2 Peter 1:5-11: The Pursuit of Virtue

2 Peter 1:5-11: The Pursuit of Virtue

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of 2 Peter, and today the next passage we come to is 2 Peter 1:5-11. It says,

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. 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Let’s pray: Father, every word we find written in this passage is a priceless treasure because it’s your self-revelation. Thank you that we don’t have to guess about who you are or how we can know you or live in the realm of your blessing. You’ve already told us in your Word. So help us to understand everything we need to understand and be changed in every way we need to be changed through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray, amen. The word “Bible” literally means “book.” So, when we refer to the Christian Scriptures as “the Bible,” we’re literally saying it’s “the book.” It’s not just one book among many others or even a really good book in comparison with other books. It’s “the book”—a book that’s fundamentally different from every other book that’s ever been written. 

For example, when we read other great literary works, we often recognize and appreciate the features that make them so great. Yet at the end of the day, even the greatest of these literary works are still just pieces of literature that we interpret. However, when we start reading the Bible, we discover that it’s so much more than that. Instead of just being a piece of literature that we interpret, the Bible interprets us. It speaks to us with unique authority and judges us and evaluates us. It has a way of exposing even the deepest thoughts and motives of our hearts and shining a spotlight, as it were, into every crevice of our lives.  

Hebrews 4:12-13 says it like this: 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Perhaps you’ve had that experience—what verse 13 describes as being “naked and exposed” before the all-seeing eyes of God. That’s how we feel when we read the Bible. It has an uncanny ability to strip us of every pretense and expose the deepest recesses of our hearts and speak to us with an authority that’s utterly unique. And that’s one of the ways we know that the Bible truly comes from God—because what other book does that the way the Bible does? Again, we interpret other pieces of literature, but when we start reading the Bible, we discover that the tables are turned and that it interprets us. 

And that’s the reason God’s given us the Bible in the first place. He’s given it to us because he wants it to have an effect on us. I appreciate the way D. L. Moody so famously said it. He stated that “the Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” Something’s wrong if we’re just reading the Bible to acquire information as an end in itself. Our ultimate goal shouldn’t be information but rather transformation—because that’s the effect God’s designed the Bible to have in our lives. 

And as we’re going to see, all of this is very true of the main passage before us this morning in 2 Peter 1. This passage searches our hearts and speaks to our lives in a very direct manner. So, let’s look together at the things this passage has to say to us. 

In verse 5, the first words we read are “For this very reason….” That’s how the verse begins. So, the natural question for us to ask before we go any further is, for what very reason? We find the answer, of course, in the previous verses, which we looked at last Sunday. Those verses emphasize the importance not just of knowing about God but of actually knowing God in a personal way. That, we said last Sunday, is our first and highest calling. Not only that, in verse 4, Peter talks about us actually becoming “partakers of the divine nature.” God’s own nature is imparted to us. Now, this doesn’t mean we become God or become a part of God, but it does mean that we’re progressively transformed to resemble God more and more and reflect many of his glorious attributes in our lives. 

So, “For this very reason,” Peter says in verse 5, we should be very deliberate about pursuing certain character qualities. Exhibiting these character qualities is at least part of what’s involved in us becoming “partakers of the divine nature.” And look at the qualities Peter lists. He writes in verses 5-7, 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, according to verse 5, we’re supposed to “make every effort” to acquire these character qualities. That phrase “make every effort” reminds us that these qualities aren’t automatic. We have to pursue them. In fact, as we’ll see in the subsequent verses of the passage, our pursuit of these qualities is one of the key things that demonstrates the genuineness of our faith. Growing in godly character isn’t some peripheral concern or an “optional extra” of the Christian life. It’s an essential component of what we’re called to. So, the main idea of this passage is that Christians demonstrate the genuineness of their faith through their pursuit of virtuous character qualities. Again, Christians demonstrate the genuineness of their faith through their pursuit of virtuous character qualities.

And if you look at the way Peter speaks of these qualities, you can see that each quality that’s mentioned is connected to the quality that comes before it and the quality that comes after it. This isn’t merely a list of character qualities that each stand independently of each other but rather what we might think of as a chain of character qualities. Each quality is like a link on a chain and is connected to the links on either side of it. Each quality is needed to complete the quality that comes before it and should result in the quality that comes after it. 

So, the order in which they occur is no accident. If you notice in verse 5, “faith” is mentioned first because it’s the most foundational. Faith in Jesus is the foundation of every other virtue. Then, if you notice in verse 7, “love” is mentioned last because it’s the culmination of all the others. We might think of it as the peak or the citadel of the mountain. So, you have faith at the bottom as the great bedrock of everything. Then, resting on the bedrock of faith, you have “virtue,” which is also translated as “moral excellence.” Then comes “knowledge,” then “self-control,” then “steadfastness,” then “godliness,” then “brotherly affection,” and then, finally, as the peak of the mountain and what everything else has been building toward, “love.” 

