2 Peter 1:5
Peter implores those who have faith to, “Supplement your faith with virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness and brotherly affection and love.” What exactly is he saying? One thing we know for certain is that these seven qualities are within our power and control, and we know this must be true because Peter says, “for this very reason make every effort. We cannot make an effort to do something that is out of our hands. He is not suggesting this adds to our salvation. Our faith in Christ alone grants us salvation and eternal life; however, we have a role to play. We have work to do. We have a part to take in our own lives and faith. We live on earth, in a fallen world and we have to push through a lot of unpleasantness… this is our work, this earth. We make choices here, we are not puppets with stuffing for brains. We are actually pretty powerful beings made in God’s image. While we live side by side with corruption and blessing, work and rest, eating and sleeping, pain and joy, tears and laughter there is ample opportunities daily to not only display our faith but grow it by the choices we make big and small.
There is so much out of our control and we live on a planet that is limited by our sinful nature and Adam’s disobedience. but there is also a lot within our control, God does not remove our power and the practical ways we interact with our world once we obtain faith, on the contrary, we have more power once we begin walking with Jesus. Paul suggests we use it for good. I think what Peter is saying is, let your faith impact your life, the one that is here, imperfect and susceptible to all the elements of reality. Live different as if our faith actually matters. Neither our best efforts nor our faith alone magically transform the world or our character. It is the choices we make every day that create new grooves that direct and redirect our lives like a river. We have practical choices to make every day about how we live; will i eat the cookies or the fruit? will i spend 100 on shoes or ten dollars? will i work or collect food stamps? Will i read my bible or watch Netflix? Peter suggests that we add to our faith these seven qualities listed above. These qualities influence the choices we make and the people we are on earth. We own these choices, and we also live with the consequences.
These qualities will keep us and our testimony from being ineffective in our day to day lives before the people we interact with, if they keep us from being ineffective that means they help us to be effective. If a man confesses Jesus Christ and goes to church and has faith does not practice self control his testimony becomes tainted his character marred. When he has an outburst and screams at his wife, or drinks without limits or spends recklessly or eats gluttonously he is ineffective. Our faith saves us for eternity but how we live and supplement our faith saves us here on earth. Our faith in Christ does not eliminate the need for effort, work, for making good choices or christian qualities, this is our part. James confirms this message when he says, you have faith, i have works, show me your faith without works and i will show my faith by my works. James is saying our faith ought to transform us and we ought to work all the harder to be men and women of godly character when we confess Christ and believe.
Faith is for ourselves and to please God. But our works are still vitally important and it is often how we love those around us. What i am not saying is that we must work to obtain our salvation. What i am saying is that once we have been adopted into the family of God and given a measure of faith, and are redeemed by blood and grace; then we work because of it, we work out our own salvation, we work to obey God and we make every effort to supplement our faith with godly character. We supplement not because we add to what Jesus has done, we supplement because of what Jesus has done. We don’t supplement our faith in order to help Jesus save us. but so that what we say and what we do align. If we say we believe in Jesus Christ and that He saved us, we better act like it, by being grateful, loving and gracious recipients of that grace and mercy.
Peter tells us to make a concerted effort to live life differently because of faith. Live what you say you believe. Peter goes so far as to say if you practice these things you will never fall! What a claim! Those who lack them forget that they have been cleaned and forgiven. These qualities therefore become constant reminders of Jesus, who He is and what he has done for us. Jesus is why I’m steadfast …He is why I practice self control…His love and forgiveness is why I show brotherly affection and love and godliness because of what Christ has done for me. He cleansed me and so I will make every effort to remain clean. That means choosing daily to be a man or woman of virtue rather then fall back into the sin that entangles and muddies my testimony and conscience.
my faith place 