Commitments of Knowing God | 2 Peter 1:5-11
Peter calls everyone who knows God to make three commitments: (1) be diligent not negligent, (2) be fruitful not forgetful, and (3) be sure not stumbling. This sermon is part 2 of “A Fisherman's Truth,” Bryan Craddock’s series on 2 Peter.
It was my wedding day, and the guests were already seated in the church. But as I was walking in, my aunt stopped me, and said, “You don’t have to go through with this.” I couldn’t believe it. I just laughed. There was nothing else that I wanted more. That was thirty years ago, and I still think I made the right choice.
She was probably thinking of other couples who went through painful divorces. Experiences like that lead many to avoid the commitment of marriage. My aunt was not one of those people. She and her husband had an exemplary relationship. But I was only twenty years old, so she was concerned.
Since that time, the fear of commitment seems to have grown in our world. Many people have never seen a healthy marriage. A lot of the ones that last maintain a hollow commitment, having given up on the relationship long ago. People still want the benefits of that sort of relationship, but they want to make sure to have an easy way out. That does not work, however. The emotional toll is still the same.
I think these attitudes toward marital commitment carry over into how we relate to God. Some want the benefits of a relationship with him from time to time without the commitment—a few answers to prayer and some meaningful holidays. Others maintain a sort of commitment to the Lord. They call themselves Christians and attend a church, but they invest very little in their relationship with him.
Problems like these are nothing new. The Apostle Peter starts his second letter by defining what it means to know God and have a relationship with him. He knew that false teachers would exploit people’s misunderstanding, so he sought to clarify the truth. In the first four verses, he addresses his readers as those with an equal faith in Christ and his gospel, a full knowledge of God, and a glorious calling. Every believer enjoys these privileges, so in 2 Peter 1:5-11, he calls us all to respond to them by making three commitments.
They are like wedding vows. They do not establish the relationship, but they shape it. They don’t spell out rules or rituals but attitudes of the heart. They are not burdensome demands but worthy responses to the blessing of knowing God.
Be Diligent not Negligent
Building a house is a huge undertaking. For it to stand the test of time, all the work must be done well. The builder must be diligent about the foundation, the structure, the plumbing, the electrical system, the roofing, and so on. If shortcuts are taken in any one area, that negligence will inevitably cause problems elsewhere.
Our relationship with God is like that. Once he draws us to himself, he grants us everything pertaining to life and godliness, as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:3. We are then responsible to incorporate those resources into how we live. So, we must commit ourselves to being diligent, not negligent.
In 2 Peter 1:5-7, Peter gives us a list to guide us. He says,
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
In verse 1, Peter refers to faith as a gift obtained from God. Trusting him is where the relationship begins. We start with believing in God and his Word, in Jesus and his saving work. Some people try to leave it at that without going any further, but our relationship with God is meant to be much more.
Since we are called to God’s glory and excellence as partakers of the divine nature, Peter commands us to add seven other responses to our faith. He probably did not mean for this list to be taken in a stair step approach. You do not complete one level before moving on to the other. We always have room for growth in each area. But there is still a logic to the progression. Each item on the list is an opportunity to be either diligent or negligent.
First, we must add virtue to our faith. This is the same Greek term that is translated as “excellence” in verse 3. It refers to moral goodness. Our faith should make a noticeable difference in how we behave and in how we relate to people. If we believe in God, then it makes sense to obey his commands. If we neglect to do so, it calls into question whether we truly believe.
Second, we must add knowledge to our virtue. I mentioned previously that in verses 2 and 3 Peter adds a prefix to the word knowledge that intensifies it to refer to the fullness of knowing God. He does not use that prefix here in verse 5. So, he seems to be speaking of gaining a better understanding of biblical truth. If such learning is neglected, we can be misled into pursuing virtue in distorted ways.
Third, we must add self-control to our knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul says that knowledge puffs up. It can lead us to become arrogant, condescending, and judgmental. We might also use it to rationalize our sin. So, we need self-control to restrain those impulses.
Fourth, we must add steadfastness to our self-control. You might approach self-control like dieting. After a while, you think that you deserve to splurge on a cheat day, particularly when life is hard. But there is never any excuse for a believer to give way to temptation. We must persevere and be steadfast, even in times of trial.
Fifth, we must add godliness to our steadfastness. It can be tempting to handle our trials by stifling all our feelings. But that makes us cold and hard, and God does not want that. Godliness is an attitude of genuine worship and reverence.
