2 Peter 1:5-11: Keep Growing!

"Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." 2 Peter 1:10

There is a great fact in Christian living that I think we often forget: we still have room for growth. As we looked at a couple of weeks ago, Paul, perhaps the most sanctified man apart from Christ, admitted that he still had room for improvement (Phil. 3:12). Yet, many Christians in today's world think they have attained the goal. They think they've met the bar, crossed the finish line, and can now "take a break" for the rest of their life here on earth. Yet according to Peter, as we will see today, that simply isn't true.

In 2 Peter 1:3-4, Peter tells us that God has "granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." In other words, God has gifted us with all we need to accomplish his will. This is a convicting statement, as many times we excuse our sin because of our circumstances. Although our circumstances do play a role in our temptation, the fact of the matter is that we always have a way out of temptation (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Because of this very reason (that is, that God has given us all we need to live godly lives), he tells us to "make every effort" to supplement our faith. Now, let us pause for a moment. Peter literally tells us to "make every effort." Doesn't this sound like moralism? Aren't we supposed to just "let go and let God"? Am I not supposed to just let "Jesus take the wheel"? According to Peter, absolutely not. You see, my friends, sanctification (the process by which we become more like Christ) has two participants: you and God. God empowers, and we live out. In the words of Paul, God "works in" and we "work out." Or in the words of Peter, God empowers us with everything we need to live godly lives, and we "make every effort" to supplement our faith.

But what does Peter mean by "supplementing our faith." Well, if we look at the text, we find that Peter gives a list of virtues that we must add to our faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. In Peters exact words (which you can go read in 1 Peter 1:6-7), these virtues build upon one another, one coming after the next, as if to build a tower of godliness in our own lives. Yet, I don't think Peter's point here is that once we've accomplished one of these virtues, we can go on to the next. I think his point here is this: there's always room to grow, and thus we should always be growing. We have not yet arrived at the top of the tower of godliness, and thus we ought to seek every day to add to our faith. We must seek every day to be more virtuous, knowledgable, self-controlled, steadfast, godly, affectionate, and loving. We must "make every effort" every day of our lives to strive to become one step more like Christ.

I find it interesting here that Peter lists such a long list of virtues. Honestly, it's convicting for me, I think it might be for you too. How many times do you feel as if you've done good in the "affectionate" category for the day, and now you can take a nap until tomorrow comes along? How many times do you think you've done an adequate job "loving" your neighbor that "deserve" to put away the other virtues for the day? Let me make this more practical. How often do we read our Bibles and consider that we have done our "spiritual" thing for the day and then go on living pagan lifestyles? How many times do we spend 10 minutes in prayer and then neglect to love our wives, brothers, sisters, and children? Do we think that if we "check" one of the spiritual "checkboxes" for the day we've done enough?

According to Peter, we must seek each and every day to grow in every area that accords to godliness. And according to Peter, this, and only this, is what confirms our salvation. In other words, if you're not growing in Christ here on earth, you're not going to see Christ in heaven, because you won't be there (read 1 Peter 1:9)! This is a sobering reality, but it is confirmed by the words of Jesus so many times in his parables. If we are not producing fruit, we are not part of the vine of salvation. Thus, we must confirm our calling and election, seeking to grow each and every day by the power that God has placed within us. Amen!

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18