The Bible Says
2 Peter 1:5-7 Meaning

2 Peter 1:5-7 provides a progression in our faith walk that leads to the promise and experience of life that in turn results in possessing God’s divine promises. Having shown that prophetic truth is a key to partaking of the divine nature, Peter exhorts Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge (v. 5).

Peter’s reference to this very reason refers to the great and magnificent promises God has granted that he mentioned in 1 Peter 1:4. These are the incredible promises that God has granted to us to participate in His divine nature, leading to life, escaping the lusts of the world that lead to death.

The main exhortation action is found in the verb supply, which means to furnish or add to at own’s own expense. Believers are told to supply moral excellence.

This action of supply is enhanced by the phrase applying all diligence, which means to make every effort with eagerness and earnestness. The phrase moral excellence translates the Greek word “areté” which also appears in 1 Peter 1:3 where it describes God’s character and is translated simply as “excellence.”

“Areté” in Greek philosophical thought was the highest place of moral virtue, which also led to the greatest in life fulfillment. Although Peter writes to a Jewish audience, they lived in a Greek world and were likely familiar with this concept.

In verse 3, “areté” applies to God’s “excellence.” In verse 5, “areté” applies to the believer’s own moral excellence acquired in their walk of faith. The progression is as follows:

• In your faith-Peter asserted in 1 Peter 3:1 that all believers receive the same kind of faith.
• supply-This is a choice of the will, a decision to walk in faith, believing that what God commands is for our best, and walking in obedience to His commands.
• moral excellence-To walk in obedience to God’s commands is to walk in His character, which is a character of “areté”-the highest good.

This progression is to be done while applying all diligence. A walk of faith requires effort and discipline. The path of least resistance is to follow the flesh and the ways of the world. Jesus called this the wide road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13). Jesus called walking in the way that leads to life a “narrow” way that is accessed through a “narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13-14) To walk in God’s ways requires diligence; it is difficult. It is something we supply, something we add at our own expense to our faith. We apply the diligence and will to seek “areté,” but Jesus supplies us the divine power to actually walk in the way (2 Peter 1:3).

Thus, it is inferred that it is through an intentional, daily walk of faith that God’s promises are possessed. It is interesting that the next acquisition for those who are diligent to walk in faith is knowledge. This knowledge is the Greek word “gnosis.” Rather than “epignósis” which is an intimate, relational knowledge, “gnosis” is more of an intellectual understanding.

We usually think of gaining intellectual knowledge, the theory, before we gain experience. This progression indicates that we better gain knowledge when we diligently walk in faith and supply or add moral excellence to our faith. In other words, this implies that we gain intellectual understanding through application.

Upon reflection, this is what we can see from experience. We actually don’t tend to gain functional knowledge until we actually apply it. It is inferred here that we gain a functional knowledge through the experience of living. As we apply what we know to live in moral excellence, we gain more knowledge to apply. Thus, we engage in a learning sequence of act, learn, know, repeat. This indicates that our spiritual growth is going to be filled with mistakes and missteps! We can all say “Amen” to that!

The concept of a messy progression of learning through failing is affirmed by 1 John 1:7-9. There we are told that if we say we have no sin, the truth is not in us. That means that as long as we live on this earth in these fallen bodies, we will still have to fight the negative influence of our fallen nature, which is full of sin.

Although believers are a new creation in Christ, we also still have an old nature, the flesh (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 7:14-17). 1 John 1:8 also infers that when we walk in what light we have, Jesus covers the sin of which we are unaware; our fellowship with God is not broken by unknown sin. 1 John 1:9 makes it clear that if we know sin, we are expected to repent of that sin in order to have fellowship restored.

This passage from 1 John 1:7-9 anticipates a progressive process of gaining spiritual knowledge. As we gain spiritual knowledge, we become more aware of our own sin. And as we gain this awareness, and our spiritual knowledge grows, we can increase our dependence on and walk in God’s Spirit.