Sixth, we must add brotherly affection to our godliness. Interacting with people can be hard. You may find it easier to maintain an attitude of worship and reverence when you are alone. As good as those quiet times with the Lord can be, he wants us to gather with other believers and build each other up. We must exercise brotherly affection as the family of God.
Finally, we must add love to our brotherly affection. Some people show brotherly affection because they want encouragement, help, purpose, and so on. There is nothing wrong with that, but if that is our only focus then our brotherly affection becomes selfish. We must also be willing to give and to sacrifice. We must show Christlike love.
How are you doing at building on your faith? Some of these responses probably come easier to you than others, but we cannot neglect any of them. We need them all to have a strong, stable, growing relationship with God. If you know him, then be diligent not negligent! That leads us to a second commitment.
Be Fruitful not Forgetful
In their Gospels, Matthew and Mark include a strange story from the Passion Week. As Jesus was heading into Jerusalem one day, he became hungry. He spotted a fig tree but found that there was no fruit, only leaves. So, he cursed it, and it withered.
His response may seem harsh, but Luke 13:6-9 tells us that earlier in his ministry he told a parable about a similar situation with a fig tree. He made the point that trees exist for a purpose. They require an investment of time and labor. If they do not bear fruit, then they will eventually need to be cut down.
Jesus saved us for a purpose. Shouldn’t we live to fulfill it? In 2 Peter 1:8-9, Peter asserts that we should be fruitful not forgetful. In verse 8, he says,
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Those qualities from verses 5-7 should be ours. We should own them. As a result of our diligence, they should be increasing and developing. But Peter describes the result of that growth in a way that downplays our effort. Even though diligence is required to live out our relationship with God, change is simply expected.
Peter uses two double negatives to communicate this idea. First, he speaks of not being “ineffective” or “unworking.” They did not have complex machines in those days, but they still help us grasp the idea here. When you get in your car, you expect it to run and carry you safely down the road. Something is wrong if it doesn’t. Similarly, if everything is working properly in our spiritual life, we will keep turning away from sin to walk in obedience. It is expected.
Peter’s idea of working is probably more organic because for his second double negative he speaks of not being “unfruitful.” As I mentioned earlier, we expect fruit trees to bear fruit. In our case, the fruit of spiritual growth and change is the natural outflow of knowing God. Paul expresses this concept in Galatians 5:22-23 when he speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. He said,
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Paul’s list is different from the one that Peter gives us. Peter ends with love, while Paul starts with it. The only other quality on both lists is self-control. Peter focuses on the process, while Paul shows the result. Earlier in the chapter Paul exhorts Christians to walk by the Spirit. Though we must be diligent, the change that results is still clearly the Spirit’s work. God deserves all the glory!
So, what if fruit is lacking from your life? Can you blame it on the Spirit? Certainly not! At the end of 2 Peter 1:8, Peter switches back to the intensive word for knowledge that he used back in verses 2 and 3. Since we have everything pertaining to life and godliness in the full knowledge of God, fruitfulness is expected. Peter responds to its absence in verse 9 by saying,
For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
He shifts from his agricultural analogy to a medical one: nearsightedness. Lots of people have trouble seeing things in the distance. You might even hear them say, “I’m blind without my glasses.” The same thing can happen spiritually. You can go through life focusing only on what’s in front of you. You’re blind to God’s plan, his commands, and the consequences of disobeying them. You just follow your gut.
But spiritual nearsightedness is avoidable. It is a consequence of forgetfulness. We need to remember that we were cleansed from our sins. We must recall what Jesus endured to accomplish that. He humbled himself and took on flesh to suffer the terrible ordeal of death by crucifixion.
This awareness should make us grateful and even fearful that we would do anything to cheapen his sacrifice. Peter makes this point in 1 Peter 1:18-19, when he speaks of,
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
Are you fruitful or have you become forgetful? If you know God, you have everything pertaining to life and godliness. The Spirit of God is present in you and is ready to transform you. Look at the big picture. Remind yourself of the gospel. As you do, it will enable you to fulfill a third commitment.
Be Sure not Stumbling
Last fall I visited the Montana Wilderness School of the Bible. On the way there, I reached a point where the pavement stopped. I was driving on a dirt road with nothing but cattle and rolling hills in view. It would be so easy to take a wrong turn and never realize it. I had to confide in my map and directions, staying on course until I reached my destination.
