In 2 Peter 1:5 Peter writes with expectation towards believers! There is no use in telling a man to fish if you haven’t given him what is necessary to fish but there ought to be every expectation that once supplied with everything necessary to fish that the person will indeed…FISH!! This addresses the error that the Christian Church has made with “extreme passivity”! Yes, God has given “everything necessary” but there is an expectancy that we will use what He has provided. Jesus spoke on this in the parable of the talents in Matt. 25:14-30 as we ought to now put forth the effort to accomplish the objectives. Divine wealth is not given to humanity so we can sleep and waste away the gift of life that God has given us! Consider the extreme cost that God has given so that we are now able to accomplish the two objects of the Christian life of verse two!
Those things that pertain to LIFE which are:
• To know God
• And GODLINESS: That is to be transformed into His likeness
With that said Peter now says the exhortation: “But also for this very reason”. Peter says that it is because God has already supplied everything necessary to know God and be transformed into His likeness, that the Christian needs to be “Active and alive” in their faith…that is redeemed humanity’s part! The English translation of the Greek word “add” doesn’t rightly convey the meaning.
The Greek word is where we get our English word for chorus which was very important in Greek plays. The word was used to describe the person who bore the expense of all the training and maintenance for the chorus. It meant supply to overflowing beyond what was necessary …. generously! What follows is a threefold description of the Christian faith that we are exhorted to have been abundantly furnished on our behalf that we are now to be diligent in increasing! Peter describes the:
•Character of our faith: Virtue and knowledge
•Disposition of our faith: Self-control, perseverance
•Its relationship to others of our faith: Godliness, brotherly kindness and love
Peter’s reference to this isn’t meant to be some mechanical exercise; using the word ADD we see that he means that it ought to be a “perfect balance…a chorus of perfectly fitted voices in concert with each other”! This is a perfect list; you cannot add to it as it deals with the whole of the Christian life that is all dependent upon our faith in what God alone has supplied. Of note also is the order of the list in its divisions:
•The most important thing is that the Christian is right with regards to the “Character of our faith”.
•Then once corrected with regards to the “Character of our faith” the Christian will need to realize that the world will oppose this faith, and we will need to be open to be the inward disposition of our faith!
•Finally, the Christian will need to understand the faith’s relationship with others who share our faith as well as those outside it!