So, these are the qualities we should be pursuing. With every year that goes by, we should be exhibiting these qualities to a greater and greater degree. Even though we’ll never be perfect on this side of heaven, we should at least be growing in all of these areas. We said last week that knowing God transforms us. Well, here are the specific ways in which that transformation should be manifested in our lives. 

Now, keep in mind that the transformation of our character that’s pictured in these verses is a transformation that’s distinctly Christian. We might call it “biblical transformation.” And it’s a lot different than the secular idea of self-help or self-improvement we often encounter in society. In fact, I believe it’s so important for us to understand this distinction that I’d like to give you four ways in which biblical transformation—that is, the kind of transformation spoken of in this passage—is different than self-improvement. 

First, self-improvement grows out of a secular worldview, while biblical transformation rests on the foundation of the gospel. The secular worldview tells us all kinds of things about ourselves and the world around us that simply aren’t true such as the assertion that there’s no inherent right or wrong, that the highest good we could ever seek is our own self-actualization, and that each of us has nearly unlimited potential to be who we desire to be. And self-improvement rests on that secular worldview. 

However, biblical transformation rests on a much different worldview. If you remember in verse 5, all of the character qualities that we pursue rest on the foundation of what? What’s the foundational quality that’s mentioned? Faith. Faith, in what, though? Well, I’d say faith in the gospel—and faith in the very centerpiece of the gospel, which is Jesus.  

You see, the Bible teaches that you and I and everyone else in the world have all been created in order to glorify God and enjoy an all-satisfying relationship with God. That’s the purpose for which God made us. However, instead of fulfilling that purpose, we’ve all rebelled against God. The Bible calls this rebellion “sin.” And sin is particularly heinous when you consider how good and gracious God’s been to us. God’s been so good to us and blessed us with blessing on top of blessing. Yet we’ve responded to his abundant goodness in an appalling way—by rebelling against him—and therefore deserve to be punished in hell for all eternity. That’s the rightful consequence of our rebellion. 

However, in his love, God hasn’t left us in our sins or the condemnation we’ve brought upon ourselves but has instead sent his own Son, Jesus, into this world in order to save us. Jesus did that by becoming a real flesh-and-blood human being, living a perfectly righteous life without sinning even a single time, and then dying on the cross as our substitute—taking on himself the punishment our sins deserved. Even though that punishment should have come down on us, Jesus endured the full force of that punishment so we wouldn’t have to. That’s what took place on the cross. Jesus wasn’t just suffering the physical agony of crucifixion but was suffering the immensely greater agony of God the Father’s wrath being poured out upon him. 

Then, after he died, Jesus was raised from the dead and now stands ready to save everyone who puts their trust in him for rescue. That’s the “faith” Peter’s speaking of in verse 5. In order to be saved from our sin and the judgment it deserves, we have to put our faith in Jesus to save us—not faith in ourselves or our own moral abilities or religious observances, but faith in Jesus alone. 

Yet that’s not the end of it. Our faith in Jesus actually arises from and is connected to a radical transformation that God accomplishes within our hearts. The Bible actually describes it as a spiritual heart transplant. Obviously, the Bible doesn’t use those exact words since I’m pretty sure those kinds of surgeries didn’t exist yet back in ancient times. But Ezekiel 36 speaks of a heart of stone being replaced with a heart of flesh, and the New Testament repeatedly refers to the “new heart” that we’re given at our conversion. In addition, the New Testament also speaks in many places of God himself—in the Person of the Holy Spirit—taking up permanent residence within our hearts. So, every Christian has a new heart and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the point of their conversion onward. That’s what the Bible tells us, and that’s the foundation upon which biblical transformation rests. 

Then, a second difference between biblical transformation and secular self-improvement is that self-improvement often focuses on tangible accomplishments, while biblical transformation focuses on the renewal of our hearts. Those who think in terms of self-improvement are typically focused on various tangible accomplishments such as obtaining a higher level of formal education, developing practical skills that’ll help them advance in their careers, and becoming more physically fit and attractive. And, of course, that’s not to say any of these things are inherently bad. These are all things that we can absolutely pursue in a God-glorifying way—and I’d encourage you to pursue all of them, to the extent you have opportunity to do so. 

Yet, in contrast to self-improvement, biblical transformation goes much deeper and places a much greater emphasis on the renewal of our hearts. When you look at the things Peter mentions in verses 5-7 of our main passage, they all revolve around the renewal or transformation of our hearts. And that’s a realm that self-improvement doesn’t typically address—the realm of the heart. You see, here’s the thing: even when self-improvement is at its best and involves a pursuit of moral virtues, that pursuit is almost always limited to the external manifestations of moral virtues rather than addressing the true source of moral virtue, which is the heart. So, by neglecting the renewal of the heart, self-improvement ends up being lamentably superficial—because, as the Bible makes clear, what matters isn’t just what we do but why we do what we do.