Christians are on a journey like that. God has mapped out a course for us. If we follow it, we can have assurance that we will arrive at his destination. But if we choose to meander off course then we forfeit that certainty. We must commit ourselves to being sure not stumbling. In 2 Peter 1:10, Peter says,
Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.
The words “calling” and “election” refer to God’s work in our lives. He takes the initiative in salvation. In Ephesians 1:4, Paul uses the verb form of the word election to say that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. We did not deserve to be chosen; it was purely by his grace. We did not seek him, but he called us through the preaching of the gospel, granting us faith and bringing us to life.
So, how can you know whether he has chosen you? Some people say that you never can. Several denominations connect confirmation with learning a catechism and participating in communion. Others link assurance with understanding the gospel and having a personal conversion experience. But here Peter says that we make sure of God’s calling and election by practicing the qualities from verses 5-7.
Peter is not saying that living out those qualities contributes to your salvation in any way. God saves us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But if he has called you into a relationship with himself and you have responded in faith, then it should make a difference in how you live. There should be fruit. There should be evidence that you are on the path. So, your diligence in following his path and building on your faith, should give you a growing sense of assurance that you were chosen and called by God.
At the end of verse 10, Peter says that if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. But what does he mean? There are two common interpretations. Some say that it refers to falling away from salvation. But if so, does he mean that it is possible to fall away? Not necessarily. He simply says that it will never happen to those who practice those qualities. He does not say that it will happen to those who don’t practice them. But the whole idea of falling away is inconsistent with God’s calling and election. In Romans 8:30, Paul links calling and justification to the certainty of glory. So, it does not make sense that Peter would use the danger of falling away as motivation.
A more literal translation of the end of verse 10 is, “you will never stumble.” So, the other common view is that he is referring to not stumbling into sin. But is it possible for a Christian to live a sinless life on this side of glory? That is certainly our goal, and it is theoretically possible for all of us who know God and have his Spirit working within us. So, Peter could have had that in mind, but James 3:2 says that we all stumble in many ways. First John 1:8-10 speaks of an ongoing confession of our sinfulness. Paul even calls himself the foremost of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:15.
I am not satisfied that either of these views is correct. Perhaps Peter is referring to stumbling in a more general sense. He might be comparing the confident progress of staying on God’s path with the stumbling uncertainty of negligence. Verse 11 fits with this understanding. Peter continues by saying,
For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Peter looks toward the future time when Christ will reign. Entering that kingdom is the hope of every believer. It is a gift of God’s abundant grace made possible through Christ’s death and resurrection. So, how could our entrance there be more or less richly provided?
I don’t think that there is any variability in the glory of our arrival there. It is not that some have a grand entrance while others sneak in the back door. The difference is in the journey. Being diligent and fruitful gives us a sense of confidence and abundance to enjoy along the way. Negligence and forgetfulness will not shut out a true believer. But it deprives them of assurance and makes the journey more arduous as they stumble along.
People often seek this confidence in a spiritual experience. They want a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit to take them to a new level, and as I mentioned previously, false teachers exploit that desire for something more. But Peter says that in our relationship with God we have everything we need to be sure and not stumbling.
Jude 24-25 celebrates this certainty by saying,
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
__________
If you know God, then I urge you to make these commitments. Be diligent, not negligent in adding to your faith. Be fruitful, not forgetful in allowing God to change your life. Be sure, not stumbling on our journey to Christ’s kingdom.
If you don’t know the Lord, I encourage you to seek him today. Learn from his Word. Believe his gospel. Trust in his Son. If you would like to learn more about the powerful changes Christ wants to make in us, Ephesians 4 would be a good chapter for you to read.
If you are a believer, have you been negligent? I encourage you to renew your walk with the Lord. We all need to keep building upon our faith. In which of those seven qualities in verses 5-7 do you most need to grow? Virtue? Knowledge? Self-control? Steadfastness? Godliness? Brotherly affection? Love? It can be overwhelming to consider all of these at once. Pick one to focus on. See what else God’s Word has to say about it. Pray about it and trust God to help you keep moving forward.
May his kingdom come!
Reflect
How would you describe your commitment to the Lord?
Which of these expressions of commitment is most challenging to you? What could you do to better honor that commitment in your life?
How would you explain the assurance of salvation to someone after reading this passage?