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 1v5-7 ESV
At the beginning of this short series, I mentioned that these supplements build upon one another. Love is the ultimate supplement. Without love we are without the life and vitality that God wants us to enjoy as citizens of His Kingdom.
When we begin our journey of faith, we must pursue virtue; the desire for excellence in all we think and do. To develop virtue, we need to have the knowledge of God and His ways through the reading and applying of His Word. Self-control is what helps us to die to our own will and way of doing things and accept and develop God’s principles for living. Steadfastness helps us to stay the course, even under great opposition. Brotherly affection helps us to live in community with the family of God, and to do all these things we need love.
1 Corinthians 13 is known as the chapter of love. It is a description of God’s love for us, but also how we are to learn to love other people. Love consists of the following characteristics:
Patience and kindness
Lack of envy, pride and arrogance
Good manners, an unselfish attitude, not being easily irritated and having a forgiving nature
Being joyful in truth which means hating lies and deception, always being full of hope and willing to endure hardships.
We need to have these characteristics as the principal goals in our lives, because in developing them we are being conformed to the image of Christ. The triumphant Christian life is all about building the character of God into our everyday lives. When we get preoccupied with our own ambitions in work, or get caught up in a whirl of social activities, we can miss what life is really all about. We were created to know God, walk in close fellowship and communion with Him, and become His representatives here on earth.
In the first part of this series, I painted a picture of a knight in shining armour in training to defend his king and country from the attacks of the enemy. The well trained, victorious knight returns from battle with his head held high, his banner held triumphantly, riding at the head of the procession to a hero’s welcome and a rich reward from his beloved sovereign.
This is the picture that Peter paints for us in verses 10 and 11 of this passage:
“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Let us fight the good fight of faith with all our might, for in doing so we receive everlasting joy and the crown that is given to those who endure to the end.
