Accurate Reflection
2 Peter 1:5-8 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“For this very reason….” What is the reason? Well, we have to look back at verses 1-4 (this is why context is important) “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” So when Peter says, for this reason, he’s speaking about God’s divine power providing all we need for a godly life, through our knowledge of God. We have to KNOW Him in order to connect to the divine power that will keep us and protect us. We have to know Him in order to know and understand those great and precious promises. And when we know Him? Well, it’s not just a casual acquaintance. It becomes a deep love, an intimate understanding, a dependence upon and longing for a deeper relationship that grows richer and more beautiful as our faith and knowledge grow. It becomes a communion with God in His divine nature. What a reason to grow!!
So, Peter tells us, for this very reason, add to our faith… the King James version says “giving all diligence” meaning, we need to interest ourselves earnestly, eagerly...we should want this more than anything else (1). Our attitude matters in these matters! God does the work, but we have to be willing, eager participants.
So, what do we add?
Goodness- aretē: moral excellence, virtue (2).
Knowledge-gnōsis: of God, His Word and the gospel, the “deeper, more perfect and enlarged knowledge” of Christ and His word; not simply ‘intelligence’ (3).
Self-control- egkrateia: the virtue of mastering desires and appetites and bringing them into submission so as not to not fall into temptation; temperance (4).
Perseverance- hypomonē: “patient, steadfast endurance; a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings” (5).
Godliness- eusebeia: “reverence, respect, piety towards God” (6)
Mutual Affection-philadelphia: “brotherly love”, love of believers toward one another as the family of God (7)
Love-agapē: “affection, good will, love, benevolence, brotherly love” (8)
And when we add these virtues, what is the result? Peter tells us, if we possess these in increasing measure, “they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We need more than just faith, friends. Our sons and daughters don’t just need the ‘fire insurance’ of belief in Jesus Christ, they need to be ever-growing, allowing God, through their knowledge of His Word, to change them and make them more like Christ. Those character qualities above are reflective of the divine nature we participate in when we become believers. They are evidence of a changed life. They are marks of growth and the refining that purifies our faith.
“For this reason”, friends, we need to remind ourselves of what God is calling us into and why. As believers, we are a reflection of Jesus to others, so it’s vital that we grow in the character qualities that are His, so we are an accurate reflection, not a lame imitation.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters add to their faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love so they will be effective and productive in their knowledge of Jesus. Pray 2 Peter 1:5-8 out loud, putting in your son or daughter’s name and claiming these promises on their behalf. Pray that they will be an accurate and God-honoring reflection of Jesus to others.
Pray without ceasing.
G4710 - spoudē - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4710/kjv/tr/0-1/
G703 - aretē - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g703/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G1108 - gnōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1108/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G1466 - egkrateia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1466/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G5281 - hypomonē - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5281/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G2150 - eusebeia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2150/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G5360 - philadelphia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5360/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G26 - agapē - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g26/niv/mgnt/0-1/