Make Every Effort: 2 Peter 1:5-9

How we behave, how we interact and engage with those around us, is vitally important. If we behave badly there will be consequences handed out from the community in which we live. Bad behavior can result in the loss of respect and a good reputation, the loss of a job, the loss of a friend group, or even the loss of our family. We all have our own stories of how our own bad behavior has brought about negative consequences. We have also seen examples of this on the evening news as those who break the law for various reasons are carted away in police cars. 

On the other hand, those who behave decently reap the benefits of their good behavior in a variety of ways. Those who put others before their own self-interest tend to expand their circle of friends. Those who demonstrate honesty and integrity are oftentimes rewarded with greater responsibility in the workplace. Those who show the genuineness of their love and devotion are valued and respected by their families. 

Within the field of sociology, there is a discipline of study called the “sociology of morality.” These sociologists study social factors like culture, groups norms, and community expectations to try and understand how morality is shaped within communities. Sociologists tell us every community, every society, and every culture has its own set of morals and ethics. The family which raised you, raised you with a set of morals. If we were to sit down and talk about the morals passed on to us from our families there would be some similarities as well as some differences that we would discover. 

In our church, we come from a wide variety of cultures. Those of you who grew up in other parts of the world, there are some important cultural values that were passed on to you, which reflect your unique culture. I was reading a study this week which discussed the differences between Chinese and American societal values. There were ten differences that were highlighted, but let me share just two of the ten. First, Americans tend to value the individual whereas Chinese culture places a greater value on the group. Another important difference in values is how the elderly are viewed and treated. In Chinese culture, the elders are treated with great respect. Many families live with several generations under one roof as the younger members are committed to taking care of their elders. Also, the wisdom of the elders is highly respected and sought after by those who are younger. In America we celebrate youthfulness and have less regard for our elders.  

Regardless of whether someone is a follower of Jesus, some other religion, or an atheist, everyone has a set of morals and ethics which gives them direction and guidance as to how they choose to live their lives and engage with those around them. This past week, as I have been studying 2 Peter 1:5-9, I have been reminded of the great difference between the Christian ethic and all other ethical or moral frameworks from which people live. We’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s review what we have learned so far from Simon Peter. 

So far in our study of Peter’s second letter we have learned that grace and peace can be ours, for the followers of Jesus, in increasing abundance, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. We also learned in verse 3,

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3 NIV)

God has done all of this for you and me, those of us who are followers of Jesus. What more could He do that He hasn’t already done? In just three short verses Peter has reminded the followers of Jesus in the first century, and those of us who are followers of Jesus this morning, of God’s immense love, grace, and provision for all of our lives. There are no second class followers of Jesus. Each and every follower has received these precious and very great promises. Now, with that said, let’s take a look at our Scripture for this morning found in 2 Peter 1:5-9.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9 NIV)

Peter begins by saying, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…” We have to ask, “For what very reason?” What Peter means is that because of all that the Lord has done for us, now it is time for us to get to work. In this very first sentence we find the distinctiveness of the Christian ethical motivation. We are not getting to work, we are not called to behave decently or morally in order to gain society’s approval or to avoid being marginalized or isolated from the community, to win God’s favor, or to earn our salvation. Our motivation is altogether different. J.I. Packer wrote,

The secular world never understands Christian motivation. Faced with the question of what makes Christians tick, unbelievers maintain that Christianity is practiced only out of self-serving purposes. They see Christians as fearing the consequences of not being Christians (religion as fire insurance), or feeling the need of help and support to achieve their goals (religion as crutch), or wishing to sustain a social identity (religion as a badge of respectability). No doubt all these motivations can be found among the membership of churches: it would be futile to dispute that. But...a self-seeking motivation brought into the church is not thereby made Christian, nor will holiness ever be the right name for religious routines thus motivated. From the plan of salvation I learn that the true driving force in authentic Christian living is, and ever must be, not the hope of gain but the heart of gratitude. (J. I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness (Ann Arbor, Mich: Servant Press, 1992), pg. 75.) 

As J.I. Packer has pointed out, there are Christians whose motivations for living a moral life, a righteous life, are misguided by their own misunderstanding of the Gospel. They think that by seeking to live righteously they will get God to do what they want Him to do for them or they can earn their way to heaven. The followers of Jesus who truly understand the Gospel, seek to follow in Jesus’ steps because of what God has already done. Our motivation is not gain, but gratitude. 

