We who desire to be known as Christians by and through our words and deeds are always challenged by the fact that we are human and, as such, we are not perfect. We are called to be saints, yet we know within our own consciences how often we fall short of that ideal. Peter knew this, and in his role as apostle and teacher, he gave advice to us here as to how to continue growing in the faith within the context of our human weakness.
Though or because we are imperfect, we are always capable of getting better, of progressing toward that sainthood that Jesus calls us to over the course of a lifetime. Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit here, gives us a path, a means, through which we can check our progress and remain engaged in the long, hard work of this effort to become the persons God wants and made us to be, He writes: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love” (2 Peter 1: 5-7).
Let’s look at these suggestions for our continued growth in the faith. The first thing we see is that we are to supplement or add to our present faith with “virtue”. Faith is an internal reality. Virtues are the public habits, the behaviors of moral character. When added to our expression of faith, our faith takes on a public reality; it becomes visible and effective. These virtues are gained only through long, hard practice. We gain knowledge of how to live a good, Christian life through the constant, continual study of the faith alongside the practice of these virtues. Knowledge of the good leads to the desire to seek and to practice the good. The means necessary to regularly practice our knowledge of the good is self-control. We all know how difficult the practice of self-control can be. It requires real endurance to get through all of the challenges of inordinate self-concern, temptation, and failure that come our way. But when we develop the habit of self-control and add to it our devotion to God and our mutual affection toward one another, then we will begin to truly live our call and our election in this faith. Our faith will become more than words, more than an idea, but a real, living, and effective reality. “If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 8).
Peter warns us that “anyone who lacks these things is nearsighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins” (v. 9). We do not want to be found nearsighted in our faith, or worse, blind, forgetful of our tendency to sin. A nearsighted faith is lackluster, tepid, lukewarm, and, therefore, unfruitful. A faith that is shaped by, or conforms itself to worldly ideologies and values, is blinded to the truth of Jesus Christ, and stumbles and falls short of the true calling of our faith, which is to live as lights in the midst of a darkened world. Therefore, Peter enjoins us to “be more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you” (vs. 10-11).
This passage ends with Peter recognizing his duty to remind us of these things. It is always good to be reminded of the good that Jesus Christ calls us to live with and for one another. It is good to be reminded that faith is much more than words or thoughts and wonderful ideas. Our faith in Jesus Christ is meant to be a living thing, a public expression of an inner reality, a practice that bears real fruit. It is good to have these things brought back into our minds and hearts to be reconsidered and to be recommitted to each day. After all, as Jesus tells us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven will enter” (Mt. 7:21). Let us all, then, be more eager to confirm our calling and our election as followers of Jesus Christ, by committing to grow in virtue, in our knowledge of the Word of God, in self-control, in devotion and mutual affection toward one another. In the practice of these things, God’s grace will be abundant, and our faith will become more fruitful. Thanks be to God.
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