God’s magnificent promises are available, but not automatic. There is a divine interplay between God’s provision and our responsibility. Peter opened his second epistle revealing God’s gracious provision for us in verses 1-4, and then he identified our responsibility to appropriate God’s promises in our lives:

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7)

The word diligence conveys the idea of haste or urgency implying a sense of earnestness. Faith is the foundation, but faith does not stand alone. We must supply specific character qualities to our faith. The word supply is an imperative and the tense implies that we are to do it at once. This word indicates a generous and lavish provision.

The first quality that we are to add to our faith is moral excellence. This was the preeminent word for virtue in the Greek culture. Moral excellence is the quality that leads to one being an expert in the art of living well.

Then we are to add knowledge. This type of knowledge refers to experiential knowledge comprising understanding, insight, and the application of truth to life. The Hebrew mindset recognized knowledge as not simply cognitive understanding, but knowledge that influences one’s behavior.

Proper knowledge leads to self-control. Self-control literally means mastery from within. The power to control oneself from within ultimately comes from God as an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. Self-control naturally to perseverance.

Perseverance is a compound word that literally means to stay under. It is a picture of steadfastly bearing up under a heavy load and describes the quality of character that does not surrender in difficult circumstances or quit in the face of adversity.

Next, we are to add godliness. This word literally means to worship well and it reflects an attitude to live with a sense of God’s presence in all that we think, do, and say. Our godliness is not meant to be kept for ourselves, but it is to be manifested to others.

Therefore, we are to add brotherly kindness to these character qualities. This is also a compound word from which we derive the English word Philadelphia, which literally means brotherly love.

Peter concluded his list with love. This is the agape love that Paul referred to as the greatest quality (1 Corinthians 13:13). This is the type of love that is volitional, unconditional, and sacrificial. Peter then encouraged the recipients of his letter with this promise:

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:8)

May we be diligent to supply these qualities to our faith.

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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