Let’s quickly review 2 Peter 1:1-4 and what God has done for us to set the context

for this morning’s study.

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the
righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as
precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 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.”

Note the following from each verse:

1) The apostle Simon Peter is writing to those who have the same kind of faith
in Jesus Christ that he had. This faith was received. This faith comes by the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. This faith recognizes that Jesus Christ is
both God and Savior.Peter does not challenge his readers to work hard in
order to be saved, but to strive diligently because they are saved

2) Peter’s desire is for grace and peace to grow in them and this would happen
through their close, personal, experiential knowledge of God the Father and
Jesus the Son.

3) The divine power needed for everything pertaining to life and godliness has
already been given to those who have this faith. This divine power is available
through a close, personal, experiential knowledge of the God who has called us
by His own glory and excellence.

4) By God’s glory and excellence He has already given those who have this faith
precious and magnificent promises which range from salvation and assurance
of heaven to His peace and supply for our needs in the present. All of these
promises are for the purpose that we
might share in God’s moral nature by becoming like Jesus Christ in character.
This enables us to escape the sinful corruption of this world and live in
righteousness.

Summary: God has given to every Christian everything needed to live the
Christian life in victory over sin. God has already done His part so that a
Christian can live in victory over sin. A Christian who lives in defeat does so
because they fail to do their part. The life of faith is active, not passive. It is lived
by stepping out in trust of God’s promises to do what He wants. What then is our
part in living in victoriously?

– 2 Peter 1:5-7
Peter begins verse 5 with the phrase, “Now for this very reason also,” which
points us back to the previous verses which we have just discussed and are
summarized in saying, God has already done His part in granting to us
everything we need to live the Christian life, but we also have to do our part. This
is a transition from what God has done for us to what we have to do. What is our
part? Peter gives us seven qualities to which we are to be “making every effort”
to supply alongside our faith.

“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.”
2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV

The word “making” means to “bring in beside” so the idea is that along with our
faith we are bringing alongside it our earnest effort.The word for “supply” was
used to refer to the training and staging of a grand chorus for some high civic
celebration for which the entire expense was paid for by a rich patron.So the full
sense here is to “bring along side your faith a determined effort to fully and
completely supply/ equip/provide that faith with”
1. Moral excellence-A Christian is supposed to glorify God because he has
God’s nature within
2. Knowledge-The word for knowledge here (gnwsin / gnosin) is not the one for
intellectual knowledge, but the practical knowledge of understanding &
application that comes with experience.
3. Self-control-This is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It is an abstinence from the
lust of the world. It controls all which includes reason, emotion and will
through the knowledge of the word and will of God.
4. Perseverance-The word here (upomonh / hupomon ) literally means
to“abide/dwell under,” and so the idea of perseverance and endurance. We
are not to turn aside when our faith is tested by trials
5. Godliness-live completely for God and be joyful about it.
6. Mutual affection-Brotherly love exists because of a likeness to the other.
7. Love-agape love. Love that chooses and commits itself to the best interest
of the other

To faith we add moral excellence. Because we believe God we move forward to

do what He wants us to do in glorifying Him. As we do that we gain an
experiential knowledge of God which in turn strengthens our trust of Him and
striving to glorify Him. These lead to self-control because moral excellence is
the opposite of selfishness, and self-control in turn strengthens moral
excellence and walking in the knowledge of God. To these are added
perseverance which arises from faith, excellence, knowledge of God and self-
control and in turn strengthens each of them as they are applied to the
hardships that are part of living in a sin cursed world. All these produce the
character of godliness which in turn also builds each of the other qualities as the
individual is increasingly marked by living for God’s glory. All of these will
produce interpersonal relationships which are marked by brotherly kindness,
which in turn continue to increase all the other qualities. As faith, excellence,
knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness and brotherly kindness
become the marks of a believer’s life, they will reflect the sacrificial love of God
in all areas seeking what is best for other people (brotherly kindness), show
piety in how they live (godliness), endure through the troubles of life
(perseverance), set aside their own selfish desires in submission to God’s will
(self-control), increase in their understanding of God (knowledge), in fulfillment
the purpose of their existence (excellence) all based in their faith in God.

Consequences

“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. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that
they have been cleansed from their past sins.”
2 Peter 1:8-9 NIV

If these seven qualities become the marks that characterize you and you
continue to grow in them, which should be or at least become true for any
Christian, then you will not be idle, useless nor unfruitful. In other words, if
these marks of Christian maturity are yours then you will be used of God. Now
Peter says, if these seven qualities are marks of our lives, we can be sure that we
will be gaining that intimate, experiential type of knowledge of Christ resulting in
fruit of Christian maturity.
“Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling
and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will
receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.”
2 Peter 1:10-11 NIV

Peter is referring to a spiritual understanding that is darkened because they are

only looking at what is close at hand and they are no longer seeing what God is
doing. These are people that get lost in their present troubles and become
consumed by them. They respond off their fleeting emotions of anger, passion,
depression, fear or whatever else they may be. They are no longer trusting God,
their faith has shrunk and they are consequently defeated by their sin.

When these qualities lack in a professing believer it will be either because their
profession is false, or they have forgotten the necessity to trust God at His word
and obey His commands and following His principles and precepts in
accomplishing His will.