Motivated by the prophetic promises, Peter wants his readers to work diligently to climb the ladder to maturity that moves a believer from believing faith (the first step) to fully applied faith, which has the final destination of living in love (the last step). Peter made clear in 1 Peter 1:1 that all believers have the same faith as Peter had. We all begin in the same place. And all believers are given a great inheritance and amazing promises. But those promises remain to be possessed. And that comes through applying all diligence to walk in and apply the faith we already have.

The first move up the stairsteps from initial faith to maturity is to supply, or add, our own effort of moral excellence, the decision to pursue living out God’s virtuous character through trusting and walking in obedience to God (1 Peter 1:21, 2 Peter 1:15). The phrase moral excellence refers to a virtue of upright character. The Greek word translated “areté” is translated as moral excellence. We also see “areté” in 2 Peter 1:3 where it is translated excellence as an adjective that applies to God’s character.

God is the definition of moral excellence or “areté.” “Areté” in Greek philosophical thought was the pinnacle of moral excellence a human could obtain. It was thought that gaining “areté” would also be to gain the maximum fulfillment in life.

Peter agrees with this Greek thought, but instead of being something humans develop themselves, it is something that is acquired from God through a walk of faith. To supply moral excellence is basically making a decision that “I choose to walk in God’s ways.” It is a decision of direction. Rather than choosing to walk in our lusts and rationalize or hide, we instead decide “I believe that God’s ways are the best ways and will follow Him.”

To choose moral excellence is to choose a perspective that God’s ways lead to life and the world’s ways lead to death. This flies in the face of the perspective which the world daily foists upon us. The world frames death as life. It promises joy and happiness but delivers emptiness and loneliness.

God has provided all that is needed, what remains is for that provision to be possessed. Just as Israel was granted the Promised Land in Genesis 15:18, believers are granted the “magnificent promises” (2 Peter 1:4). And just as Israel was asked to go in and possess the land, so New Testament believers are asked to possess God’s promises to them. This occurs through a decision to diligently follow in God’s ways, learning to live out His character, which ultimately results in love.

There are three things God has given us stewardship to control in this life: who or what we trust, the perspective we choose, and what we actions we take. In 2 Peter 1, the apostle is walking us through how to properly exercise and steward those choices. This begins with believing God. Specifically, by believing that His promises are real and true. We will see later in this letter that there are instruments of Satan who attempt to topple this faith.

After being rooted in a belief that God’s word and promises are true, the next step is to choose moral excellence. That is a choice of perspective that God’s ways lead to our best.

Peter tells us that we must add knowledge to moral excellence as our next step. The Greek word translated here as knowledge is “gnosis” rather than “epignósis” as we saw in 2 Peter 1:3. “Epignósis” refers to an intimate knowledge. In 2 Peter 1:3, it is the means by which we gain “life and godliness.”

The word “gnosis” refers to intellectual learning. An example would be reading and studying what the Bible says about what is right and what is wrong. This knowledge comes by reading and studying God’s Word. The intimate knowledge of God, “epignósis,” comes through a walk of faith where we apply what we have learned from scripture and follow the Spirit’s leading.

As we read and study God’s Word, we may learn that our behavior is leading us to sin and experience negative consequences. Because we have, by faith, made the decision to gain “areté” (moral excellence) we have committed to alter our behavior to conform to God’s will. As we thus conform to the image of Christ, we gain intimate knowledge of Him (“epignósis”).

James uses the image of setting aside self and replacing it with the “implanted word” (James 1:21). He says this saves our lives from the destruction we pursue when we follow our inner passions, our sinful nature (James 1:13-15). Similarly, Peter writes that in our progression to spiritual maturity we then add to knowledge, self-control (v.6).

The Greek word “egkrateia” is translated self-control. We see “egkrateia” also translated as “self-control” in Acts 24:25. There Paul preaches to the Roman governor Felix about “righteousness, self-control (‘egkrateia’) and the judgment to come.” This reflects that “righteousness” and “self-control” were both virtues recognized as worthy goals to obtain in Greek philosophical thought.

