2 Peter 1:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,

NIV: and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

NASB: and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

CSB: knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,

NLT: and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,

KJV: And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

NKJV: to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

In verses 3 and 4, Peter told us that Christians have, by faith, become participants in the divine nature. We are fully equipped to lead the lives God calls us to. Then in verse 5, he stated that we must "make every effort" to add a list of Christlike qualities to (or alongside of) our faith. Taken together, this list of qualities describe the life of a Christian who is participating in God's nature. As shown in this list, there is a logical order to these characteristics. Each one is a necessary requirement for the quality which follows.

First, since we have been equipped to live like Jesus, we must work to add goodness, or "moral excellence," to our faith. This means that we will work to do good, by God's power, in the world now, as Jesus would in our place. This goodness becomes the foundation for the rest of these qualities.

We are also to add knowledge. This is a deeper understanding of our God, through His Word, and prayer, and so forth, which informs our goodness. Merely wanting to do good is not enough; we must know what good is by knowing God.

Next, we must add self–control. Without the ability to control ourselves, our knowledge of good, and the desire to do it, are both worthless. Self-control is the moment-by-moment restraint of our urges. This is the ability to make the right choice, in those moments when temptation strikes us.

Then we must add perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to practice self–control over time. Our sprints of doing good turn into marathons. Our moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, day-by-day choices eventually turn into lifestyles. Perseverance is the ability to maintain self-control, even when the pressure of temptation continues to attack us.

Next, we add godliness. This keeps our goodness from being merely human goodness. This is godly goodness. This is a moral excellence which reflects the nature of God Himself instead of the temporary, earth–bound "goodness" of men.

Peter will continue to add links in this chain of spiritual growth in the next verse.

2 Peter 1:3–15 urges Christians to understand that they are, right now, fully equipped to lead the life to which God has called them. Since they are equipped, they must use those tools through personal effort. They should strive to add Christ’s goodness and other powerful qualities to their lived-out faith. Growing in those qualities leads to a productive, effective life of knowing the Lord. Lacking Christ’s qualities leads to the opposite. Peter continues reminding the reader of what they already know, in order to keep stirring them up, to ensure they remember all of this after he has died (which will be soon).

Peter begins this brief letter to Christians by reminding them they are not missing anything they need to lead the good and godly lives they are called to. They must work, then, to add to their faith the goodness and qualities of Jesus. This requires effort, unlike eternal salvation which is not based on our work. Those who lack these positive attributes will live as unproductive and ineffective servants of God, nearly as blind as unbelievers and forgetting that their sins are forgiven. Peter, near death, insists that his eyewitness testimony about the transfiguration confirms that the prophecies about the Messiah are true. Jesus is coming back.

Peter begins his letter by urging his Christian readers not to be unproductive in their knowledge of Jesus. Rather, they should work to add all of Christ’s qualities to their lives. Then Peter begins to lay a foundation to support his attack on the false teachers in the church. He also introduces ideas supporting his declaration that the Day of the Lord is coming. Later chapters will use the background of this first chapter to support those arguments.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.