Greece, and especially Athens, gave to the world was the great works of men like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, which are still among its most cherished possessions. All these plays needed large choruses and were, therefore, very expensive to produce. In the great days of Athens there were public-spirited citizens who voluntarily took on the duty, at their own expense, of collecting, maintaining, training, and equipping such choruses…

Men had to be found to provide the choruses…a duty which could cost as much as 3,000 drachmae. The men who undertook these duties out of their own pocket and out of love for their city were called chorēgoi, and chorēgein was the verb used for undertaking such a duty. The word has a certain lavishness in it. It never means to equip in any cheese-paring and miserly way; it means lavishly to pour out everything that is necessary for a noble performance.

Epichorēgein went out into a larger world, and it grew to mean not only to equip a chorus but to be responsible for any kind of equipment. It can mean to equip an army with all necessary provisions. It can mean to equip the soul with all the necessary virtues for life. But always at the back of it, there is this idea of lavish generosity in the equipment. – The letters of James and Peter. 2000 (W. Barclay, lecturer in the University of Glasgow, Ed.). The Daily Study Bible series, Rev. ed. (298–299). Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.

Lavish and Generous

Peter is urging you to equip your life with every virtue, and that equipping is not simply a necessary minimum, but lavish and generous. You are asked to be content with nothing less than the loveliest and the most splendid life.

You can furnish, supply, and support lavishly each step of this transformation. Think of putting on a party with your best dishes, decorations, and food. Think of a runner going that extra mile, doing the extra repetition in the weight room, or eating only the best diet in preparation for an important race.

Whatever is needed, DO IT!