Original Entry: March 6, 2008
McMinnville, OR
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 2Peter 1:5-7
Let me set up my story by saying I am a pretty big guy who lifts weights, has a shaved head and goatee, and often get asked if I am some kind of wrestler. The other day I was minding my own business in a local coffee shop when two guys who looked like they just got out of prison approached me. Smiling with his lid (hat) on sideways, the toothless leader of the two said, “Hey man, what kind of supplements to you take?”
All my teeth smiled back and said, “I eat a lot of pizza!”
We laughed, had a few more words and they went on the way.
I recently had a hunting article published and was sent several hundred dollars worth of hunting products, one of which was a five day supply of supplements from, “The Wilderness Athlete.”
To this day I continue to take vitamin and mineral supplements as a part of a healthy lifestyle.
I have been stuck on this passage for the past two days and finally understood what it is talking about.
I think.
In the New International version Peter writes, “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge…” The English Standard version translates this section as, “Supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge.” The New American Standard version says, “Applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge…”
In other words, we are to be diligent to fill up, add to, supply, or supplement our faith with several things; each of which flows into the next. Each item is contingent upon the one above it to be supplied.
Without moral excellence (NASB) (goodness in the NIV) being in full supply, “knowledge” will suffer. From the pursuit of knowledge we will have an overflow of knowledge’s supply into “self-control”. As we gain on self-control it will spill over into “perseverance”. Perseverance then, is completely reliant upon self-control, then knowledge and finally “moral excellence” as its sources. As a man’s faith fill up with a persevering spirit it will spill over to “godliness”.
Isn’t it interesting how far we must experience a spill over before the public display of godliness is recognized? As a man grows in the holiness that godliness portrays he will spill his godliness into the pool of “kindness” towards our fellow Christ followers. As his love for others matures and develops (John 13:35) it will eventually pour into the reservoir of “love”.
Envision a fish ladder with each step pouring from one step to the next. Then you have it!
Love flows out of the mountain of God, through the pools of our faith, and ultimately deposits in outward expressions of moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, kindness and then love.
