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2 Peter 1:5
ESV For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
NIV For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;
NASB Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
CSB For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,
NLT In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,
KJV And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

What does 2 Peter 1:5 mean?

In the previous two verses, Peter summarized the enormous benefit we have received in knowing God through faith in Christ. We have been equipped to follow the example of Jesus' glory and goodness. We're not missing anything we need to lead the life He calls us to. More, through faith in Jesus, we have been granted the right to participate, right now, in God's nature. We can partner with Christ in fulfilling God's purpose on earth. We have been freed from the corruption of sin.

All of that sounds fantastic, but what does it mean for us today? Why does it seem that many Christians are so far away from participating in God's nature, not living with Christ's purpose, joy, and love? Why do some continue to live in the sin from whose corruption we've supposedly been freed?

This verse gives us a clue. God has given us all we need to live like Jesus, but now we must actually use those gifts. And that means work. Before we had received God's gift of grace, we lacked both the ability and the desire to live in Jesus' glory and goodness. Now that we have been empowered to do so, we must "make every effort" to add the following qualities to, or "alongside," our faith.

In other words, we must begin to live as if what we believe is really true.

By faith, we came to Christ. Now, with Christ's power, we must work to add goodness to our faith, and to add knowledge to our goodness. The next two verses will explore additional ideas about the chain of traits we as Christians should work to build into our lives.
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