And that leads us right into the third difference between these two things I’d like to highlight, which is that self-improvement seeks to achieve my goals for my life, while biblical transformation seeks to achieve God’s goals for my life. Those who are operating with a secular mentality and pursuing self-improvement are typically doing so with larger goals in mind that are much different than what God would have us pursue. They’re often trying to obtain a higher status in society, greater respect and recognition and admiration among their peers, and various other self-centered ambitions and desires. Yet, in striking contrast to that, biblical transformation is all about seeking to glorify God and live lives that are pleasing in his sight and serve him faithfully with the time he’s given us on this earth. With self-improvement, we’re in the driver’s seat of our lives. But with biblical transformation, God’s in the driver’s seat of our lives. 

And finally, a fourth difference I’d like to highlight is that self-improvement seeks to bring about change simply through our own moral efforts, while biblical transformation pursues change by God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit. You know, if we’re just talking about external behavior modification, there’s a lot we can do to change many of our external behaviors through human willpower alone. It’s not uncommon for people to enjoy a measure of success in seeking to do that. But when you start thinking about the character qualities listed in 2 Peter 1:5-7 and really consider the way they’re rooted in our hearts, it becomes apparent that these qualities and characteristics aren’t the kinds of things we can just whip up within ourselves. We can’t change our own hearts. 

That’s why biblical transformation—with its focus on the heart—is utterly dependent on God’s grace and the work of his Spirit within us. Biblical transformation isn’t about us trying to make positive changes in our lives through our own efforts alone but rather about us recognizing that all of our own efforts are woefully inadequate in and of themselves and therefore being very deliberate about drawing on God’s grace and relying on his Spirit as we seek to grow in various ways. 

I think Philippians 2:12-13 strikes the perfect balance in the way it describes this dynamic. Paul tells his readers to, 12 …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. So, we’re supposed to “work out [our] own salvation”—that’s the human component. But if you notice, this human component is based on God’s work within us. Paul says to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” So, we have a role and God has a role, but God’s role is foundational to our role. 

So, when we look back at verse 5 of our main passage and notice again Peter telling us to “make every effort” to pursue the various qualities he mentions, it’s worth noting that the way we do that isn’t by human effort alone but rather with a very conscious dependence on God’s grace. 

This is why I appreciate the phrase “means of grace” so much. That’s a phrase that’s historically been used to refer to the various spiritual disciplines and practical habits in which we engage in order to grow in godliness. These habits include reading and studying the Bible, spending time in prayer, and enjoying fellowship with other Christians. And these habits are sometimes referred to as “spiritual disciplines”—and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that designation. But I really appreciate the phrase “means of grace” because it makes it clear that the reason these disciplines and habits are so transformative is because they connect us with God’s grace. 

An author named David Mathis compares it to the way utilities work in your house. The electric company supplies your house with electricity, but you have to flip the light switch in order to see the light bulb come on. The water company supplies your house with water, but you have to turn on the faucet in order to fill your glass with water. And in a similar way, God is the one who supplies the grace needed for the transformation of our character. He’s the one who ultimately empowers us to live as the new people he’s created us to be. Yet we have to flip the switch and turn on the faucet, so to speak, in order to receive the grace he supplies. Hence, the phrase “means of grace”—that is, the means by which we experience God’s transformative grace. The habits we seek to cultivate in our lives—again, things like Bible reading and Bible study, a focused prayer time, and fellowship with other Christians—aren’t things we do to change ourselves but rather things we do to position ourselves to receive and experience God’s transformative grace. 

And that’s how we actually go about following Peter’s instructions in verses 5-7 of “mak[ing] every effort” to acquire the various character qualities he mentions. 

Then, moving on to verse 8, Peter writes, “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.” So, it’s not enough for us to simply possess these character qualities; they also need to be “increasing” in our lives. That’s what Peter says, right? He says that it’s only “if these qualities are yours and are increasing” that they “they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

You might compare it to the difference between speed and acceleration. As we travel on the highway of our lives, it’s not enough for us to simply maintain a consistent speed. I mean, if you’re in a vehicle, you can maintain a consistent speed and pretty much be coasting or perhaps have the vehicle on cruise control. You might even be falling asleep at the wheel as you maintain a consistent speed. Instead, as we travel down the highway of our lives, we need to actually be accelerating. We need to not only exhibit godly qualities but also strive to see those qualities “increasing” in our lives. That’s the idea Peter’s conveying here. And it’s a great reminder for us—and especially for those who have been Christians for a fair amount of time—not to ever allow ourselves to simply live off of yesterday’s gains. Instead, we need to be continually seeking to grow in our faith and virtue and knowledge and self-control and steadfastness and godliness and brotherly affection and love. These qualities should be not only present but also increasing. 