The Greek word “dikaiosyne” is translated “righteousness” in Acts 24:25. Plato’s famous work “The Republic” is largely a treatise seeking to discover the meaning of “dikaiosyne,” showing its importance in Greek philosophy. “Dikaiosyne” can also be translated “justice.” Plato concluded that “dikaiosyne” occurred when all parts of a Greek city state worked together for the greatest mutual benefit, an understanding consistent with scripture’s thought on “righteousness,” being each member of a body working together for the good of all (Romans 12). In order to seek the best for others (love) we must first set aside our own tendencies to satisfy our inner passions at the expense of others, which is to exercise self-control.

That Paul in his speech to Felix was connecting “the judgment to come” with “righteousness” and “self-control” shows that Paul was telling Felix that God would hold people accountable for their character and actions. Paul made clear that this was true also for believers, who will give an account to God and receive rewards for deeds done while living on earth (1 Corinthians 3:12-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10).

In this letter, Peter reflects the same idea of gaining rewards for faithfulness, asserting that it is through the development of spiritual maturity that we possess and enjoy the benefits of the “precious and magnificent promises” we have been granted through Christ (2 Peter 1:4). The “precious and magnificent promises” of God pertain both to benefits in this life as well as the next. Peter will end this letter with an admonition to be ready for Jesus’s return, being found diligent and blameless (2 Peter 3:14).

As Jesus said, those who give up worldly comforts for His sake will receive back a “hundred times” what they gave up, both in this life as well as in the age to come (Mark 10:29-30). In 2 Peter 1:11, Peter will assert that by faith believers can gain an entrance into the “eternal kingdom” of Jesus that is “abundantly supplied.”

The concept of self-control contains the idea of restraint of impulses and desires especially in matters of morality. We can see from passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:3 that the primary need in the process of sanctification is to “abstain from sexual immorality.”

The same Greek word translated self-control in 2 Peter is also found in Galatians 5:22-23 where “self-control” is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. “Fruit” is a product of a tree, and the fruit demonstrates what sort of tree it is. We see in Galatians 5:19-21 that the fruit of the flesh, our old nature, is a set of behaviors that are addictive and destructive, both to ourselves and to others. The fruit of the Spirit is exactly the opposite-it comes from a “tree” that produces life and peace.

Thus, to gain self-control is to exercise our will and set aside the native desires of our flesh and substitute the “areté” (moral excellence) nature of God through the power of Christ living through us. Paul calls this “walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). Paul asserts that we have a basic binary decision to make as a human-to walk in slavery/addictions of sin or the freedom from sin we gain through following in obedience to God’s Spirit (Romans 6:16). The consequence of choosing the flesh is a fruit of flesh, which is death. The consequence of choosing the Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit, which is life.

As we develop self-control, we typically realize that we are entrenched in walking in pride and self-seeking that stems from patterns we developed from walking in our old nature. We may try and fail to live according to God’s standards. It is difficult to learn to set aside self and walk in dependence on the Spirit. This is why Peter sets this forth as a progression-a sequence. It is not a sequence we go through one time, but a sequence we go through many times. Perhaps once for each key lesson we learn. The more we learn, the more we might realize how much we remain to grow into the image of Christ.

Solomon, in the wisdom God gave him, wrote, “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again…” (Proverbs 24:16). To grow in Christ is a continual process of maturity. There is never an end to growing in Christ, for Christ is God and God is a being that has no beginning and no end.

God understands at all times our progress toward spiritual maturity; He knows us better than we know ourselves (Hebrews 4:12). All who believe are fully accepted in Christ. Because those who believe are placed into His body, we cannot be rejected; for Him to reject us would be to reject Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). We are His children, and He desires for us to grow, mature, and succeed. He is for us, never against us (Romans 8:31-32).

Therefore there is never a reason to quit. If we continue growing, then we are assured of success. While there is never cause to quit, we always need perseverance. And so Peter tells us to add to your self-control, perseverance. The word perseverance translates the Greek word “hupomone” which incorporates the idea of endurance and is often translated that way (2 Corinthians 6:4, Hebrews 10:36, 12:1, James 1:3-4, 5:11). The point is “Just keep trying, never give up!”

