2 Peter 1:3-11

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Last week, we got through verse 4 of 2 Peter 1, and we talked about how verses 3-4 tie directly to verses 5-7. We’re gonna go back and briefly hit verses 3-4 before we keep going.
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2 Peter 1:3–11 ESV
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 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. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
OK, so, as I said last week, we have to understand verses 3-7 as one thought. We got into verses 3-4 last week, but I want to circle back just a little bit so that it is fresh in our minds.
2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Now, I said this last week, but in the English language, we have sentences made up of verses 3-4, and also 5-7. But in the Greek, verses 3-7 are one sentence. That is a large chunk, and, honestly, we speak English, so that is how I am going to break it up, but I want to have that thought in our minds, because we will want to deal with these thoughts in a combined way.
So, we see that God’s divine power (which is also applied to Jesus in verse 16, later) is the source of all of the blessings that Peter enumerates here. It is a little ambiguous as to whether Peter is referring to Jesus or God here (more on that later).
In either case, we have been “granted” all things that pertain to life and godliness.
For the grammar nerds:

The perfect tense of “granted” (dōreomai) signals that believers are in a state/condition produced by this gift. The gift includes “all things” that pertain to life and godliness; nothing the believer needs has been excluded.

So, we are given all things good and godly by God’s own divine power.
But what does it mean when it says “life” and “godliness”?

“Life” refers to eternal or spiritual life, which all who know Jesus Christ experience now (John 17:3) in anticipation of its fullness in a new heavens and new earth (2 Pet. 3:13).

John 17:3 ESV
3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
So, this life is the now/not yet state we have as believers, where we know that our ultimate life is with Christ in glory, but for now, we live in the hope of that future.
What about godliness?

“Godliness” is a Godward orientation of life expressed in thoughts, feelings, attitudes, speech, and action; it should characterize our lives as believers (3:11) and is a prominent theme in Paul’s Pastoral Epistles as well. “Godliness” captures the first and greatest commandment, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).

So, what is the point of this phrase?

Peter’s point is that God has given us absolutely everything necessary for us to know him and to live in a way that honors him.

So, how does He do that?
“Through the knowledge of Him who called us."
We talked last week how the “His” and “Him” in these verses seems to be pointing toward Christ, showing Him as divine. We talked about how Peter sees the Spirit empowering the believer with all of these things.
It seems that Peter is (rightly) viewing God and Jesus as working together, inhibiting the same attributes, and making sure the congregation that receives this letter understands that Jesus is God. God the Father and God the Son are separate, but still equally powerful. Whatever power God has, Jesus has as well. Jesus Himself says that all he does is from the Father and for the Father’s glory and because of the Father’s will. Quibbling over the subject misses the message that God has ordained it to be that His power and calling are what enables us.
Again, I know I hit on this last week, but I was rushing to get finished and I want to retrace some steps here, but we see that Peter, having spent much of his adult life either being with Jesus or leading the church in His name, is reminding others that God, through Jesus, has called them (and us) by His own glory and excellence.
So, we see that God calls us to Himself (or saves us) by Christ’s glory and excellence, and it is by that calling - our salvation - that He grants to us His promises.
We cannot be “partakers” (vs 4) of the promises if we are not heirs to them.
Let me sit here for a second.

It is “by” God’s glory and excellence that “he has granted to us his precious and very great promises.” God’s glory and excellence are thus not only the means by which he calls us to himself (1:3) but also the means (or perhaps even the cause) by which he gives us his promises. Exodus 33–34 helps explain Peter’s logic. In response to Moses’ request to see God’s glory (Ex. 33:18), God passes before Moses proclaiming his name, Yahweh, which is further unpacked in terms of his identity as one who is full of mercy, grace, steadfast love, and forgiveness while at the same time being fully just in punishing the guilty (Ex. 34:6–7). Thus what makes God so glorious and excellent is that he forgives sin while remaining just. Because this is who he is, God gives us his promises. Although Peter does not specify which promises are in view, there may be some emphasis on those promises that deal specifically with God’s cleansing his people from their sin (Jer. 31:31–34) and empowering them by the Spirit to walk in obedience to him (Ezek. 36:26–27)—i.e., the promises of the new covenant. These promises are “precious and very great.” They are of the utmost value.

