The New Math

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (v2).

Yeah, I know. They told you there would be no math. Relax. Pete’s not talking about algebra, geometry or calculus. This is all about multiplication. But this isn’t THAT kind of math. No square roots. No quadratic equations. These are calculations which are done FOR you. The apostle prays that God will step in and multiply His grace and His peace the readers of his letter. He knows that when that kind of math happens, our knowledge of Jesus will grow exponentially. It’s the New Math. Gospel Math.

It’s important to remember what motivates Peter to pen a second letter. Chances are he’s in Rome not long before his execution. He’s gotten word that some false teachers have squirreled they way into some of the churches he’s planted in what we know as Turkey. Places with weird names like “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1Pet 1:1). The first time Pete wrote, he encouraged Jesus’ followers not to fold under pressure and persecution from the outside. The Holy Spirit nudges the former fisherman to crank out a “second letter” (3:2) because they are problems on the inside. Apparently a team of spiritual hucksters are destroying these churches from the inside out (2:1). The apostle knows that there’s only one thing that can solve the problem. And that’s the New Math. Gospel Math.

Pete writes to folks who already know the amazing salvation which Jesus offers. They’ve already tasted His grace. His completely undeserved goodness. It’s grace because we didn’t earn it. The truth is, what we really deserve is a death sentence. Before Jesus gets ahold of us, we’re rebels waging a war against God’s kingdom. We’re not just misguided and make a few mistakes. We’re terrorists. Trust me, I don’t like that description either. But it’s accurate. Very accurate. But because of God’s unthinkable and scandalous act of grace through Jesus, we also come to know His peace. Peace with God. Peace from God. At this point, these believers are just wading in the kiddie pool of God’s goodness. The apostle invites us to dive into the deep end. He wants us to really know His grace and peace more intimately. That only happens when we know Jesus more deeply, more accurately, and more thoroughly.

Peter prays that God’s grace and peace grow exponentially in our lives. He asks the Lord that they be “multiplied” (Gr. plethuno). This is a Greek verb that means to cause to increase greatly in number or extent, cause to abound, make something grow.  God promised to do some breathtaking mathematics for His friend Abraham. “Surely I will bless you and multiply (Gr. plethuno) you” (Heb 6:14). Dr. Luke wrote about the explosive growth of the Hebrews in captivity. “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied (Gr. plethuno) in Egypt” (Acts 7:17). If you think God doesn’t care about math, you’re wrong. Don’t forget, one of the books of the Bible is called Numbers. Here in his second letter, Pete asks God do some of His New Math for His people with His grace and peace.

This Gospel Math happens when the followers of Jesus grow in their understanding and experience of Him. Pete calls this “knowledge.” But he uses an emphasized form of the word: epignosis. He’s talking about a precise and correct understanding of God. A thorough and intimate acquaintance with Him. This is an accurate perception of the Lord that only comes through experience of walking with Him and applying His principles. This is the apostle’s way of letting us know that there’s a deeper, more thorough and intimate knowledge of God than simply a head full of facts about Him. Is theology important? You betcha, baby! But let your knowledge of Him drive to a deeper love and more passionate worship. As the old song says, “to know, know, know Him is to love, love, love Him.” 

This kind of relational knowledge is a big theme in Pete’s second letter. Deep and intimate understanding of God unlocks the power to life and godliness (1:3). He mentions several qualities that ensure the growth of our precise understanding of Jesus (1:4). The apostle describes the false teachers that have infiltrated the churches as at one point having “the knowledge (Gr. epignosis) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” but eventually rejecting Him (2:20). He knows that when God multiplies His grace and peace to us we’ll know Him more personally. We’ll know Him for who He truly is. Pete’s NOT talking about memorizing your spiritual multiplication tables. He’s talking a loving relationship with Jesus. And this personal knowledge of our Savior is exactly what we need to counter any garbage some false teacher might try to fill our heads with. The best way to keep from being fooled by bad math is God’s New Math. Gospel Math.