2 Peter 1:9

2 Peter 1:9 ‘For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.'

‘he who lacks these qualities is..' -A professed Christian can fail to grow. Spiritual growth isn't an automatic experience. ‘Is'-black and white, not ‘could be…might be..there is. possibility he is..'

‘blind' -(Revelation 3:14 ff). Spiritually blind.

‘short-sighted' -near-sighted, dim-sighted, ‘so short-sighted that he is blind' (Arndt p. 531). The idea could be that this person is spiritually blind because they are so focused upon the things of this world. ‘Heaven, and the things that pertain to the spiritual realm of life are pictured here as off in the distance, perceptible only to those with good eyesight (Mark 8:18).' (Oberst p. 272) ‘a man is blind to heavenly things, and engrossed in the earthly.' (Green p. 72) This is the precise condition that the false teachers were in.

‘having forgotten' -a voluntary forgetfulness. ‘has chosen to forget' (TCNT).

‘his purification from his former sins' -the meaning and importance of what happened when he became. Christian. The person who doesn't grow after being baptized, is deliberately choosing to forget the great blessings that God had bestowed upon them (Psalms 103:1; 2 Peter 2:20).

Points to Note:

Thus. failure to grow is often caused by: 1. Limited vision. When. person's mind is focused on this world, the moment and the present. 2. When one loses an appreciation for their salvation, thinks that it wasn't such. big deal, and that they weren't as much of. sinner as the next person. Note that either you move forward or backwards spiritually. But you never remain the same. Where does Peter lay the blame for this unfruitful person? With the elders, the preacher, the brethren? No. But solely on the shoulders of the person who failed to grow (1 Corinthians 3:1; Hebrews 5:11; Revelation Chapter s 2-3). God expects His people to be fruitful and productive (Psalms 1:3; Isaiah 2:1; Matthew 7:19; Luke 8:15; John 15:2; Hebrews 6:7; Ephesians 2:10).