Salutation |
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Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
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To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
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¶ Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.
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Make Your Calling and Election Sure |
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¶ According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
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whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
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And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
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and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness;
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and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.
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For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
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Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
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for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
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¶ Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
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Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
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knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me.
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Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
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Eyewitnesses of Christ's Glory |
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¶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
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For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. Mt. 17.1-5 · Mk. 9.2-7 · Lk. 9.28-35
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We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts:
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knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.
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For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
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