Michael Phelps is an American swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals. He also holds the all-time record for Olympic gold medals with 18, which is double the second highest record holders. His list of honors, awards, accomplishments, and records is enormously lengthy, and he stands as the greatest swimmer of all time.

What has contributed to his incredible success? An August 2008 article examined Phelps' physique and demonstrated several unique features that helps Phelps as a swimmer.

First, although he stands at 6'4" and most peoples' wingspan equals their height, Phelps' wingspan is 6'7", allowing his arms to work like powerful propulsive paddles. The article also states that his lower body, interestingly, is shorter than that of an average man of his height. His relatively short legs result in less drag or resistance. In short, Phelps has an upper body of a 6'8" person but his lower body seems to be of someone who is only 5'10", which also make the perfect plane in water. Then there's his size-14 feet and double-jointed ankles that allow him to whip his feet as if they are flippers. Finally, Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day, but his body produces less lactic acid than most other people which means he takes less time to recover after a swim.

So, Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all time, because he's built perfectly for it, right? Wrong! The article goes on to state that Phelps swims 60 miles a week and maintains a mind-boggling daily routine. Without his workout program, Michael Phelps would still have a "freakish" physique, but nothing to show for it. His God-given gifts had to be complemented with his own rigorous effort in order to accomplish the results that have made him famous.

Likewise, believers have been given a unique "spiritual physique"—"old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). They have the life of God, as they are "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Yet, unless they use what they've been given, they'll still have a "new man" nature, but nothing to show for it. The believer's God-given gifts (2 Peter 1:1-4) have to be complemented with his own diligent effort (2 Peter 1:5-7) in order to accomplish the results that glorify Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8-11).

Pastor Phelps shared the following illustrations with his ABF class this past Sunday, and I thought I'd pass it along, as it really helps to clarify Peter's tension between justification (1:1-4) and sanctification (1:5-11).

When his children were still in high school, Pastor and Mrs. Phelps bought them all inline skates for Christmas. The kids were ecstatic about that gift, especially in light of (1) their 140 foot paved driveway, (2) their large and energetic dog that could pull them around, and (3) the unusual 60 degree weather they happened to have on that particular Christmas day. For one of their children, however, a wrong size had been purchased--the skates fit okay, but would be outgrown within a few months. So, the parents had the incredibly difficult job of convincing that child to wait until their inline skates could be returned the next. Why was that so hard for the child to understand and agree to? Because the natural response for those children--in light of the really neat gift and tremendously warm day--was to run outside and enjoy it.

In a picture, that's what sanctification it--having received the incredibly wonderful gift of salvation, we run outside and use it! Recognizing our freedom from sin and reveling in our new status as children of God, we naturally and energetically unwrap the gift and put it to use! Some gifts just make us want to drop everything and start using it right away, and not to do so is agony--just ask the Phelps' child! Likewise, God's gift of true faith through Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:1-4) is a gift that keeps on giving, and it compels the recipient who's paying attention to drop everything else and respond in gratitude and cooperation. This is sanctification.