In verses 5-7, Peter lists seven qualities or virtues that we are to add to the faith which God has provided for us in and through our relationship with Jesus. Let’s read verses 5-7 once again.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. (2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV)

We are to add to the faith God has given us, “goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love.” This list provided by Peter is not the only list of virtues or ethical qualities to be pursued by the followers of Jesus. There are four lists found in the New Testament. In Galatians 5:22-23 we learn about the fruit of the Spirit. 

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV)

The Apostle Paul also gives us three other lists which were shared with the believers in Corinth, in 2 Corinthians 6:6-7, with the church in Rome, in Romans 5:3-5, and with a young pastor named Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11. Listen to what Paul shared with Timothy. 

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:10-11 NIV)

The four lists are similar, but none are exactly the same. There is only one virtue that is found in all four of the lists and that is “love.” “Faith” and “hope” are found in three of the lists I have pointed out for us. For some of you, when I mentioned “faith, hope, and love” you immediately thought about 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter where Paul ends his thoughts with, 

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)

It is not just a coincidence that “love” appears in every list of virtues. Love for God, love for family, love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, love for our neighbor, love of our enemies, and love for the stranger run throughout God’s Word. Why is love such a prominent theme in Scripture? That’s worth talking about.

You may have rarely gone to church in the past, but I bet you have heard of the 10 Commandments. They are found in Exodus 20 where Mosed received them from God on Mt. Sinai. Even though you are probably aware of the 10 Commandments, you may not be aware of the 613 Commandments. Jews believe that there are 613 “mitzvots” or commands in the Torah. There are 248 positive commands, or things you should do, and 365 negative commands, or things you should not do. That’s a lot of “dos and don’ts.” 

One day, some Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus. They wanted Him to say something which would incriminate Him. Matthew tells us one of the teachers of the law heard what was going on and asked Jesus a question. Turn with me to Matthew 22:35 and let’s begin reading there.

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:35-40 NIV)

Isn’t that amazing?! Which is the greatest of all of the commandments? There are so many to choose from! Whether you hold to the 10 Commandments or you recognize the 613 Commandments, Jesus said they are all fulfilled in two commands: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Love, not just any type of love. Not a love as you would define love, but the love that God has demonstrated for us in giving His Son to provide for our reconciliation and forgiveness, this is the type of love we are to have for God and for others. Jesus told His disciples,

34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35 NIV)

Any person who understands this call to love others in the way that Jesus loves us will be overwhelmed with the reality that it just simply is not in us to love others as Jesus loves us. Our love is so weak compared to Jesus’ love. We love those who treat us well, those that we like, and those we choose to love, but Jesus’ love is altogether different. God’s Word tells us that Jesus loved us while we despised Him, denied Him, and wanted nothing to do with Him. And for those of us who are followers of Jesus, how many times have we failed Him since coming to know Him, and yet His love for us has not deviated even one degree. Can we say the same about our love for those who have failed us over and over again? How can we love like Jesus loves?

This leads us to one of the distinctive differences between the Christian ethic or value system and all of the secular moral and ethical systems throughout history. Let me give you an example. Stoicism is making a comeback in our day. You can listen to podcasts of Marcus Aurelius’ “Daily Meditations” which are rooted in his Stoic philosophy of life. I found a list this week of the top 20 Stoic podcasts on Spotify. The ancient philosophy of Stoicism is definitely making a comeback!

Stoicism was a popular philosophy during the time the New Testament was written. The Apostle Paul ran into Stoic and Epicurean philosophers in Acts 17, when he was in Athens. You can find similarities between the list of morals or virtues in Stoicism and Christianity, but the power to actually pursue and live out those qualities are very different. 

The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and a man named Seneca were two of the most famous Stoic philosophers. The most important virtues people should pursue in living a virtuous life, for these men, were wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance, which is very closely aligned with what the Bible calls “self-control.” You will see, when we start to look at each of the seven qualities Peter identifies, that the Stoic ideas are similar to biblical virtues, but the difference comes from the power to live out these qualities. 

