2 Peter 1:5-8 Click on this link to read the passage. You may select your preferred version of the Bible after the link opens.
This passage doesn’t ask much does it? (I ask with my tongue in my cheek.) This list of virtues can be a bit overwhelming at first glance.
This is such a huge passage to get my mind around, but as I look at it, I recognize a growing kind of pattern to the list:
We start with proclaiming our faith in Christ Jesus as our Savior. Then we set out to do the good things that we know Jesus wants us to do. We soon realize that there is much we need to learn if we are going to follow his teachings. The more we learn, we begin to discover areas of our lives that we need to change requiring a measure of self-control. Some of these changes may be difficult for us, and we may struggle to persevere in them. As we make these changes we will show more godliness in our manner. This godliness should express itself in brotherly kindness to others, and ultimately a measure of love that only Christ can help us to attain.
Verse 8 tells why these qualities are so very important. If our Christian walk is to be effective we must continually reach higher in our relationship with Christ. What Christian in his/her right mind would be satisfied to be ineffective and unproductive?
I believe it would be helpful to print out this list of virtues as a challenge to ever grow in our faith. Here is the list if you would like to print it out. Or you may click on the link at the bottom for an MS Word file you can print out. I think it best to begin at the bottom as growing in our faith makes us taller in our faith.
Love
Brotherly Kindness
Godliness
Perseverance
Self-Control
Knowledge
Goodness
Faith
God’s Growth Chart (2) (Click on link for 8.5 x 11 poster with clip art.)
Lord Jesus, enable us to see ourselves honestly in light of these virtues. Give us such a great hunger to know you better and to serve you more that we will grow closer to the top of this list day by day. Don’t let us settle to be second class Christians who are satisfied to blend in with the world and look and act like everyone else.
Copyright © 2008 by Janice Green
9 comments
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March 18, 2008 at 8:26 am
psalmist
I want Bible sermons.
Thank You
June 20, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Janice Green
If I could write Bible sermons every day or even every week, I would be a pastor. You will have to write your own sermons.
March 14, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Brian Morrison
2 Peter 1:5-8 God’s growth chart
Several years ago my pastor did a sermon on this. He used 8 people lining them up in front of the Church showing the Christian Growth. Each person represented one Character, starting with Faith and ending with Charity. It was great presentation. I’m gong to try that at my Church next Sunday. Thanks for the reminder!
Brian
February 2, 2010 at 10:30 pm
yaro
great explanation. thank you
February 2, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Janice D. Green
Thanks Yaro
March 31, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Tony
wow! I was looking for a clearer explanation of this verse and I just found it!… what a difficult task to accomplish.. this verse encloses the whole christian walk in a paragraph… it sounds like it’s going to take a lifetime to travel from ‘faith’ all the way up to ‘love’.
March 31, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Janice D. Green
Tony,
That’s exactly how I felt when it hit me. The whole list of attributes seemed to be like a stairway when it caught my attention.
Janice
February 10, 2011 at 11:19 am
John
Rather than a staircase I would rather think of the eight ‘virtues’ as each set on one complete turn on a coil spring. When you take that starting journey then go on to the next turn building on the depth of the first. The length of the spring is infinite, in other words we are never finished, we’ve not arrived. We olny grow with a greater depth.
February 10, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Janice D. Green
You are so right. This is a progression that is not truly linear in nature. It makes me think of a frog jumping out of a deep muddy hole jumping forward and sliding back. If it is persistent enough it will eventually make it to the top. Even that description is too linear in nature. There needs to be a broadening built into the model somehow that causes the different levels to work together to reach spiritual wholeness.