'His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 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. '
- 2 Peter 1:3-7
He lived the life none of us could, and in doing so, we no longer have to live the life we had before. Holiness is an interesting thing. Most of the time, I have associated holiness with upright behavior and “being a good person.” But it is deeper than that, and it is smaller than that, as well. Holiness does not begin with action, as explained by the Apostle Peter in our selected scripture. He details that the holy life begins with faith. Peter suggests that holiness is an inward metamorphosis of the heart's desires rather than an outward action of legalistic conviction. Peter gives us two things in this scripture:
- He begins by reaffirming that through Christ, we have all we need to embrace holiness.
- He gives us the map of holiness itself.
Map, you say? Look further. It begins with faith. Faith is the crux of the Christian life. Our entire hope in Christ is built upon the faith in Him, his life, death, resurrection, and awaited return. But faith is more than hope; faith brings forth a repentant heart.
Faith begets repentance; a repentant heart embraces righteous action and a desire to live differently. It is from here that we proceed down the entire list, leading us into a life that pleases the Lord and makes those around us think, “Wow! Look at what Jesus did for them!” Lastly, Peter uses unique verbiage. He says “supplement.” In Greek, it is ἐπιχορηγήσατε, which is in this instance used to mean “to produce.”
What does this mean then? Well, quite simply, it is that all of the things in this list to love begin with faith. So go forth, and be faithful.
To Him be the power, the glory, and the kingdom forever.
So be it and let it be.
Amen.