According to the Stoics, the power to live out these qualities comes from within oneself, through the use of reason and the ability to choose the virtuous life.  For the Stoic, there is a higher power that they call the “logos,” but it is unknowable, distant, and is more of a divine reason that orders the world. The goal of the virtuous life is to align oneself with nature and the ordering of the Universe. 

In Christianity, the “Logos” became flesh and made His dwelling with us. The Logos is the Word of God made flesh in Jesus. He came to make God known, to give His life in order that we might be reconciled to God, and then He promised His Holy Spirit to all who would believe in Him. It is God at work in each of His followers, through the work of the Holy Spirit, that enables us to live a Christlike life, to grow in these virtues that Peter lists for us. He is our Power Source. We are not left alone to grow in godliness or knowledge or self-control, but He stirs the desire within us and grants us the growth as we pursue Him, or as Peter says, as we “make every effort.” 

There is a great difference between Stoicism’s ethic, every secular ethical system of living a moral life, and the Christian ethic–and it is this: God is at work in you to mold you and shape you into the image of His Son Jesus. Paul shared this idea with the believers in Philippi, in Philippians 2:13.

13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13 NLT)

If you were to sit down this afternoon and write out every virtue, every character quality that is found in the New Testament, you would find that Jesus is the embodiment of the entire list. And it is God’s purpose and plan to shape us into the image of His Son Jesus. Before we go, let me show you three different perspectives on God’s purpose and plan to shape us into the image of His Son. First of all turn with me to Romans 8:28-29.

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:28-29 NLT)

We can see here in these verses that God’s plan from eternity past was to make us like His Son. Paul says, “he chose them to become like his Son…” To become Christlike is God’s purpose in having chosen you, redeeming you, and providing for you everything you need for life and godliness as Peter has already told us. 

Secondly, God is presently working to make us more and more like Jesus. I want you to turn to 2 Corinthians 3:18 and let’s read it together.

18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-- who is the Spirit-- makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT)

In the verses preceding what we have just read, Paul makes it clear that those who are not followers of Jesus are “veiled,” they cannot see the truth that is before them. That veil only comes off by believing in Jesus. Once the veil is removed God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, begins His work of changing us to become more and more like Jesus. John R.W. Stott calls this the move from “God’s eternal predestination to His present transformation of us by the Holy Spirit.” This is the work that is presently going on in all of you who are followers of Jesus. 

The last Scripture I want us to read together is found in 1 John 3:2. We have seen God’s purpose from the beginning of time in calling His people, His current work of transformation that is ongoing and will continue until we draw our last breath, but we need to take a deep look out into the future. Read what John has written with me.

2 Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2 NLT)

I can say that I am more like Jesus today than I was when I first became His follower, but on the continuum of who I was before I met Jesus and the beauty and holiness of my Savior…I have barely moved the needle, if I am being honest. This could lead me to despair and discouragement if it were not for the assurance we have just read. “When Christ appears…we will be like him.”

Unlike those who create lists of what they would like to be like in the future or those who devise their own systems of morality and then do their best to live up to them on their own power, you and I have the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and the promise that He will not abandon His work in us. This makes all of the difference in the world! William Temple was an Archbishop in the Church of England when he died in the 1940s. He illustrated the point I’ve been trying to make.

It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet or King Lear and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it—I can’t. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it—I can’t. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like this. And if the Spirit could come into me, then I could live a life like His. (William Temple)

God’s purpose is to make us like His Son Jesus and His provision is to fill us with His Holy Spirit. 

Next Sunday we will take a look at the seven virtues or character qualities that Peter has shared with us, but before we go I want to go over once more the differences between Kingdom ethics and morality and the moral systems and ethical standards of all other world systems. First, we do not seek to live a morally or ethically pure life for gain, but from a position of gratitude for all that God has done for us. Secondly, we are not given a set of character qualities or values and told, “Just do it!” God is at work and we must make every effort. Like an athlete who trains before the sun rises every morning, who alters his diet and sleep patterns to align with his desire to stand on top of the victor’s platform, and refuses any proposition that would detract from his aim–we must make every effort to allow God to do His work in us and through us. Are you ready to make that commitment this morning? 

Mike Hays

Britton Christian Church

February 9, 2025