Here we see that God not only forgives us but gives us the inheritance. Because we have that inheritance, we can be partakers of the divine nature. We can be partakers because, in salvation, we have escaped the corruption of the world, because our desires are those of God, not the sinful desires of the world.

When a person is born again, there is a decisive break from the corruption of this world and a turning to Christ through the promises in the gospel that begins restoring the marred image of God in us. In 2 Peter, “corruption” characterizes false teachers (2:12) and those enslaved to their teaching (2:19). Sin is a corrosive agent causing the disintegration of God’s good created order. Such corruption is rooted in “sinful desire” that turns us inward to ourselves rather than upward to God and outward to others.

Now, again, as I said before, verses 3-4 are one sentence in English, with 5-7 being another sentence. In the Greek, 3-7 is one sentence. We must read these verses, then, as related and together as one thought.
2 Peter 1:5–7 ESV
5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
So, Peter’s thought in verse 3-4 is: God’s divine power through Jesus has given us everything we need for this Christian life, because of who Jesus is, because of His glory and His excellence, and because of the fact that we have been saved and made partakers in His promises, and have escaped the sinful corruption of the world.
Now, we get the application of that:
For this reason, supplement your faith with virtue, etc.
Because of what God has done, in Christ, we are to do something. We are not intended to sit idly by. We are to do the work. This is a call to action.
So, what does Peter mean when he says, “supplement your faith” with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.
This sounds like works, right?
Well, yeah, there are works involved.
Works do not grant us salvation. Works prove our salvation.
We all know this from our own personal relationships.
So, if I tell my wife I love her every day, she knows I love her, right?
Even if I don’t pick up my dirty clothes or dishes. Even if I don’t get her flowers occasionally. Even if I don’t ask her about her day.
You know, if I do that long enough, ignore her needs, make her life harder…when I tell her I love her, she might start to doubt that I actually do love her.
But if I make sure her car is full of gas, if I bring her a smoothie for lunch on Friday (without being asked)…If I do things that speak to her personally, I won’t have to tell her I love her, because my actions…my works…will show that I love her.
Now, I should also voice my feelings and tell her I love her, but that love should also prompt me to action.
Our love for Christ is much the same. When we refuse to do anything, our actions belie our words.
So, Peter says to supplement your faith.
Because of the realities that have been expressed in verses 3-4, we are to epichoregeo (e-pi-HOR-eh-go) or to “provide at our own expense” these things Peter lists.

Pursuing growth in holiness requires an investment of our time, resources, and energy. It must not be approached casually but requires Christians to “make every effort” to see these qualities produced in their lives. This expression communicates intentionality, passion, and diligence. One does not drift into greater measures of Christlikeness; intentional, Spirit-empowered effort must be exerted.

So, we have to put in the work.
What are we to provide; how are we to live out our faith?
Well, we see this sort of stacking of character traits here. It sort of serves as a set of building blocks for the believer’s life.
Virtue - the word here arete (ar-eh-TAY) has this connotation of excellence, and is the same word used in verse 3.
It’s

a term used widely in Greco-Roman philosophical circles for moral, intellectual, or even physical excellence. In the NT this word refers to either the excellencies/perfections of God (1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 1:3) or his excellencies reflected in the way his people live (here; Phil. 4:8). As those in a covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the Spirit empowers us both to proclaim God’s excellencies (1 Pet. 2:9) and to reflect them in our own daily lives.

Knowledge - The Greek word gnosis. But, while this word does typically refer to general knowledge, that doesn’t seem to be what Peter is indicating here. This isn’t

merely an intellectual grasp of the truth. He refers to relational knowledge of a person—Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). In addition, there are truths that must be known and acted on, referenced throughout this letter. Readers must beware that “no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation” (1:20). They must know and pursue “the way of righteousness” (2:21). They must recognize that “scoffers will come in the last days” (3:3). They must realize that the ignorant and unstable twist Scripture “to their own destruction” (3:16).

