2 Peter Chapter 1 Verses 5-11

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1 2 Peter Chapter 1 Verses 5-11 NKJV Notes by Pastor Mike Sasso Adding to Your Faith Introduction Some Christians believe that all you need is to have faith in God and He will do everything for you. But as we study the scriptures carefully we will see that it is each Christian s responsibility to add to their faith. What are we to add? And how do we add them to our faith? That is what we hope to learn from studying today s text. Faith is crucial to the Christian (Heb. 11:6). The scriptures tell us that salvation comes by Grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). But one may ask, Once I am saved and have faith, do I need to do anything else? In our text today Peter exhorts us to add to our faith. The more you study the scriptures the more you will continue to see that there is a responsibility placed upon the Christian to maintain their walk with God and to do the things needed to grow spiritually. Pay special attention to our text today it contains instructions on how to grow spiritually, instructions that many Christians miss. Those are the Christians that are shortsighted (v. 9) even blinded and forgetful of what God s Grace has already done for them. If you don t want to be numbered among them read on! STUDY NOTES: verses 5-11 v. 5 But Also for this Very Reason - Remember that the best way to understand any verse is by studying the context in which it is found. Peter has just told his readers in v. 3-4 that God has given us great promises that can transform our lives if we lay hold of them. He even goes so far to say that we can become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through God s exceedingly great and precious promises. So, because of these promises and also for this very reason we must do the following Giving All Diligence - Giving implies a conscious act of willing contribution. All diligence means with everything you ve got! Some translations put this Make every effort. Add to Your Faith Faith is the conviction of the truth. So let s get this straight. Peter is telling us to not just be content to have a conviction of the truth, but to add certain things to that conviction. Some of these things are actions and others are character traits. Let s take a look at each ingredient we are told to add to our faith Virtue This is a character trait defined by the actions of one s life. Virtue means moral excellence, purity and modesty.

2 To Virtue Knowledge - Being morally pure is not enough. A person can actually be morally pure simply because they are naive and sheltered. Peter tells us we must add knowledge to virtue. Knowledge here means an intelligent understanding of the Christian faith. We can only have this through the knowledge of God s Word. v. 6 To Knowledge Self-Control - Once we have knowledge (an intelligent understanding of the Christian faith), we must then apply that knowledge into action. Self-control ( temperance in the KJV) is the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites (Thayer s Greek Dictionary). Sadly, many people have convictions but don t live by them. Peter is simply saying, know what you believe and live like you believe it! To Self-Control Perseverance - Perseverance means to bear up under pressure. This means that not only are we to be self-controlled, but when tested by various trials, we are to exhibit a consistent, enduring self-control. In other words, our self-control is to be ongoing and lasting in every season and situation. Some synonyms for perseverance are steadfast, consistent, patience, sustaining, and endurance. To Perseverance Godliness - Godliness is a reverence and respect toward God and the things of God. This reveals the motive behind our virtue, knowledge, self-control and perseverance. We add all of these things to our lives because we respect and revere the Lord. v. 7 To Godliness Brotherly Kindness - The phrase brotherly kindness simply means to have a family type love for all members of the body of Christ. It is not enough to be godly. The Christian life must include love and kindness. And to Brotherly Kindness Love - This love is the Greek word agape. It most often is referring to the kind of love God has for us. The major difference between brotherly kindness and agape is, brotherly kindness implies a mutual family love which love is shared between both parties, while agape does not need to be loved in return. Agape loves regardless of circumstances, just as God loves us not because we are lovable or because we deserve His love. God loves because God IS love. Agape requires no reward or reason. Agape loves by its very nature. v. 8 For if These Things are Yours and Abound - There again is that word if. There are many conditions to the promises and plans of God. If the things we just studied are a part of your life, then you can claim the following promise. If they are absent from your life, you cannot expect the benefits promised in this text. To abound means to exist in abundance. You Will be Neither Barren Nor Unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ - Barren means idle, useless or unproductive. Unfruitful is unproductive as a fruit tree that bears no fruit. This is a picture of a fruit tree not doing what it was created to do. The positive way of wording what Peter is exhorting us here is, if we make an effort to add the things listed above to our lives, we will be what God has called and designed us to be in Christ. v. 9 For He who Lacks These Things is Shortsighted, Even to Blindness - The KJV swaps the order of shortsighted and blind in the sentence. In either case Peter is describing one who is

