QUITE THE LIST
2 Peter 1:5-11 NKJV
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This list that Peter reveals has always been somewhat of a puzzle to me. In my years at Bible school and 40-plus years in church, I have heard very few messages on this passage. And yet, the benefits attached to this list are immense.
Giving all diligence, add to your faith. Some translations read add with your faith. Either way, this list of character qualities is something to give diligence to and not ignore. Starting with virtue. Virtue is better translated as moral excellence. Moral excellence will cause us to say no to the temptations that assail our flesh. And we are living in an era where moral excellence is no longer celebrated. But it never went out of relevancy with God.
To moral excellence, add knowledge. The word for knowledge here from the Greek text is still knowledge. We are not given any more instructions from Peter, so Alan is going to weigh in here. Adding a knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus. A knowledge gained through understanding of the Scriptures and through our fellowship with the Lord in prayer. A knowledge of God’s plan and will for our lives. If we seek, we will find knowledge. And when it comes to God and His Kingdom, there is so much to know.
To knowledge, add perseverance, the ability to bear up under. Endurance as to things or circumstances. Staying with the Lord and staying with a commitment to growth and development. Endurance is such a vital quality for life and vital to our life with the Lord. The storms of life come to everyone, so the ability to keep going is important. To perseverance, add godliness, a devotion and dedication to living for God. An effort to please Him and conform to His will. This is directly opposed to worldliness, living in tune with the whims and ways of an age that leaves God out. Living for the world is easy. Living in godliness is more challenging and more rewarding in this life and the next.
To godliness, add brotherly kindness and divine love. Adding these two qualities should make us easy people to be around. Someone kind and thinking about what is best for the other person is a blessing in a grabby, selfish world.
Now, here is the motivation for adding these qualities to our lives. They make us so that we are not useless or unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is understandable. If anyone walked in the fullness of this list of qualities, it was Jesus. So, walking as He walked, we gain a greater knowledge and understanding of Him. And that is life to the full. Jesus said that to know God and know His Son Jesus was life, true life.
Peter warns that lacking these qualities is not a function of lack of capacity but rather lack of spiritual vision. Or, in Peter’s words, shortsighted to blindness. So we are to be even more diligent and committed to developing these Christ-like attributes in our lives. We are called to this, and if we give effort in this area, we will not stumble. That’s quite a statement, but it’s Scripture, not my opinion. This is quite the list.
PRAYER
Lord, I want to know You more and be more like You and represent You better. Thank You for this list and the ability to see these qualities become a reality in my life.