Daily Readings and Thought for December 14th. “IF THESE QUALITIES ARE YOURS”

Ah, that little word – “IF”!  Our quotation above is from 2 Peter 1.  Today we read Peter’s final message as he realises he is soon to die.  It is a time when he sees much evil growing and false believers coming to the fore who “promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption.  For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first” [2 v.19,20]

What is the false promise of freedom?  A glaring example today is the slogan in some churches, ‘Once saved, always saved.’  The idea that after you are ‘saved’ then ‘grace’ covers all your future sins regardless!  

A strange kind of freedom!

Now we must take special notice of Peter’s powerful words early in this letter.  He tells his readers that he and they have been “… granted … all things that pertain to life” and “having escaped the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire … 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 qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful …” [1 v.3-8]   

It is helpful to look at other versions to get the fullest meaning behind some of these qualities.  Some Greek words cannot be effectively translated by one English word. For e.g. ‘virtue’ has been rendered as integrity.  ‘Knowledge’ can be the act of knowing, in the sense of having a relationship, as we will see in Job shortly in his relationship with the Creator.  

Finally, note v.10.   “Therefore brothers (and sisters) be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fail”