3 exceedingly limited in his spiritual vision. There are various levels of blindness. The context reveals that the person Peter is describing is shortsighted because he can t see into the past. He has forgotten what God has done. And Has Forgotten That He was Cleansed from His Old Sins What a blindness this is when a person forgets the joy and power of receiving forgiveness of sins and new life. This is a description of a backslidden Christian. He has lost sight of God s priorities and plans for his life. He has lost his way because he can only see what is immediately in front of him. This is the person who finds his life spiritually barren and unfruitful. In this state of mind one can easily become obsessed and overcome with all kinds of sin since he has forgotten the joy of being cleansed from sin. Since he has also lost sight of God s abundant life, he likely looks for other means of satisfaction in life. v. 10 Therefore, Brethren - Again we are reminded that Peter is writing to brethren. Thus, these are the sorts of things that can happen to genuine Christians. Again remember what the word therefore means. Because of the warnings written before let us take the following action Be Even More Diligent to Make Your Call and Election Sure - The Christian is called to action here. Diligent means to eagerly exert one s self. Some suggest that to make your call and election sure simply means to prove that you are truly elected by God. Others would say that you can actually secure or make sure your calling and election by what you do or don t do. Often Christians will choose to interpret scripture according to their already preconceived theological convictions. I.e. Calvinist or Arminian. But if we wish to learn the actual meaning of any text we must open our minds to the context and be willing to have any incorrect preconceived notions corrected by God s Word. Notice that our next phrase gives us more conditions and consequences of our actions For if You Do These Things You Will Never Stumble - To stumble here means to fall, as the KJV accurately translates it. This quite obviously means that if we don t do these things we shall fall (Cp. 2 Peter 3:17-18). This does not necessarily mean this person will lose his salvation. But it certainly is warning of a Christian backsliding or falling away from the path of righteousness. v. 11 For so an Entrance will be Supplied to You Abundantly Into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Now ending on a very positive note, Peter points you to God s promise of eternal life, which will be abundantly provided to those who heed Peter s instructions. Before we end this study please note whose everlasting kingdom we are talking about. Our closing statement again supports the deity of Jesus Christ. This everlasting kingdom belongs to our Lord (master) and Savior (deliverer) Jesus (His name means Jehovah is salvation ) Christ (the anointed one). This would be blasphemous speech if Jesus were not God incarnate. TRUTH APPLIED:

4 1. We know that we are saved by grace not works (Eph. 2:8). But then why are we told by Peter to add to our faith? What is the difference between a works-based religion and what Peter is teaching us here? 2. According to today s text, what will happen to Christians who neglect to add to their faith? What does that mean? 3. Carefully go over each ingredient that Peter says we must add to our faith (v. 5-7). Define each one in your own words and then think of a specific example of what this would look like in a person s life. 4. What should be our motive for eagerly following Peter s instructions here? 5. What do you consider the most important lesson learned from today s text? This answer may vary from person to person. 6. Read verse 10 again. Put this verse in your own words. What do you think Peter means by the word stumble or fall? There are various opinions of how to answer this question among even theologians. Therefore, allow room for variety and grace as you may find disagreement among yourselves as to how to answer this question. 7. What do we learn from today s text about the deity of Jesus Christ?

5 8. Open up for a time of questions that might remain in anyone s mind concerning today s text. Remember there will always be gray areas or differences of opinion on some issues. Use discernment and know when it is time to just let a matter rest and move on. CONCLUSION: Because of some of the controversial statements in today s text you may find some disagreement among yourselves. Learn to love and accept each other in the Lord in spite of your differences. Make it your goal to respect each other as you would want to be respected. This is a sign of mature Christianity when you can have love and unity in Christ, even when you may have differing opinions. Remember that too much focus upon the gray areas can make you lose focus upon the clear and precious truths that are found in the text. Close in a time of prayer and praise, focusing upon Jesus and His grace. Leaning on Him, Mike Sasso