A study in 2 Peter 1:5-11.
1:5-7
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”
Why should we focus on developing the above traits? Because we learned in 2 Peter 1:2-4 of the Lord’s intention that we share in His divine nature. These traits are the expression of that nature. He will supply all power to this end, so if we pursue these traits, He will empower us to make progress.
God is love, so when He gives us power, it is to show the character of love in the above ways. We think the power is to help us do some mighty work; but He wants us to work in such a way that people see what God is like.
We can do the same work with a good attitude or bad; being tardy or diligent; without understanding or with wisdom. We can work and fly off the handle, or work patiently with self-control. We can work thinking only of our inconvenience, or work in reverence and gratefulness to the God who employs sinners. Which ways glorify Christ?
The Word will supply great and precious promises (v. 4) to guide our faith into fruitful channels of growth. If we desire the path of growing into Christ’s divine image, the Word’s promises will continually point us in that direction. When we believe the promises and act on them, we are already being empowered by the Spirit. We are already taking on the mind of Christ. As we see in the temptations in the wilderness, He also leaned on the promises.
Notice the strength of this word “diligence” in the Greek: “earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything.” This is far more than studying the words to find out what they mean. The use of the word diligence means that we work on the growth of these traits as a priority. We have the sense that this work is of utmost importance. Earnestness is the sense of pushing other things off your desk to work on a more urgent project. Whatever else we do, we do not want to lose sight of this work of being like Christ.
We have diligence when we are convinced that we can have these traits. With biblical faith, we seize on the promises as they come, and are renewed with zeal again. We develop these traits hand-in-hand with the Spirit’s training and illumination.
We give ourselves to this work because God Himself is behind it, and His promises will keep us on track all the way. God has decreed that this is the end result of our co-laboring with Him, and we will not fail when we go this way.
Our Father’s goal is that we be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). The New Testament’s commandments point us in this direction. All of the New Testament is “given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Not only equipped with power to do the good work, but suitable to express the image of Christ in every good work. How many ministries have been horribly marred by the lapse of one or more of these traits in a worker? These traits mirror the person who loves his neighbor as himself.
This practice is not a grim determination to do the work, but an eager anticipation to see God work through us with His extraordinary life.
Biblical faith is more than just believing something is true. As we see in Hebrews 11, the people of faith heard God’s direction and it lent them earnestness to follow through to the end. We don’t pump up our enthusiasm with personal mantras of bravado. Biblical faith hears God’s voice and is impelled to act.
Have you experienced biblical faith, or know mere believing? Don’t confuse the two. One works in response to His still small voice while the other is passively knowing about something. In Hebrews 11, Noah, Abraham, and Moses knew God speaking to them and directing them, not merely knew about something in a book.
Question: have you received strong reasons to make it a priority to be like Jesus?
1:8
“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Another reason to be diligent in this endeavor is that we will know Christ more. This reason alone should be more than sufficient to convince us to keep climbing the upward way. We can know more and more Him who loved us and gave Himself for us!
We have no better way to know Jesus than to grow in His attributes of love. This is more than head knowledge. This is carefully comparing ourselves to Him and making the effort to draw closer to His excellence. More than just mimicking or imitation, it’s cultivating the same spirit of love so it permeates everything we do. “Let all that you do be done in love,” 1 Corinthians 16:14 tells us. It’s the unapologetic, slavish attention to every detail of His perfection. And the assurance of God’s promised grace to attain it.
If you feel barren or unfruitful in your work, put Christ first. After all, these traits describe how Christ would love others in the work. The Ephesian church was diligent in pursuing good works, but in doing so they had left their first love. Reverse course. Let faith in His Word direct you to apprehend the riches of His glory and grace that you may carry “the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Not head knowledge, but true knowledge of Christ Himself. This will transform the character of our work. It will bring Christ’s own love into the work.
Question: what is it worth to you to know the Christ more and more?
1:9
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”
God’s gift to us is Jesus Christ His Son. To treat Him as something less is to insult the Father and Son. Life is in the Son. Our relationship with Christ is paramount. Without the Son, we shall not see life as God intended.
Sin separates us from this life with God. The Son was given for our sins that we may be delivered from sin’s power, be placed in God’s family, and unlock the joys of eternal life in a relationship with Christ. It’s a relationship of power and privilege as sons in the kingdom of light and life.
We fight to be free, knowing that the precious promises, the grace of God, and the leading of the Spirit will grant us immeasurably more than the world, the flesh, and the devil could ever deliver.
What’s the next step? Work harder? The next step is the same as it should always be. Read the Word, listening to the Lord for the next step to believe Him for, and follow through. Jesus Christ is Lord in truth when we live this way.
All of these traits above are about the character we have with other people. What defects in your relationships need work? What behavior or attitude needs to change? In what way can you trust the Lord to accompany your efforts and succeed? Since you can’t do anything without the Lord’s blessing, will you pray with faith so you keep following through until the problem is resolved?
Question: will you go through life blind to your sin, or own up to it and turn in a better direction with His grace?
1:10
“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”
Instead of forgetting that we were cleansed from our sins, we show gratefulness by pursuing a greater deliverance–we desire to see this salvation touch every area of our lives. The power of sin has been broken. We want to experience Christ’s liberty in it‘s fullness.
As we pursue the above traits in the power of God, His righteousness like the waves of the sea will spread further into our lives. In this way we are taking hold of His salvation and making it real in our lives.
The end result is a working out of the divine nature of love, like piecing together a puzzle bit by bit. We are called to this, to regain the image of God in us. When we follow Jesus by faith, and work with the Spirit of grace, we make our election sure; that is, we prove that we know God chose us for this purpose and are cooperating with him with this purpose in mind.
Question: have you made it clear that you want God’s transformative power evident in your life?
1:11
“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Our goal is to enter into the kingdom with honor, hearing the Lord say “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) We want to enter with joy and not shame (1 John 2:28). We want to enter the judgment period bearing a good report of our work.
Who we are when we die is how we will appear before the Judge of all the earth. Whether as a wise virgin or foolish one. A faithful servant or forgetful one. In the Spirit or in the flesh. Confessing Him or denying Him. Do you believe this?
The Christian life is a life of transformation. The process of salvation is the Spirit correcting our entire being bit by bit that we may reflect the image of Christ on earth. God has already supplied us with every means to bring about this end. It’s our responsibility to understand and apply these means. Beware the counterfeits of man and devil, of the world and the flesh.
We want an abundant entrance: we want the crown of life, to reign with Him, to have our name confessed before all the holy angels.
Our God, because He is rich in mercy and grace, “is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24).
This why we are diligent. This is why we labor with anticipation. This is why we believe. This is why we have hope. Because He is able.
Question: have you found a reason to collect promises that can sustain you in this new life?
