2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort*~ to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin.”
Peter tells us to “urgently make every effort” to be certain that we have a genuine salvation relationship with Christ. In this context,the command is to “be sure” that our virtue and godliness give evidence of a true salvation.
The word “make” means “to produce something new, using materials already in existence,” thus the objective is to “urgently use reliable resources to make ourselves absolutely sure” that we have biblical confirmation of what we profess to believe in.
This is not a command to make sure we have been elected to salvation before time began, which makes no sense, because we weren’t there! Instead, we are commanded to be certain that the fruitful purpose of coming to the “knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:8) is fulfilled in our lives.
The context of 2 Peter 1:10 deals with fruitfulness, vision, and motivation to serve out of a grateful spirit generated by the knowledge that God has forgiven our sins. Now our energy is spent making His sacrifice for us worthwhile.
Paul told the Thessalonian believers that they were “called . . . by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes 2:14). By responding to the gospel message, they were, in effect, responding to God’s call.
Likewise, their “election” or “being chosen” is related to their response to the gospel message Paul preached: “We know . . . that he has chosen you, in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction . . . when you received the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit” (1 Thes 1:4).
God reaches out to sinners through the preaching of the gospel, bringing the conviction of sin and drawing the sinner to seek Christ’s forgiveness. In this way, He calls us to Him and chooses us to be fruitful.
Peter makes two promises to the believer who makes every effort to continually practice these principles: First, “you will never stumble,” (using the strongest negation in Greek) or “trip,” or “fall away” (NLT) Second, in the next verse, Peter promises a “rich welcome into the eternal kingdom” (2 Pet 1:11NIV). Let’s make growth in Christlikeness our priority so that we may fulfill His eternal purpose for our lives.
“Lord Jesus, Your word says that if we believe we will have eternal life. . Thank You. Please help me be faithful to demonstrate what you mean to me.