JesusWalk Bible Study Forum: Q2. Everything We Need - JesusWalk Bible Study Forum

Q2. (2 Peter 1:3) Meditate on this verse for a few minutes. It is a verse about provision. What is the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"? What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise?

Pastor Ralph, on Jul 1 2004, 09:42 PM, said:

I am pastoring a couple who's 3 month old child faces open heart surgery in the next 48 hours. This is the third operation. It is life threatening... but they are quietly and assuredly trusting the Lord to heal - if it is His will and to use the surgeons to do His will, but if it is not His will that the child lives they are trusting the Lord... holding to his promises.

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"Everything" is exactly that. The only reason we even have to ask what "everything" means is that this is too extraordinary a promise for us to accept easily. When things don't go the way we think they "should," we worry and doubt. This is where "knowing God" (in the sense of the Hebrew "yada") comes in, and "trust" too. If we allow ourselves to form a close enough relationship with God that we trust him without reservation, we will more easily hear the promptings of the Spirit and will follow them without question or concern. And we won't run out ahead of the Spirit either -- we'll just wait to be led. If we were always tuned in to the leading of the Spirit and never anticipated future developments to the point where we got "locked in" to a particular outcome with no flexibility to recognize that we might be on the wrong path, we'd never worry about anything.

His divine power has granted to us is stating that the provision has already been made to the believer. In receiving Christ (knowing Him) we are united in him and share in every spiritual blessing that will glorify God in our bodies. The Holy Spirit equips us to do this by revealing the mind of Christ to us through His word and teaching us the way of life and godliness.

I am both encouraged and convicted by 2 Peter 1:3.


- God has made provision for me in every single area of life: spiritual/moral; emotional/psyschological; physical/material/intellectual. He is truly the ultimate, comprehensive source to whom I should turn for everything.

- My relationship with Him was initiated by Him. He chose me not because of my worth, but because of His love and mercy; because He could. So I can't earn His love any more, or any less. He calls me to respond to Him, not to prove myself.

- But His call to me is to take Him up on His proposal - to develop an intimate relationship with Him. This is the only way I will experience His provision for my life to the extent that He desires for me.

When we truely know Christ, we can trust him for all we need. His provision is complete...physical,spiritual and emotional. He does not provide for some of his children and not others. His leadership does not fail. He does not take us to a place just to leave us on our own.....Oh what a saviour. There is nothing to fear because He already has the provision made for every trial. He is tenderly watching over each step we take. I am so thankful.

With the knowledgeof God and the faith in him are like avenue where all our spiritual supports and comforts thathe sends to us, but we first have to acknowledge God for who he is and what he has called us out to do.

Q2. (2 Peter 1:3) Meditate on this verse for a few minutes. It is a verse about provision. What is the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"? What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise?


This is an age of knowledge abounding. In the last decade, knowledge has multiplied many times over. This is in the physical realm. But in the spiritual realm too, THE WORD is being spread through many sources. People are being accosted with the Word of God and their knowledge of who God is and what He does has increased. Their faith life too is increasing. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of widsom. Wisdom is understanding God and hearing and obeying Him. That is godliness. My grace us sufficient for thee says the Lord. Under this circumstance, the spiritual man, who is walking in the fear of the Lord has wisdom to understand that His God, who knows everything about him, will supply all his needs in Jesus. That's how the man who is walking in step with the Lord will know that God's promises are true because he knows that God will not go back on His word and so all his needs will be looked after by God Himself.

This is a wonderful verse! Thank you Pastor Ralph for bringing it to our attention.
The scope, extent, and boundries of "everything we need for life and godliness" is GOD has made every arrangement for our life in Christ and our godliness of life for Him. It is only through the knowledge of Christ that we can grow to be a more godly person. "Knowledge of Him" is a personal relationship with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge (epignôsis) of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (1:3)

When I read this fantastic verse I am stopped up short by the fact that the verb is PAST (PERFECT, for you Greek scholars out there), and describes an absolute, already accomplished fact in our lives as believers. We ALREADY possess absolutely EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness. We just have to remember to access it through our relationship with Christ, through prayer, and through the meditation on the Word.

I need to remind myself that this "everything" is available through knowing Christ more and more intimately each and every day, and by walking closely with Him.

I need to remind myself that the goal for me is not momentary happiness, or physical or material well-being; the goal is spiritual life, and Christlikeness ("Godliness"). Therefore, the "everything" can include the trials, problems and difficult circumstances of life that test our faith and make us more like Christ. As Romans 8 reminds us, "all things work together for good for those who love God, but the next verse tells us what the "good" is -- it's conformity to Christ.

I am so thankful that this knowledge that makes life and godliness possible has been made available to us. God has graciously offered to us the ability to gain this knowledge through His Spirit. We don't need to be super scholars, or perfect Chrisians -- we possess the knowledge and can continually grow in it.

Q2. (2 Peter 1:3) Meditate on this verse for a few minutes. It is a verse about provision. What are the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"? What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise?

The bible tells us that we are created anew, all things has past away. That to me meant that when I receive Christ, I am also given all things promised to Christ which encompass physical, spiritual and intellectual abilities not just to live this life here and now but more importantly to become more Christlike in my demeanour as I walk my path to eternity. To achieve that, my knowledge or yada of God and His promises to me has to grow and grow evermore.

I beleive that 'everything we need' is referring to what we NEED in God's eyes not our eyes. To those who have that knowledge of God, this is provided to us by Him to help us grow in Christ. When you are a christian, God gives us an amazingly different knowledge of him and reveals more of himself to us the closer we walk with him.

