Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of II Peter Chapter 1
Metaphysically Interpreting II Peter 1:1-2
1:1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and the Saviour Jesus Christ: 1:2Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
Metaphysically Interpreting II Peter 1:3-15
1:3seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; 1:4whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust. 1:5Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; 1:6and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; 1:7and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. 1:8For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1:9For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. 1:10Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: 1:11for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
1:12Wherefore I shall be ready always to put you in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and are established in the truth which is with you. 1:13And I think it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; 1:14knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ signified unto me. 1:15Yea, I will give diligence that at every time ye may be able after my decease to call these things to remembrance.
October 18, 1942: II Peter 1:1-8
How do grace and peace grow in the heart? Through an increase of God or Christ consciousness in the individual, “Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
How do we rain access to divine power? Through the same knowledge of God and of Christ. The Christ consciousness puts us in possession of “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”
How does the Christ call us to follow Him? By the appeal of “his own glory and virtue.” The glory of the Christ consciousness has but to touch our imagination, and we are ready to follow the Christ way. The Christ has but to be seen with the clear vision of Spirit to be loved and obeyed.
How do we become “partakers of the divine nature”? By “availing ourselves of the promises” and through exercising the spiritual qualities of diligence, faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love we learn to express the divine nature and in this way we “partake” of it or make it our own.
June 13, 1943: II Peter 1:1-11
How do we “obtain” faith in righteousness of God and of Christ? By meditating on the faithfulness of God, the constancy of divine law and the unvarying perfection of the Christ, we arouse aspiration to faithfulness in ourselves. Aspiration develops in us faith in All-Good and in Christ as the perfect expression of All-Good.
How are grace and peace “multiplied” in our consciousness? As we enter into consciousness of God or of the Christ grace and peace are quickened or increased in us in obedience to the law of spiritual growth. “In the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” we find ourselves at peace, for “he is our peace.”
What else of practical value do we gain, when we come into the Christ consciousness? “All things that pertain unto life and godliness.” These are added to us “through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue,” namely Jesus Christ.
What are the promises “granted unto us” by the Father? These are the grounds for hope, expectation, or assurance of good that become ours, as we progress in the keeping of the law of life. They are the effects of keeping the divine law.
What fulfillment of the promises follows our keeping the divine law faithfully? We become “partakers of the divine nature” and are responsive to spiritual impulses. Then the “corruption that is in the world by lust” no longer appeals to us.
Do we by our efforts make any contribution to the qualities that form the divine nature in us, or have we nothing to do but open our mind to the divine afflatus? Continuing effort on our part is necessary. Unless we on our part add “all diligence,” we do not develop the virtue that makes our faith effective. The knowledge that it is meant for present use, the self-control that makes possible the patience to persevere in godliness, or the brotherly kindness and love that prove to us that we are in possession of the Christ consciousness.
Is “the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” a passive state, or does it move us to appropriate action? It is a working knowledge, and by using it as our rule of action we become “not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
What is our “calling and election”? The Christ calls us by arousing in us aspiration after the glory and virtue of the perfect life. Our election is our voluntary choice of the Christ way and the dedicating of all our energies in following it. We make our calling and election sure by using “the more diligence” in expressing the qualities that we on our part have added to our knowledge of the Christ.
How is our entrance into the kingdom of the Christ “richly supplied” unto us? Partly by the appeal that the truth of the Christ makes to us as we lift up our thought to embrace it, and partly by our efforts to keep the law of the Christ consciousness faithfully. Our part is as important as the appeal of the Christ to us, for without it the appeal falls on deaf ears.
November 16, 1947: II Peter 1:5-11
What assurance do we find in the text of this lesson, that we in ourselves are capable of realizing the qualities of divinity? We are reminded that Jesus, who was a man like other men in all respects, except that He was sinless, realized the divine nature in Himself. The “glory” and “virtue” of Jesus’ nature irresistibly attracts all men as exalted character always attracts men. By following in His way we too can express the divine nature.
What must we do to realize the promise that we shall become partakers of the divine nature? We must express the divine nature in ourselves by developing the spiritual traits that compose it.
What are these spiritual traits that we are to develop? Diligence, which is a persevering effort to keep in mind what is right and helpful, and faith that life is essentially clean, wholesome, vitalizing, uplifting. The establishing of these spiritual traits brings conscious uprightness, or knowledge of the fundamental integrity that lies at the heart of life, as well as self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
When these traits are established in our character what is the outcome? We realize that we are in life for a purpose, and we set about accomplishing this purpose with a will. We are neither idle nor unfruitful, when we are thus engaged in living the ideal life that we are fitted to live.
How is entrance into the eternal kingdom of the ideal life “supplied unto” us? We ourselves supply it by developing and using the spiritual traits of our real self.
Do we also make our own “calling and election” sure? We do by faithfully following the way outlined for us, making use of perseverance and a high degree of devotion and intelligence.
Metaphysically Interpreting II Peter 1:16-21
1:16For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 1:17For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there was borne such a voice to him by the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: 1:18and this voice we ourselves heard borne out of heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount.
1:19And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: 1:20knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. 1:21For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.
April 23, 1927: II Peter 1:16-18
What is the meaning in today’s lesson of the three verses from II Peter? In these three verses Peter was explaining that the experiences of the followers of Jesus were not fairy stories or fables, but were realities. “And this voice we ourselves heard come out of heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
April 10, 1943: II Peter 1:16-18
Need we accept the account of the Transfiguration only in a metaphysical sense? No, we have the testimony of eye-witnesses to the event, though we are free to accept it as either an objective occurrence or a subjective experience or both. We may interpret it in the way that it is most helpful to us.
How is divinity indicated in Peter’s account? As “the Majestic Glory,” whose beloved Son Jesus Christ is proclaimed to be.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 12-18-2013
