2 Peter 1:10
The promises of God for those He has called are great and precious... - 2 Pe 1:4 "by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."; 3:13 "But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." Incumbent upon us is the duty to make our calling and election sure... - 2 Pe 1:10 "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." Implied is that one's calling and election is conditional. Implied is that those who have been called need to make their election sure. Are you making your calling and election sure?
A good place to start is with your initial call and election. God calls us through the gospel - 2 Th 2:14 "To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." God calls us through the gospel of Christ concerning His death, burial and resurrection - 1 Co 15:1-4 "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,". This gospel contains commands that must be obeyed - 2 Th 1:8 "in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."; 1 Pe 4:17 "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?" The command to believe in Jesus - Jn 8:24 "I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins."' The command to repent of sins - Ac 17:30-31 "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."' The command to confess Jesus as Lord - Ro 10:9-10 "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." The command to be baptized - Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"; Mk 16:15-16 "And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."; Ac 2:38 "And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."; 22:16 "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'" -- Have you responded to the gospel with the obedience of faith? - Ro 1:5 "through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,"; He 5:9 "And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,".
You can make your calling and election sure by your response to the call. By obeying all the commands of the gospel. Not just the command to believe, but the command to repent. Not just the command to confess, but the command to be baptized. By obeying the commands in a Biblical manner; have you been:
1.) Baptized in the proper mode (immersion, not pouring or sprinkling)?
2.) Baptized for the right purpose (for the remission of sins, not as a public profession)?
3.) Baptized as a suitable subject (a penitent believer, not as an infant incapable of faith)?
If your response was different in any way, what should you do? Those baptized improperly were re-baptized - Ac 19:1-5 "And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." And Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
If your baptism was in any way different, you should be concerned - Ep 4:5 "one Lord, one faith, one baptism," A Biblical baptism (mode, purpose, subject) can remove all doubt -- Make your calling and election sure with a Biblical response to the gospel!
But you should not stop with reflection on your initial call and election, for Peter's admonition in our text (2 Pe 1:10) was given to Christians. You should also consider your ultimate call and election. We will consider this in the second part of our lesson.