It is said that man cannot understand anything that has no beginning or end, therefore it is impossible for us to understand the meaning of "everything". The beautifulness of God's gift is that of extention of our sin bound understanding abilities. God has given us the ability to grow and in growth reach closer to him. The verses of Matthew about not worrying come to mind here. Is it not true that God provides for the bird, and yet we doubt his provision for us. In knowing God and walking with him every moment our knowledge brings everything we need for life.

Q2. (2 Peter 1:3) Meditate on this verse for a few minutes. It is a verse about provision. What is the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"? What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise?

God knows what we really need--not necessarily our "wants"--but those things He knows are good for our spiritual lives. When we accept Him as Lord, He adds to our salvation what we need--both in this life as well as what we need to increase our spiritual understanding and growth in knowledge of Him and our ability to withstand the evil the devil uses, attempting to separate us from God.
Knowledge and knowing God are what this promise is based upon. We cannot just ask God to be a "santa claus" and shower us with secular things, nor even for life and godliness if we do not KNOW Him personally! And then, we must realize that He knows better than we what is required for us to grow ever closer to Him!
Looking at the answers give, I am grateful for some of the insights--especially hausmouse--that this promise is in past tense! Just waiting for us to come to Him in penitence and acceptance of Who He is and His desires for us! Great!

When I read this it told me that ALL of my needs are met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and it also says to me that God said my people perish from the lack of knowledge. You need to have knowledge of God's Word and what it says about you. In other words you need to understand who you are in Christ Jesus and Walk in it.

Q2. (2 Peter 1:3) Meditate on this verse for a few minutes. It is a verse about provision. What is the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"? What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise?

The power to grow does not come from within us but from God's divine provision. God divine power give us everyithing we need to live a life of Godliness. If we try to live a goldly life in our own strength we would continually sin and always feel defeated. But God's allow us to particfipate in His Divine Nature so that we will be able to have victory of sin and lead a godly life. When we are born again the Holy Spirit come in an empowers us so that we will know the difference between good and evil.

However, to enjoy this privilege we have to come into a relationship with God. through His Son Jesus Christ by faith and continue to grow in knowledge by studying and living out God's Word daily.

Pastor Ralph, on Jul 1 2004, 09:42 PM, said:

What are the scope and extent and boundaries of "everything we need for life and godliness"?

God has given those that believe in His Son Jesus Christ everything they need to have the power of moving mountains if need be for His glory. . . WE HAVE THE POWER of Him who lives inside us which is the Holy Spirit. Through Him all things are provided for us to be able to shine forth His glory. . .


What does "knowledge" or "knowing God" have to do with this promise?

Knowledge represents an understanding of who God is, we gain knowledge of who he is by studying, His word, meditating, and prayer. When we choose to live as he instructs us to we will have all things that pertain to life; physical and spiritual and most of all fellowship with our Lord.

Of course we know this to mean that God will provide for everything we need but yes, there are boundries. In Matthew 6:33 it tells us that if we "seek Gods kingdom and His righteousness first then all these things will be given to you as well". If we ask Him for foolish or selfish things we can expect that He will NOT provide them for us. If we are asking so as to put His kingdom and His righteousness first He WILL give us all we ask for and more. Again it goes back to having faith in Him also that He will provide for us exactly what we need. He knows us intimatly after all He created us but how well do we know Him? How can we be sure we are asking Him according to His desire? We have to get to know Him intimatly. We always need to be seeking the "knowledge" that Peter is talking about so we can have faith that we are asking God for things we need correctly and not selfishly.

Life, when referred to in Scripture, means Life as God would have us live it. Therefore it is abundant, blessed, victorious, creative, noble, pure, fresh, beautiful, well reported, (see Phil4:20). It glorifies God as Jesus did in His days on the earth. It is powerful, righteous, loving, truthful, healing, instructive, demonstrative, uplifting, encouraging. It blesses other people and is fruitful in the gifts of the spirit for the benefit of mankind, unselfish and altogether remarkable.

The scope of this life covers every situation abundantly, with the glory of the Lord, for nothing is impossible with God in the Name of Jesus.

There are no boundaries for the repentant, forgiving child of God who is effectively living this life, except those imposed by the incomplete learning process of the individual. God has not placed boundaries on it.

Knowing God, or knowledge, has everything to do with it. Jesus dying prayer on the cross was that His Father should forgive us because we don't know what we do. Our ignorance (of God) is the limiting factor in life or Life. Therefore we need to do every conceivable thing to "study to show ourselves approved", not only in the sense of knowing Scripture back to front, but also in the translation of that knowledge into the power source for our own lives, by knowing God Himself, in person and having that intimate relationship with Him that never ceases to grow and amaze us, being filled with the Holy Ghost, being a person "after God's own heart" like king David.

Believing there is a God (which I always did) and knowing who He is and what He has done are two different things. Since my rebirth or if you will my becoming "born again" I have grown in my knowledge of Him through His Word and have grown closer to Him as my Father. I talk with him in my heart and if no one is around, out loud. Let me tell you He has provided for me in every way that a Father would and so much more because He is God. I have not had a super hard life but at times it has been like, pardon me, hell on earth but He has always provided me with His grace and love to see me through the hard times. If it weren't for my Father in heaven, I wouldn't have been able to cope with two very tragic things in my life, the desertion of a husband after 17 years of marriage and three children and the murder of my 22 year old precious daughter Amy Joy three and a half years ago. He was with my in "my valley of the shadow of death."

He has provided for me spritutally, economically, emotionally and in everyway.
I live and breath and have my being in Him. He has given me "new life" and He gives me the grace to live a godly life.

Sincerely,
from PA