Self-control or self-governance provides a fulcrum from knowledge to practice. The “knowledge and decision” part of maturity are the beginning steps: faith, moral excellence (“areté”), and knowledge. These are the “learn and decide, ‘This is who I want to be’” steps of Christian maturity. Then an ongoing practice (perseverance) of self-control connects these mental understandings and decisions to actions: godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

The virtue of perseverance “hupomone” involves the ability to hold up under challenging circumstances with patience and steadfastness (Romans 5:3, 2 Thessalonians 1:4,). This kind of persevering endurance is developed by actively trusting God during adverse circumstances through the strength God supplies for the purpose He designed. James echoes this same idea, telling believers to rejoice when having to endure persecution because it grows our faith, and growing and maturing our faith leads to winning the crown of life (James 1:2-3, 12).

Once believers begin developing perseverance, we create habits rooted in obedience to God’s word. As we continue to work through the cycle of following God’s ways, we grow in intimate knowledge with Him (“epignósis”). As we grow in the Lord, we grow into His likeness. Peter recognizes this and tells us in your perseverance add godliness.

Godliness translates the Greek word “Eusebia” meaning an awesome respect for God resulting in a deep devotion to Him. The word is also translated “piety.” This kind of devotion implies becoming more and more like God’s character, His “areté” or “moral excellence,” until there is no priority in our life higher than God Himself (2 Peter 1:3, 3:11).

The Apostle Paul argues that when we come to a point of gaining spiritual wisdom, we realize that the logical thing to do is to live our lives as a living sacrifice, wholly devoted to serving God (Romans 12:1). This is because we realize that this is what fulfills our design; it is what we were made for. It is the best and only path to a full experience of life.

So far in these six steps to Christian maturity, the focus has been on our own personal growth and development (your faith, your moral excellence, your knowledge, your self-control, your perseverance, and your godliness). Now Peter tells us we are ready to minister to other people. The seventh step toward Christian maturity is to in your godliness add brotherly kindness (v. 7).

Brotherly kindness translates the Greek word “philadelphia” combining two Greek words: the word “philia” meaning family love, and “delphos,” meaning brother. Combined, the word gives the idea of a family love toward your brothers and sisters in Christ (1 Peter 1:22, Romans 13:10).

This brotherly kindness involves a ministry to others around you. You now are ready to reach out and bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). It may seem natural to show brotherly kindness to those who show a brotherly love toward you. But what about the person in your church that is reviling you and saying all kinds of evil things about you?

When people hurt you, that arouses emotions that make it hard to have brotherly love, “philadelpia,” toward that person. God knows you need a special kind of love to do that. That is why Peter tells us that the final step in growing toward maturity is in your brotherly kindness add love.

This kind of love is the Greek word “agape” referring to the selfless, sacrificial love that does what is in the best interest of others (1 John 4:9-10, Ephesians 5:2, 1 Peter 4:8). “Agape” love is a love of choice. We can choose to “agape” love the world, as in 1 John 2:15 which instructs believers not to “agape” love the world.

We can also choose to put the best interests of others above our own desires, as in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; this is exercising “agape” love that is the ultimate expression of God’s “areté” character of “moral excellence.” God is love, and it was because of His love that He sent His only Son to die for our sins (1 John 4:10, 16).

In this progression that leads to maturity, the first thing we were instructed to do after believing, and gaining the same faith as all other believers, was to choose to pursue “areté” or moral excellence. When we gain the maturity to choose to love others with “agape” love, we are then actually living out the “areté” character of God.

At the very apex of the Christian walk is “agape” love. This is why Jesus commands His disciples to “agape” love one another (John 13:34-35). That is also why the Apostle Paul earnestly prays for those whom he has taught that God would root them in “agape” love, that they might be “filled up to all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16-19). This again paints the picture that as we grow in spiritual maturity we grow into the likeness and image of Christ.

