Let us read 2 Peter 3:18 ESV
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
This is the last verse of this letter, the final exhortation. Many important matters were shared before, but the most important one is at the end.
When we write a long letter, we might also write, or repeat, our most important point in the end. To make sure the addressee takes not of and remembers it.
So even if all matters mentioned before are forgotten, this last exhortation should be remembered: Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Why should I know this person, why is it so essential to know him, why does this person, Jesus Christ, concern me?
He is not just anyone who lived and died long time ago – he is the one who gave his life for me. Even before I knew him he had already done this for me. Is there anyone else who has done this, or would do this for me?
This fact alone, that he gave everything for me, should raise my interest, my curiosity for coming to know to him. Who was this man, what was his heart, his motivation to do this for me?
Isn’t he the most interesting person I could ever come to know?
We know that he has resurrected and ascended to heaven. He is alive and through the Holy Spirit he dwells within us.
What does it mean to know him, to grow in his knowledge? It means to establish a deep relationship with him. If I want to know someone well, I need to share the life of this person, live together with him or her in a deep relationship.
Increase in knowing Jesus Christ, the one who has given his life for me. There was no reason for him to do this – yet he has done it. I want to know this person more, and I want to know him completely, and understand why he has done this. Isn’t it the most exciting relationship of my life – with the person who died for me and resurrected, the one who is called my savior?
How precious becomes each day, each moment of my life, when I consider it an opportunity to know and understand more of Jesus Christ, my savior, an opportunity to grow deeper in the relationship with him.
There is another aspect of this relationship mentioned in the letter of Peter: grace. Knowing Jesus, having a deep relationship with him, means also to share his grace. There is grace coming from him and through him – this is what I urgently need, what every one needs. We need the grace of forgiveness, the grace of being reinstalled as daughters and sons of our heavenly Father.
Living and growing in relationship with Jesus Christ allows me to participate in his grace, to accept the forgiveness of my sins and to be transformed into his image, the image of the true son and daughter of God.
So even if I forget or ignore everything that was ever told to me – this one thing I want to keep in mind and pursue with all my strength and determination: to know Jesus Christ and his grace, and grow every day in the relationship with him, my savior.