2 Peter 1:11 11For in this way, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Verse 11 provides the motivation for verse 10: our goal in this life ought to be making sure we get to heaven. We can do that by being diligent in developing our faith through the virtues of verses 5-7. We have two goals. In this life, our goal is to be transformed into God’s image most clearly seen in Jesus Christ. Our goal after we die is to gain entrance into Christ’s eternal kingdom. Entrance into this kingdom is dependent upon what we do in this life. It is sad to see many people live as if this life is all there is. They show the same type of philosophy that Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15:32: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Let us have a good time now because these few years is all we get. This type of life has no regard for eternity. Ecclesiastes 3:11 states that God has put eternity in the heart of humanity. We have an innate sense of something beyond this life, but people ignore this awareness to their own destruction.
The future passive construction will be richly provided (plousiōs epichorēgēthēsetai) emphasizes the prize of eternal life. It is a vivid image of the goal and outcome of God’s grace. The entrance into God’s kingdom is another way to describe God’s gift of eternal life and the hope of resurrection. We do not deserve eternal life based on our good efforts but only as a gift. However, this gift of grace is not free. First, it required the death of Jesus on the cross as the substitute for the death we deserve for our sins. Second, it demands our response of faith. The gift must be accepted to become real to us individually. Third, it is confirmed through obedient living according to the teaching of Jesus and the revealed will of God throughout the Bible. This passage clearly teaches that all three of these are required to confirm our election and adoption as God’s children and to be allowed into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
What should our response be to verses 3-11? We must first look deeply into our hearts and see if there is unresolved conviction of sin. Have we allowed our faith to growth into a Christlike lifestyle, or have become near sighted and blind to the value, cost, and power of God’s forgiveness? Have we allowed the world’s values to corrupt what God has been graciously teaching us? Since we are still on this side of heaven, we must do all we can, with God’s power and leading, to walk in the right direction, with our face towards God’s kingdom.