2 Peter 1:5-9
Dare we call what we see in this first verse five simple additions. It is actually far from simple though. These are things we must add to our faith. I would not like a faith where nothing is ever needed to be added. It would probably be a stagnant humdrum faith without them.
Now we are to give all diligence to add to our faith, first of all virtue which is an authentic, solid good way of living. Then we add knowledge. It is not good for a new convert not to grow in knowledge. What I know must be continuously growing. Next comes self control. We must be able to handle ourselves rightly and never lose control. Patience is needed next. We must learn to wait on God to do his work. Then godliness which I call godlikeness. Next we need brotherly kindness. Faithful in love to the people of God, and next love for all people.
Now if we are faithful in this, there won’t be barrenness nor unfruitfulness in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To lack these things leads to a spiritual myopia even to the characteristic of blindness and forgetting about being cleansed from our old sins. The next verse says we are to be diligent to make our call and election sure and not apt to stumble. To stumble means there are points of darkness in our lives.
Now we are to give all diligence to add to our faith, first of all virtue which is an authentic, solid good way of living. Then we add knowledge. It is not good for a new convert not to grow in knowledge. What I know must be continuously growing. Next comes self control. We must be able to handle ourselves rightly and never lose control. Patience is needed next. We must learn to wait on God to do his work. Then godliness which I call godlikeness. Next we need brotherly kindness. Faithful in love to the people of God, and next love for all people.
Now if we are faithful in this, there won’t be barrenness nor unfruitfulness in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. To lack these things leads to a spiritual myopia even to the characteristic of blindness and forgetting about being cleansed from our old sins. The next verse says we are to be diligent to make our call and election sure and not apt to stumble. To stumble means there are points of darkness in our lives.
