For this very 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. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)From this passage, I clearly understand that if I want my life to make a difference, then I must “make every effort” or as the old King James version says, “give diligence” to some spiritual disciplines.
While this passage says it is up to me to add to my faith, I know that spiritual disciplines are merely “places of grace.” That is, God does the addition if I will put myself in position to receive His grace. I will grow in these qualities if I pay attention to what God wants from me, and obey what I already know.
First, I’m to make sure that my faith is the right kind. Faith is not just believing the right teachings (doctrine), but it is depending on Christ, and on Christ alone, for everything. I cannot even trust God without His help, never mind obey God and add these things to my life. Jesus is my Savior; I am not.
I am to make every effort to add virtue and goodness, saying no to sin and yes to God. I am to study the Bible and from it get knowledge. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly . . .” (Colossians 3:16), but also obeying what God teaches me. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)
Self-control is included in this recipe for effectiveness. If my life is to mean anything for God, than I need to “take heed to thy body: be temperate without. Take heed to thy soul: be temperate within. Get temperance of lip, life, heart, and thought.” Spurgeon’s words may sound old fashion, but he is right. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.”
After that comes steadfastness. This is patient, consistent endurance. It is keeping on, no matter what. God asks me to choose to be a godly person in the face of all trials, temptations, hurts, and disappointments. I am not to complain or be depressed by adversity. This is an incredible challenge and I needed to hear it today. Spurgeon says that when this grace is won, then when I am tested, I “shall come forth as gold.”
The next virtue is godliness, which is more than being pious or religious. It is making God’s glory my goal. It is living continually in the sense of His presence, having uninterrupted fellowship with Him. While this is incredibly appealing, it comes with a price. Only those who feel weak and helpless can continually abide in close fellowship with the Lord. Our tendency to do things ourselves quickly spoils this total dependance on Him.
The above passage says at the end to add brotherly affection and love. These are two different words. Brotherly affection is a love for those we care about, particularly my brothers and sisters in Christ. While this has occasional challenges, it is easier to obey than that other word for love.
Love (charity in the KJV) is from “agape” a unique term. It describes a self-sacrificing love that does what is best for others, with or without any feelings of affection. It is the love of God that was proved in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sin. It didn’t depend on me, for “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This is how He wants me to love others, with affection certainly, but also whether or not I feel like it. My love is to be like His love, totally unconditional.
The bottom line is that if I have these qualities and they are increasing in me, they will prevent me from being ineffective and unfruitful. Interesting wording. The effectiveness still depends on God. That is, I can be all this and effectiveness is not automatic. However, if these things are absent, then I cannot expect to be effective for they open the way for God to use me.
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Lord, again You give me what I need to hear. I must work on the steadfast part, keeping on no matter what. You ask that I be a godly person even when others throw rocks at me or in front of me. I can bring the hurts to You but not let them be an excuse to stop pressing on. Instead, I’m to let these things test and develop my ability to be patient and to endure.
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