2 Peter 1 (KJV): “5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
So, what is the Apostle Peter saying here? He emphasizes faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, Godliness, brotherly kindness and charity (love). He is telling us that if we walk with these traits evident and growing, we will be fruitful and productive in our walk with, service to, and knowledge of – God. He also says we will be making our make our calling and election sure. And finally, he says we will be abundantly supplied with admittance to the Kingdom of God. How awesome is that?
Is Peter saying that the path to salvation is based upon these things? Not at all. Salvation comes from faith in Jesus Christ our Messiah and Savior. It is a gift that we cannot earn. But just as James says: faith without works is dead; we see that Peter says these traits demonstrate our true conversion.
We should be sure to check ourselves from time to time to make certain we are growing in Christ and “making our calling and election sure” by our demonstration of a changed life.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t measure up like you may want to – as long as your direction is right. You likely will never attain perfection on this earth – as only our Savior Himself did.
