Peter has just said that God’s promises are ultimately for His glory to be seen and His goodness to be displayed in and through our lives, in order not for our own desires to be accomplished but that we have His divine nature. Do you really want this? If so then it will cost.
God is working in our lives by His Spirit and He is making us more like Christ. Agreed.
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness …” (2 Peter 1 v5)
Faith which is from God relies on God and not our own efforts.
A Scottish missionary, John Paton (1824-1907) working in the New Hebrides islands in the South Pacific Ocean in a culture of cannibalism, widow sacrifice, infanticide, ancestor and idol worship was translating the Bible into their language but had not word for ‘belief’ or ‘faith’. Nobody trusted anyone. They didn’t need the word for trust. Then one day his indigenous assistant came into his study and Paton said, “What am I doing? The answer was “you’re sitting on a chair” he then changed position and raised both feet off the floor, ‘and now?” His assistant used a verb which means “to lean your whole weight upon” and Paton had his word for faith and trust. We understand this. We lean on God for everything.
Faith which is from God relies on God and not our own efforts.
However, Peter says there are things we must do that God will not do. We are to make every effort to add. This will cost us. It is at our expense. We will have to give, lose, back down and walk away from some things. It will take effort, we will have to diligently do this, it will not just happen, God will not do it and we will not be able to rely on our human nature to do this, we choose, it is a decision we make. And here then is what we must add that God will not do.
Goodness, virtue, moral excellence.
Wherever we go and whoever we are with be exemplary in your character. Don’t let it be said of you that you are not a good person. Speaking of someone this week I said ‘they are just a great person without guile’. I was describing how I had never seen them speak ill of someone. Their character was good and wholesome.
How do people perceive you? Sometimes we do not know because we have blind-spots and we need someone to reveal to us what only others see. Some people live with the same character flaws all their lives. They can be gifted but not have goodness. They can trust God but not be trusted. They can worship a beautiful God but not be very nice.
Make every effort to add goodness to what you believe and speak about.
Missions Paul 