Life, Godliness and Love

2 Peter 1 (v 2-7)“2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.”

Dear reader, perhaps as you read the above text you noticed that your extension of love comes at the end of the chain. Your love is the final link. Your love is a fruit. It is neither expected to exist prior to transformation, nor is your “being loving” an automatic guarantee.

Here's the series of linked items: God has given (once and for ever) all things that pertain to a Christian's life and devoutness or piety [godliness]; He did this by placing you [Believer] into a relationship with Himself; that "placement" is tied to His own glory and virtue; from this relationship and God's goodness you as a Christian partake in God’s work as described by His promises and you share through your relationship with Him the characteristics or qualities [or fruits] of His nature [in contrast with having access to only your nature]; this divine placement has moved you, Christian, from a position of worldly corruption stemming from lust to the position of participation in divine relations and actions. You have, so to speak, a new nature to live from.

Thus far, the chain links can be summarized as God has given you, Believer, a new life. This life is yours for the keeping. You should recognize this change and be aware of the differences. Life for you has been divinely redefined. A devote and pious life are the natural disposition of a proper awareness of this divine repositioning and the nature of having a new life. So far, we have been describing what Peter calls the basics of faith.

The chain continues. Once the platform above is in place and seen for what it is, the life consequence and passionate desires that should be natural to the new nature are described. Your movement in these directions are responses to what you, hopefully, find emerging in your mind and heart as God relates to you, and you relate to God, on the interior level of your life—your heart and conscience. Peter says in verse 5, because of these things comprising the foundations of your Christian faith (vs. 2-4), “add.” Believer, our post-conversion life needs to reveal movement in adding to, or growing in, our justified by God life: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness and, finally, love. The fruit is love.

This type of love stems from understanding one’s faith and growing in that faith. Sure, you can, as we identified in the first blog post, squelch, retard or scorn such new life growth, but why? Why do I desire to reject my God given life for the alternative life of corruption by means of lust? If you have no desire for the goal of being loving, then likely it would do you well to revisit the faith elements that Peter states in verses 2-4. You must both understand these essentials and participate in them, for they are the soil or ground for all else. If the seeds of grace desire not to grow from your heart, then perhaps they are not truly there. If you find them, join God in their growth. Move toward love.