May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

³ 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, ⁴ 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. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

We started down this path in 2 peter 1 looking at how our faith is the foundation for all that God calls us to in this life.  What does your mind believe about Jesus?  Not just what you think you should believe – if your life depended on it (which is does) what do you believe about the nature of God, and your salvation in Jesus.  What does your heart say about Jesus and how do you desire His will instead of what the world could offer?  When we speak of faith, this is the depth and rootedness of faith we’re striving for.

The outworking of that faith is seen in our moral excellence, our pursuit of more knowledge of God, self-restraint, perseverance in the fight for faith, a pursuit of seeking and manifesting the glory of God in our lives, and an earnest desire to see growth of faith and good of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  The end of all of these things is love.  This is not a romantic kind of love, but it is the very love of God towards us in Christ, who gave His life for others, even those who mocked Him on the way to the cross.

As Christians, our behavior speaks to what we believe intellectually and what our heart desires.  Instead of focusing simply on outward behavior, which can be modified at least temporarily with sufficient incentive, what if we started asking ourselves different questions?  Is my behavior towards this person loving the person in a way that is gracious, merciful and reflect the will of God?   What if our goal wasn’t just to do or not do something, but to see the love of God manifested through us to the world and people around us?

Put another way, you can be a moral person, and yet have no faith in Jesus and no real love for others.  On the contrary, if you have faith in Jesus and love others, you may commit acts of immorality temporarily or during a period of backsliding, but when your faith is active and moving, the love you have for others will bear fruit far greater than mere moral obedience would ever muster.  People don’t need us, they need Christ in us.  Our loved ones don’t need us, they need the love of Christ in us.  This is what we strive for in our Christian walk.

I’m going to close with a passage from Romans 12 which is similar to this passage in 2 Peter, except it flips it around and starts with what true love looks like from faith, and breaks that down into how that overflows in our lives.

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.  Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

My exhortation is the same – from a mind that believes God, and a heart that loves Him, let your love be genuine to others.  As we strive forward in this regard, failing at times, know that the love of God towards us in Christ has given us grace upon grace to cover all our sin.  He loves us, and so we are able to love others.

Grace and Peace,

Adam