For an Informed Love of God
Bill Mounce
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Monday, March 31, 2025
Our Calling, Assurance, and οὕτως (2 Peter 1:11)
Bill Mounce
While we understand that words have a range of meaning; nevertheless, there can be precision in the meaning of a word. Case in point is οὕτως. It’s core meaning is “in this manner, thus, so,” referring back to what was said or forward to what will be said (BDAG 1 and 2). It can also function as a “marker of a relatively high degree, so” and can also mean “without further ado, just, simply” (BDAG 3 and 4). What it does not mean is “and.” This is why I was surprised at the NIV’s translation of οὕτως in 2 Peter 1:11. Let me unpack Peter’s argument.
Peter begins by pointing out that God’s grace and peace comes to us “through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Part of what we know is that God “has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him.”
This means that our lives must be different from the world. As I like to say it, “Changed people live changed lives.” Negatively stated, this means we have “escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Positively stated, this means we are to “make every effort” to live lives characterized by faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love” (vv 4–7).
While we have been “given” what we need for living a godly life, it requires effort on our part. Such is the tension of sanctification. And as we grow in our sanctification, we will not be “ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v 8). In fact, to not grow is to be “nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (v 9).
We now get to the point. “Therefore, we are to “make every effort to confirm your calling and election.” As a result, we will never stumble, and in this way (οὕτως) “will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v 10).
Here is the point. As we live in such a way that we can know we were truly called and elected, we can know for sure we will be welcomed into Jesus’ kingdom. Our changed life is the means by which we know we will be welcomed.
The NIV’s use of “and” here is confusing and is an inexact translation of οὕτως. “For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom.” Peter does not write καί. He writes οὕτως. It is our very effort to confirm our election that is the means by which we can know we will be welcomed. Can you get to this meaning in the NIV? Sure. But why not be precise in the translation of οὕτως?
Other translations make the theological meaning of οὕτως clear using “in this way” (NASB, ESV, CSB, NRSV) and “thus” (NET).
My assurance of salvation rests in the promise of God (John 3:16) and in my changed life (2 Peter 1:11, also 1 John 2:3–4; 3:10; 4:20). If my life has not changed, I would have no assurance that I truly believed in Jesus.
