IN YOU AND ABOUND
By Elder Mark Green
“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” (2 Pet. 1.8).
In this verse, the condition to which we are admonished is that of being fruitful in the knowledge of the Lord. Peter gives two things that must happen for that to be true. He says that “these things” must be in us and that they must abound. The conjunction “and” makes it clear that both the things mentioned must happen in order for the result to take place. Peter’s admonition is that we would “add to” our faith “these things” which he mentions – virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity.
The first of the conditions listed is that these things “be in you.” This is God’s work, and it is done certainly and infallibly in every child of God. He writes His laws in our hearts; He is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” These things are placed in us when we are born of the Spirit. They are from above – heavenly things that are gifts of God.
The certainty of these things being in each child of God is seen in the fact that Peter does not say, “Add faith.” Faith is sometimes used in the Scriptures to represent the entire work of grace. We are not saved by what we do, but by what God has wrought, and in the context of our discussion, particularly of what God has wrought in us. “Faith” here represents the whole of what God does in us – and it is by grace, for it is God’s work. We possess faith as a result of His work, not by our work.
Peter says that in order for us to be fruitful, these things must be in us “and abound.” We do not add faith, but we are able to “add to” faith. Obviously, the other attributes listed in addition to faith are God’s gifts just as much as faith is, and no child of God could exhibit them if they were not first placed in him by God’s grace. We are told to “add” them, not in the sense of having them or having the ability to do those things, but in the sense of exercising them and putting them to use in the service of God.
Paul rebuked the Hebrews because they had been content to remain in an elementary condition. They were still “unskillful in the word of righteousness” because they had not applied themselves to the study of God’s word. They had not exerted themselves to exercise their spiritual senses to discern between good and evil. They were ignorant and weak, and seemed to be satisfied to stay that way. They had not “added to” their faith.
We need to be very careful to notice what Peter does not say in our text. First, he does not say that our “adding to” was necessary for these things to be in us; and second, he does not say that their being in us was by itself sufficient for them to abound. We do not possess grace in our hearts because of our efforts or doing. We are not born again by or because of our works, as the Scriptures make very clear in more than one place.
On the other hand, we cannot expect that we will bring forth that “much fruit” which glorifies God apart from our “adding to.” As in the parable, if our talents are to multiply, then they must be “invested wisely” (put to use in the service of God).
This verse shows very clearly the relationship between eternal and gospel salvation. Both are necessary for a person to be fruitful as he should be. The first is God’s work alone; our works are in no wise involved in our regeneration. The second depends upon God’s grace, but requires effort on our part. Without both of these there will not be that prosperous condition – a salvation or deliverance from the spiritual leanness which so afflicts so many of God’s people.