Make Every Effort!

On Sunday evenings at church we're going through 2 Peter. Exciting stuff so far. Here's some notes, thoughts, and passage break-down.

1.3-4
We have been GRANTED by HIS DIVINE POWER...
... all things that pertain to life and godliness...
...through the KNOWLEDGE of HIM who CALLED US to his own glory and excellence...
...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.

Everything we need to live the full Christian life is given to us in our knowledge of him - do I believe it? Do I feel incomplete, like I need something more? He's already given me everything I need for life and godliness, a.k.a. the godly life. The fear of Peter is that I don't grasp the full wonder of what I already have. We know God - it is this knowledge that holds the power for the Christian life.

1.5-9
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.
For if these are yours, and are INCREASING, they keep you from being INEFFECTIVE or UNFRUITFUL in the KNOWELDGE of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But if you lack these qualities, you're so SHORT-SIGHTED that you're BLIND, having FORGOTTEN you were CLEANSED from your former sins.

This knowledge needs to be put into practise, and it's striking that this takes the form of MAKING EVERY EFFORT to add to our faith. Often knowing and experiencing God is seen as a passive experience, 'let go and let God'. Not here. Trust God and get going! Peter lists seven key fruits on the tree of faith: Faith expresses itself in action (virtue), and this experience deepens our knowledge of ourselves, highlighting the need for self-control in all areas of our life, which will lead to steafastness as we keep on keeping on, never giving up in the battle, and that will lead to godliness as we become aware of him and a need for reverence in all areas of our life, which will ultimately take the shape of brotherly affection, loving people as we accept, care, carry people, which is love, the 'crown of Christian advance'.
Two ways to live... increasing in these areas, with sleeves rolled up, working hard...
...OR with stunted growth - 'blind' - forgetting the cross, forgetting God, forgetting the call to godliness (4).

1.10-11
THEREFORE...
Be all the more DILIGENT to make your calling and election SURE,
for if you PRACTISE these things you will never fall (away).
For, there will be richly PROVIDED FOR YOU, an entrance into the ETERNAL KINGDOM of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The point of 10-11 isn't to make your pharisaically ponder whether or not actually you are chosen, called, elected... the point is to make you work hard! How do you know if you are chosen? By living the life of a chosen person, for if you do these you will never fall away but will recieve the rich and glorious reward of Him. Don't cruise along passively hoping to grow in godliness - that is short-sighted. Rather, knowing you have all you need, go full throttle and add to your faith.