Self-Control - The word enkrateia (en-KRA-ti-ya). Typically means the trait of controlling one’s own desires (desires which would lead to actions). In particular, this term, this “restraint of one’s emotions, impulses, or desires,” really applies toward refraining from specific behaviors, particularly illicit sexual activity. One thing we need to make sure we understand, however, is that biblical self-control is not simply a mastery of ourselves by our own power or will, but rather a submission to God and surrendering of control to the Holy Spirit.
Steadfastness - The word is hypomone (hi-po-MO-nay). It means to endure. To withstand hardship or stress. One definition is:

“the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty.” As a product of suffering, steadfastness leads to proven character (Rom. 5:3–4). God gave us Scripture to produce endurance in us as we learn from those who have gone before (Rom. 15:4–5). Steadfastness is especially common in Revelation, where God’s people are called to endure as they live in a fallen world opposed to God and his purposes (Rev. 1:9; 2:2–3, 19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12).

Godliness - Greek: eusebeia (ev-SE-vee-uh). We saw this in verse 3, but godliness:

is a Godward orientation of life expressed in thoughts, feelings, attitudes, speech, and action; it should characterize our lives as believers (3:11) and is a prominent theme in Paul’s Pastoral Epistles as well. “Godliness” captures the first and greatest commandment, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).

Brotherly Affection - We know this one in Greek, right? City of Brotherly Love? philadelphia This is a love that is characterized as affection as if for a sibling.

Because we are members of God’s family, we should love one another. Such brotherly love is a byproduct of obeying the truth of the gospel (1 Pet. 1:22) and must be intentionally pursued (Rom. 12:10; Heb. 13:1). Peter elsewhere commands believers to “love the brotherhood” (1 Pet. 2:17) and lists such brotherly love as a key mark of the church (1 Pet. 3:8).

And this one is both easy and hard. Because, we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and we have lots of common ground, so we sometimes find it easy to love one another in the church. But also, we get so frustrated and angry with one another in the church because of quirks, misunderstandings, lack of communication, differing ideals…in short, just like siblings, we love and hate one another. Again, that is why we have to intentionally pursue this brotherly love to add to our faith.
Love - Finally, love. We probably all know that “love” in English has like, 37 Greek variants. Eros, Phileo, Agape, Pizza…wait, that last one isn’t it.
But in this instance, Peter uses agape. It is that sense of unconditional love.
And look, how many lists of Christian character end with love? It isn’t an accident that this is the last one he lists.

in 1 Peter 4:8 the apostle writes, “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (cf. 1 Cor. 13:1–13; Col. 3:14). Peter may have in mind Jesus’ words in John 13:34–35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Biblical love is not a feeling provoked by the beauty of its object but rather is a commitment of the heart, mind, and soul to pursue what is best for the one being loved. Our love for others should reflect the self-sacrificial love of Christ, who laid down his life so that we might know the Father. The Spirit of that same Christ lives in us as believers to empower us to love God and others in the way he himself did.

So, we have seen these qualities, these character traits that we are to add to our faith at our own expense. Why?
2 Peter 1:8–9 ESV
8 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. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Look, this list is not meant to be some exclusive all-encompassing check-list, but Peter is saying that if you have these qualities growing in you along with your faith, it’s gonna keep you from being unfruitful for Christ. The idea here is that these qualities are not just “increasing,” but flourishing. Growing in abundance.

The Spirit producing the qualities of 1:5–7 in the Christian renders the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ both effective and fruitful, which is God’s intended goal.

