2 Pet. 1:5-7
For this reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
These qualities are the desires and features of a transformed heart not the qualities of someone who seeks salvation. Salvation is by faith and grace alone, and it's vertical in nature coming from God to man. To what does for this reason refer? It refers to the fact that God has granted His precious and very great promises to believers so that we could be partakers of the divine nature. It is through them that we have been granted everything that pertains to life and godliness.
How does this work? How do we access everything that pertains to life and godliness? Certainly the very great and precious promises must be the foundation for growing in these qualities. In addition the Holy Spirit must be on board since many of these are His fruit in the life of a believer. Each quality is essential for growth, but the crown of them all is love. The greatest of these is love. If we meditate on these qualities and pray asking the Spirit and the Father to grant us these evidences of salvation in our lives, then the rest is up to us. We must desire them above all. And why would we do this? Because they keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. What Christians have as their goal to be ineffective and unfruitful? It is ludicrous to even say this! Yet by looking at lives, it appears to be so. If we are lacking in these qualities, we are so nearsighted that we are blind. We have forgotten our salvation, our cleansing from sin. Therefore [in light of all this] be all the more diligent to make your calling and elections sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. I notice the world is practice. It is not accomplished the first time. It is a lifetime of growth until Jesus calls us home. These precious and very great promises give us the ability and the power to live out these qualities providing us an entrance to the kingdom of Jesus! Sounds simple, but not so! Think about the meaning of each of these qualities. Even that is overwhelming let alone the living out of them. Perhaps the reason there so many is because it reminds us from the get-go we can not accomplish these things in our own strength. It must be all of God working through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Father,
Teach me through Your Holy Spirit. Spirit, take me down a path that will grow me into Your virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly love, and love. I want these in my life. I need your wisdom to operate in my weakness.
In Jesus name,
Amen
How does this work? How do we access everything that pertains to life and godliness? Certainly the very great and precious promises must be the foundation for growing in these qualities. In addition the Holy Spirit must be on board since many of these are His fruit in the life of a believer. Each quality is essential for growth, but the crown of them all is love. The greatest of these is love. If we meditate on these qualities and pray asking the Spirit and the Father to grant us these evidences of salvation in our lives, then the rest is up to us. We must desire them above all. And why would we do this? Because they keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. What Christians have as their goal to be ineffective and unfruitful? It is ludicrous to even say this! Yet by looking at lives, it appears to be so. If we are lacking in these qualities, we are so nearsighted that we are blind. We have forgotten our salvation, our cleansing from sin. Therefore [in light of all this] be all the more diligent to make your calling and elections sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. I notice the world is practice. It is not accomplished the first time. It is a lifetime of growth until Jesus calls us home. These precious and very great promises give us the ability and the power to live out these qualities providing us an entrance to the kingdom of Jesus! Sounds simple, but not so! Think about the meaning of each of these qualities. Even that is overwhelming let alone the living out of them. Perhaps the reason there so many is because it reminds us from the get-go we can not accomplish these things in our own strength. It must be all of God working through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Father,
Teach me through Your Holy Spirit. Spirit, take me down a path that will grow me into Your virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly love, and love. I want these in my life. I need your wisdom to operate in my weakness.
In Jesus name,
Amen
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