2 Peter 1:6-10

 

2 Pet 1:6 (KJB)

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

 

Temperance - Self-Control or self-restraint

Patience - Endurance or steadfastness

Godliness - Piety based upon a real, true relationship to God

 

Peter continues to teach these Christians the essence of living a godly life. One of the tenets of a godly life is temperance. This simply means self-control. When situations arise, we are to face them with a sober and level-headed mindset and not one that is out of control. Someone quick to get angry is not someone who is temperate. The next tenet of the Christian life is that of patience and that basically means endurance. When we face situations or persecution, we must learn to endure and leave the results up to God. Things may not turn out the way we want but God will turn the circumstances to His glory and our benefit. The next tenet is that of being godly. Our piety must be true based upon the fact that we are born again through the Lord Jesus Christ or else our piety is nothing more than a useless religious exterior.

 

2 Pet 1:7 (KJB)

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

 

Brotherly kindness - Brotherly love

Charity - Love

 

Another tenet of the Christian faith is that of brotherly love and that is to look upon others in the body of Christ as more important than ourselves. (Heb 13:1 KJV) Let brotherly love continue. Then the next tenet is that of love and it is this tenet which allows us to love our enemies and cover a multitude of sin. (Mat 5:44 KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; (Prov 10:12 KJV) Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

 

2 Pet 1:8 (KJB)

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Abound - Exist in abundance, increase, or overflowing

Barren - Idle, lazy or useless

Unfruitful - Unproductive

 

If the Christian takes these seven tenets and makes sure they are evident in their life and they continue to increase in their life as they grow in the faith, then that Christian will not be useless nor unproductive for the Kingdom of God as they grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. As they grow in knowledge then their Christian principles also grow. It is not just growing in knowledge but it is growing along with the knowledge in the practical aspects of the Christian walk. The more we know about Jesus, the more we will be able to pattern ourselves after Him and by doing that we can easily find any breaches in our faith and then repair them so we can continue to grow.

 

2 Pet 1:9 (KJB)

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

 

Lacketh - Not at hand or not present

Blind - Spiritual or intellectual blindness

Cannot see - Shortsighted or to blink

Purged - Purified or cleansed

 

If these seven characteristics are missing or not present in a Christian’s life, and there are many that are heard hearted, it means they are spiritually blind and cannot see far off. When a Christian is spiritually blind, they will miss the spiritual blessings that God has for them. A spiritually blind Christian will tend to be self-centered and will filter their lives through what they can get out of it instead of looking out for the good of the other person. The verse tells us that these people are also shortsighted which carries with it the meaning of one who squints because they cannot see far away objects, basically it is saying that they are so near-sighted they are blind. When a Christian lacks these characteristics in their life it is like they have forgotten that they have had their sins forgiven and they are clean before God. No true Christian should ever act like they were before they became saved, there must be a marked difference in their new life.

 

2 Pet 1:10 (KJB)

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

 

Diligence - Hasten, be eager, do one’s best

Calling - Summons, invitation, or vocation

Election - Selection, choice, or chosen

Sure - Firm stable, or secure

Fall - Stumble, err, or sin

 

Every Christian must make diligence in seeing if they are truly saved. However, we are not to get caught up or dwell on it. In other words, you do not have to go to every altar call or to every evangelistic meeting and walk an aisle. There are Christians who are so fearful they are unsaved, they never progress past receiving the Lord every time an invitation is giving. What the Bible is saying here is that if you know you are saved but are missing out on these seven Christian traits, then you need to work on inculcating them into your life. If you are not saved, then eventually you will fall away and lose interest in the things of the Lord, this is the person that must yet become saved and they must seek the Lord. These are the two scenarios behind the verse telling us that we need to make our calling and election sure. (2 Cor 13:5 KJV) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? We must do a spiritual inventory to make sure we are walking in the faith. A Christian can be saved but may not be exuding their Christian faith, especially if they are walking in a hard-hearted mindset. This is why it is so important to make sure that your Christian walk correctly represents an inward transformation. If we do a spiritual inventory, then this verse is teaching us that we will not fall or go back into the ways of our former unsaved lifestyle.

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