Verse 9 is the flip-side.
Now, I have my contacts in now, but if I took those out, I wouldn’t be able to see any of you. According to my prescription and a little Google-fu, I found that, basically, without my contacts or glasses, what a normal-sighted, 20/20 person could see at 150 feet is what I could see at 20 feet.
Y’all, without these, I am virtually blind.
The same is true for the person who is not adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love to their faith.
They are blinded, and cannot see.
In scripture, blindness is almost always equated with a lack of spiritual understanding.
They also have forgotten that they were cleansed from their former sins. They have forgotten they are purified, and are acting in a manner that does not befit a purified one.
This all leads to his conclusion in verses 10-11:
2 Peter 1:10–11 ESV
10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter reminds the believers of their brotherhood first and their effort second.
Brotherhood:
He just reminded them in 5-7 that they should supplement their faith with brotherly affection and love. Peter recalls that idea specifically calling them “brothers.” They are siblings, brother to Christ and subject to God the Father. This familial relationship is a key component in the body, and for the strengthening of our faith.
We are not meant to do this Christian life alone. Peter leans into this connection.
Second, he tells them to be “all the more diligent.”
Again, this word (GR: spoudazo) is the verb form of the noun used in verse 5 translated as “effort”.

it means “to be especially conscientious in discharging an obligation” and frequently occurs in contexts calling the believer to pursue different aspects of a holy life (Gal. 2:10; Eph. 4:3; Heb. 4:11). Pursuit of a life reflecting the character of Christ demands a Spirit-empowered urgency, which stems from living in the last days as we await the consummation of God’s promises (2 Pet. 3:14).

Now, I want to take some time here to help us understand that this next bit has caused contention for a long time.
Because we are looking at verses that say “confirm your calling and election”...”practice these … never fall”…”there will be richly provided for you an entrance into … the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
You can see how taking that at face value could easily be interpreted as: Check these items off the list, and you punch your ticket to heaven.
That is NOT what Peter is saying.
Peter is reminding the believers here that their faith, which comes through God’s power, and He is the one who calls, should be confirmed by the manner in which we live. Remember Paul’s words to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 4:1 ESV
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

Believers have been chosen by God (1 Thess. 1:4), but not on the basis of anything they are or have done (1 Cor. 1:27–28). Election is a central aspect of God’s purpose in redemptive history (Rom. 9:11; 11:28) and is the reason there is a remnant of Jews who believe in Jesus as Messiah despite widespread Jewish rejection of Christ (Rom. 11:5–7). Considered together, God effectually calls those whom he has elected for salvation (Rom. 8:29–30).

So, we are to provide proof, as if in a legal case, of our calling in the manner in which we live.
If we do this, if we live the way Peter is telling us to live in verses 5-7, we will not fall.
And in light of the context of 2 Peter, it seems plain that he means, “You will not fall subject to false teachers, who are trying to pull you away from Christ.”
Which is why there is entrance to the kingdom provided.
John C. Maxwell said, “Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”
When we “walk our talk,” we prove our stated beliefs are our reality. This is what “living out your faith” means. It means doing the things that God has called us to do, has shown us to do, has told us to do.
When we supplement our faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love, we show other believers, and non-believers who we truly are.
And we confirm what God has said about us.
And we will be “richly provided” entrance to God’s kingdom.
Interestingly, the verb epichoregeo (e-pi-HOR-eh-go) here (will be … provided) is the same one from verse 5.
There Peter tells the believers to “provide at their own expense” these things that give credence to their faith.
Yet here, Peter is closing this section with the same word, but in a different (passive) voice.
He is saying that we are to do the work of confirming our calling by living the way God called us.
And God Himself will provide (epichoregeo) an entrance to His kingdom.
God is the one that allows us access. We don’t earn it. We can’t earn it. All we can earn is death.
But when we prove our faith, we cement this understanding of what we are working towards.
It isn’t like we have to do this work until we have stored up enough good that we unlock the gate.
No, the gate is unlocked at our conversion.
But we are to live in such a way, as servants of the king, that we simply cannot even think of trying to enter until we have fulfilled the mission. We have to work while it is day, because the night is coming.
Let’s pray.
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