Like Paul, Peter also urges believers to make every effort, to apply all diligence to grow in our faith. In his second letter Peter says God has given us everything we need for life and godliness in Jesus. So, we should focus all our energy on adding to our faith what is needed to persevere and triumph until we enter into the presence of our Lord.
Let us read his words from 2 Pet 1:3-15 – ”His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence of character (goodness). Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share (participate) in the divine nature after escaping the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort (apply all diligence) to add to your faith goodness (excellence of character); and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance (patient endurance); and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness (brotherly love -phileo); and to brotherly kindness, love (agape). For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective (useless) and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is blind, being nearsighted, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager (zealous) to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never ever fall (stumble), and you will receive a rich welcome (entrance) into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
What a comfort and a challenge for those who desire to love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us focus on some of the main points from this passage.
· God has already given us everything we need to live a godly life – through our knowledge of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. He lived this life among us. His glory and godliness call us to keep our eyes on Him and to follow in His footsteps.
· When we are born of the Spirit of God, we receive God’s nature. Our fleshly nature, which pushed us into a corrupt life, has been nailed to the cross with Jesus. We were saved from death and corruption by faith in His promises to live in newness of life.
· But the new birth by faith is not a guarantee that we will not become ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord and end up stumbling and falling in our spiritual life because of spiritual blindness and, God forbid, turn away from our calling and election.
· Peter puts forward a program of spiritual growth, a syllabus for believers to follow until we graduate into the presence of God at the end of our lives. And he urges us to make every effort to master all the levels, so that we do not fall by the wayside and become useless Christians – saved but blind, confused and in danger of falling away.
The progression of the ”syllabus” he presents is deeply meaningful and worthy of study.
Faith – the beginning and fulfillment of our life in Christ, without which we cannot and will not see or please God. Nothing we do is without faith. It is the air we breathe – to see God’s face, to know Him, to love Him, and to trust Him every moment of every day.
Goodness – Clearing out from the inside everything that does not please God. He cleanses us from the guilt and bondage of sin and washes our consciences from the lingering shadows of past sin. Now we must thoroughly clean house – thoughts, feelings, what we look at, read, listen to, spend time on – until He can live inside us freely.
Self-control – developing new habits according to God’s priorities for our lives and be accountable for what we think, feel, do; how we do and how much / when we do. This is goodness in action by the daily practice in walking in the will of God.
Perseverance – learning not to focus on, or giving in to the challenges, problems and disappointments we face along the way, but, fixing our eyes on Jesus, to push forward.
Godliness – showing forth the characteristics of God as we see in the life of Jesus: humility, selflessness, patience, kindness, gentleness, ….
Brotherly love or love for the brethren. Loving all believers and becoming the servant of all – only possible by God’s loving them through us.
Love – God’s love. For all and every created thing – perfect, constant, unchanging, faithful, gentle …
O Lord, have mercy. By your power you have given us all we need to live your life on earth. But we lag behind in so many ways. Help me to diligently add to my faith, step by step, so my life will not be useless and ineffective. Help me live out your love to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Elzeth Malherbe