“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:11, AV)
Sometime before I was saved, I remember attending a wedding reception many years ago. As we all sat in the reception hall, we waited for the bridal party to arrive. When they arrived, an announcer introduced each of the couples by name. One person, a very young man, was announced as “Doctor ______.” Well, I don’t remember his name today. I thought, how great it would be to be introduced with the title of doctor. However, I never thought that I would ever achieve any advanced degree.
After the Lord saved me in 1983, I did have the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree in theology, receiving a doctorate. Yet, I can only remember a handful of times when I was introduced with the title of doctor. One was at my graduation. There were a couple other times. However, none of the introductions were with a grand entrance. Moreover, such a grand entrance was no longer something that I esteemed. Yet, there is one grand entrance for which I do long.
Once an interviewer asked Billy Graham if he thought he would hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant,” when he entered heaven. He stated that he hoped he would hear those words. That stuck with me. As believers we hope that our reception into heaven will be met with approval, that we have fulfilled our earthly duty in a pleasing manner. We hope for a grand entrance.
Peter here assures true believers that their entrance into the eternal kingdom will be glorious. In the previous verses he wrote about the qualities of godliness that the believer should add to their faith. He indicated that if these qualities were abounding in the life of the believer, that the believer would result in fruitfulness in the faith. He indicated that if they practiced these qualities that they would never fall (v10). He urged believers in light of this to confirm their calling and election. He wrote all of this so that the believers could have confidence in their eternal destiny, that they would experience a glorious, like no other, reception to their eternal home.
Every true believer will experience the wonder of leaving this temporary place and entering the eternal and glorious abode of the Lord. Our confidence in this comes as we see the qualities of godliness being manifested in our lives, resulting in fruitful Christian living. We, who believe should rejoice in our eternal destiny. It is one like no other. It is infinitely beyond all comparison.
Renewing the Heart 