And according to Peter in the second part of the verse, if that’s the case and they are increasing, they’ll “keep [us] from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peter then goes on to explain why being “ineffective or unfruitful” is such a bad thing. He writes in verses 9-11, 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. 

These verses function as a warning to those who profess to be Christians not to be presumptuous about whether they’ve truly been saved. If our supposed faith in Jesus isn’t making a difference in our lives, then there’s every reason to question whether we possess true faith. This is why Peter states in verse 9 that “whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind”—that is blind to the truths of the gospel and blind to the condition of his own soul. 

Peter then tells his readers in verse 10 to “be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.” This refers to God “calling” us to saving faith in Jesus and also “electing”—or choosing—us to be among his people. So, according to Peter, we don’t need to live in a constant state of doubt or uncertainty about our “calling and election.” That’s not what God desires for us. However, we do need to be “diligent to confirm [our] calling and election.” That is, we should be seeking to grow in godly character and thereby demonstrate that we truly are called and elect—that we truly are one of God’s redeemed people. 

So, make sure you understand that character transformation isn’t in any way the means by which we’re saved. We’re saved through faith alone. However, ongoing character transformation does play a critical role in demonstrating the genuineness of our faith. 

In many ways, character transformation functions a lot like a passport. In the near future, I plan to travel overseas in order to do some work with our missions agency, Anchored in Truth. And one of the things I’ll need to have in order to do that is a passport. Now, this passport doesn’t make me a U.S. citizen. I’m already a U.S. citizen by birth, and it would be entirely possible for me to live my entire life without ever obtaining a passport and still be just as a much of a U.S. citizen as anyone else. However, even though this passport doesn’t make me a U.S. citizen, it does play an important role in affirming or demonstrating my citizenship—particularly when I’m traveling out of the country. It’s an authorized document designed for that very purpose. And in a similar manner, growing in godly character doesn’t save us or make us citizens of God’s Kingdom, but it does demonstrate that we’ve been saved and have come to possess saving faith. 

The great theologian Martin Luther said it quite well. He stated that “we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” Again, “we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” It’s always accompanied by the fruit of godliness in our lives—and Peter would say not just godliness but “increasing” godliness. 

Now, let me say something here to those of you who might have a more tender conscience. Of course, in a congregation this size, there are undoubtedly some who are presuming that they’re saved when, in fact, they’re not. If that’s you, hopefully, you’ll take to heart Peter’s admonition in these verses. However, I’m equally sure there are others here this morning who have a very tender conscience and are prone to doubt their salvation because they’ve been struggling with sin. Now, notice that I didn’t say “rushing headlong into sin without a second thought” but rather “struggling with sin” in the sense of being engaged in violent hand-to-hand combat with sin. 

If that’s you and you’re tempted to doubt whether you’ve truly been saved because of some not-so-good days in your battle against sin, let me assure you that the battle against sin is one of that all of us who are Christians can relate to. We all battle sin in various ways—and sometimes don’t do so well in that battle. Changing metaphors, our growth in godliness often consists of taking two steps forward and one step back. Sometimes, it might even involve not just taking a step back but getting tripped up and doing a face-plant. 

And if you think about Peter’s life, he certainly did that himself, didn’t he? Peter face-planted in a pretty notorious way. If you’re familiar with the gospel narratives, you’ll recall that when Jesus was arrested and was undergoing the series of events that would eventually lead to his crucifixion, Peter denied knowing Jesus not just once but three times. In a critical time of testing, Peter blew it. Yet afterward, he grieved over his sin and repented of it and was eventually restored to a close relationship with Jesus. 

So, as you read the things Peter’s written in this passage, don’t let yourself be discouraged by your struggles with sin. Instead, whenever you get knocked down, get right back up, get back in the fight, and don’t let Satan use that occurrence to keep you at arms’ length from God. Contrary to what Satan would have you believe, there is a way to have a close relationship with God once again and have wonderful assurance that you are, in fact, one of God’s children. Just like Peter, you might stumble and fall at times, but you can repent and thereby be assured that your faith is genuine. 

And for all who are Christians, let me encourage you to continue growing in godliness by God’s grace and with your gaze fixed on Jesus. As we’re told in Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 

So, according to these verses, the way in which we can “run with endurance the race that is set before us” is by “looking to Jesus.” That’s the key to running the race well and eventually finishing the race well—fixing our eyes on Jesus. He is both our model and our inspiration. As we think about his total devotion and surrender to the Father’s will—even though following the Father’s will meant enduring the agonies of the cross—we should be inspired to follow God faithfully in our own lives.