To be conformed to the image of Christ is our very destiny, as indicated by Romans 8:29. It is also our greatest opportunity; those who in this life overcome the power of the flesh and the world are promised to gain the greatest possible rewards by Jesus (Revelation 3:21, 21:7, Romans 8:17).

Since our goal and destiny is to be conformed to the image of Christ, and the ultimate expression of the Christian walk is to walk in love, it follows that Jesus Christ is the greatest example of demonstrating “agape” love. And this is confirmed by scripture: “God demonstrates his own love [‘agape’] toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus showed sacrificial, selfless love for each of us in giving Himself up to die for our sins. Believers are instructed to have the same mind that Christ had, who gave Himself up to die for others, and was accordingly given immense rewards by His Father (Philippians 2:5-9).

Even someone who has lived as an enemy of the cross can personally experience Christ’s “agape” love, by believing that Jesus Christ died for their sins. An example of this is the Apostle Paul. He was an enemy of Christ who came to know the love of Christ. Jesus took on the sins of the entire world (John 3:16, Colossians 2:14). As Jesus told Nicodemus, the only faith required to gain eternal life is the same amount of faith it took for the Israelites to look at the bronze snake lifted on a pole in the wilderness in hope of being delivered from the poisonous bites of venomous snakes (John 3:14-15).

Similarly, Jesus was lifted up on a cross, that all who believe might have eternal life. God gave His only Son that all who believe might have this life. And that immense gift is the ultimate expression of “agape” love. God empowers all who believe with His Spirit, which enables a selfless, sacrificial love even toward those who have hurt us.

It is interesting to note that the greatest form of Christian maturity comes not from who we have become or how much of God’s truth we know, but rather how much of God’s love we show!

Living out God’s “agape” love is challenging. It is challenging to love and forgive those who have hurt us. It is also difficult to tell others the truth in order to help them. When we tell someone something that can help them grow there is a risk that the negative reward for our good intention is to be reviled by them. The Bible Says commentary on Matthew 7:1-5 covers wisdom from Jesus about the proper approach in correcting others; it is something to be approached humbly and carefully. But the emphasis is on applying wisdom to seek the welfare of others.

Speaking what is true in a manner that is wise is an expression of “agape” love. Jesus did this relentlessly. In Matthew 23, Jesus excoriated the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. Had they listened, they would have spared themselves a massive loss.

It takes courage to walk in “agape” love. Peter himself had received this kind of “agape” love of being corrected. Jesus corrected him when he denied Him three times. He was also corrected in truth from the Apostle Paul while in Antioch. The Apostle Paul once had to publicly confront the Apostle Peter concerning his hypocritical living:

“But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, ‘If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?’”
(Galatians 2:11-14)

It would seem that Peter responded well to this tough “agape” love being shown to him by Paul (2 Peter 3:15), and it helped Peter progress to maturity in his spiritual life.

It is worth adding the observation that the western concept of “niceness” is not a virtue in scripture. The essence of “niceness” is self-seeking; it seeks to have others think well of us. “Agape” love does not seek self. Kindness is a virtue because it seeks the best for others. When we seek to correct others we should look to meet them where they are. But believers are exhorted to be courageous; it is notable that cowardice is one of the characteristics that qualifies one to have a part in the “lake of fire” (see commentary on Revelation 21:8).

In summary, the repeated progression to gain Christian maturity is to apply all diligence to:

• Believe/have faith (John 3:14-15)
• Decide to mature (supply moral excellence)
• Gain intellectual knowledge about how to grow (ingest the Word)
• Gain self-control by following God’s ways, setting aside fleshly desires and following the Spirit
• Keep trying when you fail, keep learning, going through the learning loop, never giving up (perseverance)
• Begin to walk as Christ walked (godliness)
• Engage constructively with Christian brethren, your teammates in life (brotherly kindness),
• Live with the “areté” (moral excellence) of God in Christ, by living out the “agape” love of God and thus gain the intimate knowledge (“epignósis”) of Christ (1 Peter 1:3).