“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). When a person becomes a Christian, he receives a calling that is higher than anything else in this world. Our calling is the Gospel message (2 Thessalonians 2:14), which is more excellent than anything we have ever seen, heard or on which we have set our hearts (1 Corinthians 2:9).
God’s calling is for each of us. For while the calling is for all (Acts 2:39), it was prepared by God specifically for you (Romans 8:28-30). Before God made this world, He had you in mind (Ephesians 1:4-6). Before God ever said, “Let there be light,” He had a plan for you. He planned to call you!
God’s calling is to moral excellence. We are called to live on a higher plane—to live like godly people. Second Peter 1:3 says we were called to God’s glory and excellence. Our new life as Christians is devoted to living in God’s moral virtue and in His perfection (Matthew 5:48).
God’s calling is to an excellent life. The life of a Christian is not the life of a person of the world. We live by a different standard. “Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever things that are excellent…” (Philippians 4:8).
A Christian’s life should not include or even encourage those things that are sinful. Those include sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, hatred, discord, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness and the like (Galatians 5:19-21). Part of being a Christian is abandoning the things that characterize our old lives and behaving in a manner that is appropriate for a new life.
Christians have been given a most excellent calling as Paul encourages us in Ephesians 4:1, “I…urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”
[Royce Pendergrass: Let’s look further at our “calling” as the Hebrew writer said in Hebrews 3:1-2, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus who was faithful to Him that appointed Him…” We read further in 1 Peter 2:21-23 “Even hereunto were you called because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps, Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: Who, when He was reviled, reviled not in return, when He suffered, He threatened not but committed Himself to Him that judges righteously.” In all things, Christ taught us what was right and wanted us to follow in His steps that we might be eternally in Heaven with Him.]
