Supplement Your Faith.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2nd Peter 1:5-8 (ESV)
“For this very reason…. supplement your faith…. virtue…. knowledge…. self-control… steadfast… godliness….brotherly affection…. Love.” (Vs 5-7) In verse 8 it says “If these qualities are yours… they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful.” Peter lists here certain qualities that, when prioritized, keep us growing, useful, and effective in the faith. These are not things that obtain faith but rather demonstrate that we have faith by building our faith. Those who don’t have or are not growing in these qualities are nearsighted, blinded, and forgotten that there is purpose in the kingdom. At the very least, they are ineffective. I don’t know about you, but personally like to be effective in the kingdom. I don’t ever want to be classified by God as ineffective.
Peter gives us a brief overlook of a few things, that when supplemented with our faith, help us grow even more in our faith.
Virtue: Moral goodness, gracious action, doing things that are honorable in the sight of others.
Knowledge: Growing in doctrine, wisdom, and understanding of God’s word.
Self-Control: Mastery, Self-restraint.
Steadfastness: A patient enduring, endurance, standing strong in the midst of opposition.
Godliness: Piety (Towards God), devotion, reverence of God’s statues.
Brotherly affection: The love for those around us, caring for one another, being there for others.
Love: unconditional and benevolent.
When these things are present in our lives, even pursued with our lives, we can make a greater impact for the kingdom of God while growing in our faith. Note Peter chooses the word “supplement” wisely. These things are not the essence of our faith, only Jesus Christ is, but rather these things are beneficial when added to our faith journey. How are you growing in these things?
