2 Peter 1:5 Podcast
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge (2 Peter 1:5)
In 2 Peter 1:5-7, the Apostle provides a list of eight characteristics which will aid us in our walk with the Lord. This list begins with faith and ends with love. This list corresponds with the message of the whole Bible: our confidence in God's promises is the means by which we access God's power for a godly and wise life.
The commands in this passage are based on what the Apostle has written in v.3-4 which provides the pathway to a godly or wise life. These characteristics are produced by God, not by us. In like manner, the evil desires within us are not of our creation. We choose to access the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2:13, "It is God who is at work in us to will and to do for His good pleasure." We must be careful to never reverse this order by saying, "I will work out my salvation so that God will work in me."
The literal translation of v.5 is "as you have received faith in Christ and stand in it, now apply yourself diligently to advance in goodness; and as you stand in that, do not be satisfied but press on to increase your knowledge of God's will; and as you stand in that, do not be satisfied."
The Greek word the Apostle uses for "goodness" is "aretēn" is only used five times in the New Testament. In classical times, the word meant the God-given ability to perform heroic deeds. And it came to mean the quality of someone’s life which makes them stand out as excellent. It is a noble term. It is a term of heroism. It is a term of moral heroism, moral excellence, quality. It means the act of living up to one's full potential.
To "goodness" Peter admonishes us to live out of God's provision of "knowledge." The word Peter uses here for "knowledge" is "gnosko" which is the same root word that he uses in v.3.
"Gnosko" used over 200 times in the New Testament, is experiential knowledge. This word knowledge means correct insight, understanding, truth properly comprehended, properly understood, properly applied. We must know before we can live.
The Christian life is not hard, because God does the heavy lifting. The responsibility of the believer is to choose to resist the flesh, choose the way of the Spirit, yield to His way of thinking, and give the glory to God when we experience success.
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