At the beginning of his second epistle, Peter spoke of various qualities that Christians are to possess and continue to develop throughout their lives. He just reminded them that they had “escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust” (2 Peter 1:4), so they were to live differently from the world. But what would this look like? Notice the characteristics that he listed:
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).
All of these qualities are essential, and we will discuss them as we progress through this series. However, it is important to note at the beginning that these characteristics are built upon a foundation of FAITH. So as we begin, let us consider this foundation of faith upon which the character of a Christian must be built.
What Is Faith?
The Greek word pistis is translated faith, and it is the “conviction of the truth of anything” (Thayer). If we have the type of faith in God that is described in the Bible, what convictions will we have?
- The conviction that God is true – Paul told the saints in Rome, “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar” (Romans 3:4). When there is a conflict between what God has said and what man says, faith leads us to side with God.
- The conviction that His word is true – The psalmist wrote, “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psalm 119:160). It is not the belief that some of the Scriptures might be true. Instead, faith recognizes that all of the Bible is true because it is from God.
- The conviction that God will reward the faithful – This is fundamental to our faith, as the Hebrew writer pointed out: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). When we consider God’s promises and understand that “it is impossible for God to lie,” we can have “strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).
The Scriptures define faith in this way: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). That verse tells us that faith involves two things:
- The assurance (substance, KJV) of things hoped for – Thayer points out that this word is used for those things which have “actual existence.” What we hope for is not just a wish; instead, it is real.
- The conviction (evidence, KJV) of things not seen – There is “proof” (Thayer) that leads us to believe what we do. We do not have to take a “leap of faith,” as many people talk about, and believe something against our better judgment.* We have a reason for our faith
The reason for our faith is found in God’s word. Paul wrote of this in his letter to the saints in Rome: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). God has revealed His word in such a way that we can learn about what is real, though yet unseen – “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). In the Scriptures we find the reasons for believing in God, in His Son, and in the promises He has made to His people. Not only is the word of God the source of faith, but as we will see throughout this series, the Scriptures provide the standard that enables us to properly define and apply the characteristics we must add to our faith.
When we understand what faith is, it becomes clear why this is the foundation of all that we do:
- Without faith, we have no reason to believe God over man.
- Without faith, we have no reason to pay attention to His word.
- Without faith, we have no reason to look beyond this life.
Therefore, faith must be the foundation for our lives.
The Active Nature of Faith
When the Bible speaks of faith, it is more than just belief. Still, belief is included. Remember that the Hebrew writer defined faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). A few verses later, he wrote, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). We “must believe” in order to have faith, but there is more to it than that. After all, James pointed out that “the demons also believe” (James 2:19), but they do not have faith.
Biblical faith is an active faith. James wrote, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:19). And further, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).
James explained how we show our faith by our works: “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). To demonstrate this, is cited the example of Abraham who was “justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar” (James 2:21). He then concluded, “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected” (James 2:22).
Many cite the example of Abraham to claim that we are justified by faith alone. In fact, Paul used the example of Abraham (Romans 4:1-25) as proof that we are “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1). This is absolutely true, but many have become so infected by Calvinistic thinking that they subconsciously insert the word “alone” into that verse and think that Paul wrote that we are justified by faith alone. However, that is not what Paul wrote. In fact, the only verse in the Bible that uses the phrase faith alone is James 2:24: “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” We are “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1) as we submit to God and obey His will. We are “justified by works” (James 2:24) as our faith leads to action.**
Faith is more than belief. It is obedience based upon our trust in God and His word. If we believe Jesus is Lord, we must obey Him. As Jesus Himself said, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). If we believe His word is truth, we must obey it. As Peter wrote, “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).
Why We Are to Add to Our Faith
When Peter instructed the brethren to “supply” various characteristics to their faith, he explained why they were to do this. He began by saying, “Now for this very reason…” (2 Peter 1:5). What was the reason? Actually, there were a few reasons given in the verses leading up to this.
- We are of “like precious faith” (2 Peter 1:1, KJV) – The fact that faith is “precious” means it is valuable. The reason it is so valuable is that it leads to salvation. Peter explained in his first letter that “the outcome of [our] faith [is] the salvation of [our] souls” (1 Peter 1:9). Jesus asked the rhetorical question, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Nothing in this world is worth more than our soul. Its value cannot be compared to any temporal thing.
- God has given us “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) – This is available to us “through the true knowledge of Him who called us.” This means that the inspired message, which tells us about the Lord and His will for us, has revealed all that we need to know about the qualities He expects us to add to our faith, as well as what these characteristics look like. As “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17), that same word tells us everything about how to grow in our faith.
- God has “called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3) – As we strive to be like God, this implies that we are to excel and continue to improve our lives before God and our service to Him. Paul told the brethren in Thessalonica, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). There is always room for improvement, and we should not be content with anything short of God’s perfect standard and holiness.
- God has “granted to us His precious and magnificent promises” (2 Peter 1:4) – Why has He done this? It is so we can “become partakers of the divine nature,” which means we become like Him and enjoy fellowship with Him. This also allows us to “[escape] the corruption in the world.” Though the world is lost in sin and destined to perish, we can avoid this fate through faith in God.
Apply All Diligence
Again, faith is active. We show our faith by our works (James 2:18), and we need to be willing to do hard work (diligence). More than that, the word translated diligence includes the idea of haste or earnestness (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). This is an urgent responsibility, knowing what is coming in our future. Peter explained this near the end of this epistle:
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (2 Peter 3:10-14).
One day, the Lord is going to return in judgment, and this world will come to an end. Knowing this, we need to make sure we are right in His eyes.
Conclusion
We must be sure we are adding to our faith, and we will discuss what we add in the lessons to follow. However, it all starts with faith – not merely a mental acknowledgment of who the Lord is and what He has done for us, but an obedient trust in God that does His will in all things.
———
* For more on this point, see the article, A Leap of Faith.
** For more on this point, see the article, Justified by Works.
