Let's Begin with Faith
what i’m learning
2 PETER 1:1-11
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. 11 For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
When I first read this passage, I loved the reminder that God has given me (us) all that is required for life. Godliness is cool too. But life is hard. We need help. I need help.
I loved knowing that through Him, I can escape the corruption of this world. Our world & we as humans are really struggling right now.
I admit, I was instantly attracted to the list of “virtues”. I have a thing for lists & I quickly thought of how great a blog post it would be to share 7 ways we can supplement & grow our faith. How we can make the effort!
The closer I looked at this passage. The more I read it. The more I studied. The more I learned. Growing our faith doesn’t mean “do more”. & Those 7 virtues I’m going to share aren’t the heart of what this message is about.
Peter begins with faith. Simply put, it is the dependence on the blood & righteousness of Jesus Christ.
may that be called "precious faith," which is the symbol of our election, the evidence of our calling, the root of all our graces, the channel of communion, the weapon of prevalence, the shield of safety, the substance of hope, the evidence of eternity, the guerdon of immortality, and the passport of glory. — Spurgeon
Having received this gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), we are given very great and precious promises. We become participants in his divine nature. We are called to glory & virtue.
I consider it nothing less than a total privilege.
We begin our life with God, with faith.
We make every effort BECAUSE we have His power & promises. We work in partnership with Him to progress our faith.
Peter gives us a list of biblical virtues. They’re not a legalistic code, but evidence of a transformed life.
7 virtues:
GOODNESS
The greek word, arete, is a concept referring to moral excellence.
knowledge
It’s not just information. The greek word, epignōsis, refers to knowledge of the Lord. Understanding or insight of heavenly revelation. (A Learner & student of the Word + growing personal knowledge in our relationship with Him.)
self-control
In greek, the word enkrateian means to hold oneself together. “To be gripped or controlled from within." Its reference is associated with an athlete who says no to certain foods & yes to certain training because he wants to win the race.
ENDURANCE
In greek, hupomonēs, means to bear up under the trial, hardship, or difficult circumstance.
godliness
The greek word, piety, is characterized by a God-ward attitude. (Reverence & respect.)
brotherly kindness
The greek word, philadelphia, is translated to having a family love for the members of the Body of Christ.
love
The greek word agape does not depend on the world’s criteria for love. It’s the unconditional, sacrificial, & fatherly love of God for humans. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of this true kind of love. We can however model God’s love by having a concern for the spiritual welfare of others.
If I were to only focus on all the virtues, or even pick one to pursue & “make every effort” to achieve, I’d miss the point entirely. My efforts would be in vain.
All our good things do not come from us. Remember “faith is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.” & so, we cannot grow in these virtues apart from God. It’s just not going to happen.
That’s why the heart of the message here is to lean into His divine power & promises. When we do, these virtues become evident & confirm something deeper. They become an indication we truly know Jesus.
If we want to grow in these qualities, we must first have faith. All the virtues are a result of faith. That’s why faith is listed first. Love is lasted last.
Nothing in this world will ever create virtue like true faith.
As we participate in this, in increasing measure, it will keep us from being ineffective in our spiritual life. We are prevented from stumbling!
If we lack these things, it is evidence we are unable to see God. Therefore, we must all the more make the effort to confirm our calling, that is our faith. Our salvation.
May we enter Heaven with a glorious welcome.
You shall never find true faith unattended by true godliness; on the other hand, you shall never discover a truly holy life which has not for its root and foundation a living faith upon the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. —SPurgeon.
resources. How I got here.
Bible
Cross References
Googling Greek words
Spurgeon.org
Conversations with trusted people
Prayer