2 Peter 1:3-11 Peter begins his second letter by addressing the need to grow spiritually.
Faith unites the weak believer to Christ, just as it does the strong one, and purifies the heart. Every sincere believer is by his faith justified in the sight of God. Faith gives godliness, and produces effects which no other grace in the soul can do.
In Christ all fullness dwells, and pardon, peace, grace, and knowledge, and new principles, are given through the Holy Spirit. , he gives us precious promises that enable us to share His glory with others and escape the corruption of the world caused by human desires.
The believer must add knowledge to his virtue, increasing acquaintance with the whole truth and will of God. We must add temperance to knowledge; moderation about worldly things; and add to temperance, patience, or cheerful submission to the will of God. God has given us everything we need for spiritual development. Every human being has inherent worth because they bear the image of God. But growing as a believer involves the power of the Holy Spirit in us and our personal commitment and discipline to grow.
Those who are diligent shall have a triumphant entrance into that everlasting kingdom where Christ reigns, and they shall reign with him forever and ever; and it is in the practice of every good work that we are to expect entrance to heaven. Most people don’t even realize it, but we are so easily corrupted by the world. Lying, cheating, petty theft, inappropriate flirting, just to name a few. It happens in such a subtle way so that you don’t even notice it is happening until sometimes it is too late. Yes, you and I will fall short, but if you’re serious about growing into spiritual maturity, moral goodness is the first rung of the ladder.
In order to walk out our Christ like character we must apply Christian virtues. Whether you know it or not, God has called all of us to glory and virtue. Christian virtues can be described as having a godly excellence, a godly goodness, or a godly righteousness.
God’s calling came to us through Jesus Christ. If we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God will provide us all that we need in this world and in Heaven. He has the divine power to give us all thing that pertain unto life and godliness. It is through our knowledge of God that we can share in His glory and virtue.
The Christian life, built on faith in the God who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, simply cannot get on without knowledge, which comes through study, experience, and prayer. God created all that is by His powerful word for His glory. The Bible is the only, inerrant written Word of God revealing whom God is and how we are to live before Him. When we believe and rely upon the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ revealed in the Bible, we open our lives to God’s redemptive power to forgive, restore and renew us.
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