As I shared in our last visit, I was caught and hooked by the phrase in 2nd Peter 1:10, “you will never fall.” It’s like a child, I said, holding on to the strong grip of his father while walking over uneven terrain. The child might stumble, but the grip of the father keeps him from falling.
That’s what Peter had in mind when he wrote, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall.” It’s not in your own strength or effort that enables you to pull this off. But as we trust in God we are to do our best, bend every effort to solidify our conviction that we are truly saved.
The word “sure” has the meaning of being stable, fast, firm. It is a term that was used in a legal setting with the idea of having a legal guarantee of ownership provided by the seller to the buyer, so no one can later claim the product for themselves.
What would the legal guarantee consist of for the Christian? In this context Peter would say the vitality of one’s experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ and the evidence of the qualities listed continuing to develop would provide for the believer evidence that his salvation is for real.
That conviction would further be strengthened by others affirming the same. This happened in the opening chapters of the book of Acts. At the close of chapter 2 it describes how the dynamic fellowship of the believers was attractive to the on-looking unbelievers and God added to their number daily those who were being saved. This fruit authenticated their Christian experience.
