II Peter 1:5-11 (ESV) 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. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Because of the great promises that God has given us we should be working at growing. As Christians we should be constantly striving to grow in faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and brotherly affection with love. Peter tells us that if we possess these qualities and are growing in them we will be effective and fruitful in the Kingdom of God.
When we look at vs. 5 we see Peter's exhortation to make every effort. Yet, while we are making every effort to grow in these traits, what we do only comes along side what God has already done for us. We should always be humbled by the great love God has for us. Jesus paid the debt of our sin. Yet we must live after the example of Christ to be pleasing to God. There are many references in the New Testament teaching us to give our all in pursuit of the Christian life.
Faith is a key element in being pleasing to God.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
It is our active and living faith that shows we believe God and are following after him. The Hebrew writer noted that to be pleasing to God we must both believe in Him and believe that He rewards those that seek Him. We must be those who are seeking God according to His will.
Faith is the foundation for all of the other characteristics we should have in our life.
Virtue is the determination to do what is right.
Knowledge, as referenced in these verses, is the discrimination to know right and wrong. We need to be sure we are training our conscience to ensure that we hate evil and love good. Is important to note that while we hate evil and love good, we love the souls of all men. We may not like that actions that people take; however, we are all made in the image of God and we desire that all men would come to know God's word and will and seek to follow it. Because of our love for our fellow man we will teach them about God's word and we will bring sin to their attention. We do this because we love their souls. We will speak out against evil and sin because we care for the spiritual wellbeing of others.
Self-Control is keeping our actions and speech under control. We have the power to choose how we react to people, conditions, and events. When we use this power of choice we are exercising self-control.
Steadfastness is resistance to evil and bearing under evil, persecution and challenging circumstance. Steadfastness will build patience.
Godliness is humble reverence and deep piety toward God.
Micah 6:8 (ESV) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Brotherly affection is love for the brethren. One of my favorite scriptures describing the qualities of the love of a Christian is I Corinthians 13.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
The qualities that Peter mentions in II Peter chapter 1 should be ever increasing in our lives. We need to be asking ourselves frequently -
Am I a stronger Christian today than I was a month ago, a year ago, five years ago, and when I first obeyed God's call?
Am I bearing fruit (Fruit of the Spirit)?
Galatians 5:22-24 (ESV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we are growing and living in these Christian graces we will be living in a way that brings honor to God and is pleasing to him.
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