³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ 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. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1) Whose power do we possess?
The first verse in this passage describes a divine power that is “His”. In looking back to verse 2,   we see this “His” is referring to God. “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

2) What should we do because we are saved?
In v.5, Peter says, “For this very reason”, which lets the reader know he is explaining himself, and based on what he has just said, he wants the reader to understand even more thoroughly.  The reason given for how we are to act after our salvation is ultimately brotherly love. (v. 7) We are called upon to “supplement our faith” with virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, and brotherly affection with love. Having these qualities don’t save us, but when we humble ourselves before God, and allow Him to work in us, these become part of who we are in Him because of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts.

3) What is the purpose for the qualities that Peter describes in v.5-7?
These qualities, according to v.8, “keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful for the kingdom.” God fosters these qualities within His children through the power of the Holy Spirit so we are productive for Him.

4) According to Peter, how do we confirm our walk with the Lord?
Confirmation of the Lord in our life is seen when we “practice these qualities”. (v.10)

1) Whose power do we possess?
Through His power, we become partakers. God gives us the power to act on His behalf. Things we think impossible, He says possible. Never did He intend for us to do His will in our own strength, in our own power. The Holy Spirit works within us to bring about the transformation necessary to see as He sees and to love as He loves. David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Mary with baby Jesus, and Paul and Silas in prison are just a few examples where God asked the impossible, yet provided His power to make it possible.

2) What should we do because we are saved?
James says this beautifully towards the end of chapter two, “ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17). We don’t work our way to Heaven and there are no works great enough to save us from a life of sin and death. With that said, when we enter into a relationship with the Lord, He loves us so much He changes us to look more like Him. He desires us to grow and mature in our faith. God wants His glory on display all the time and when we obey Him and act on His behalf, we worship Him. We love the unlovely, we forgive the unforgiveable, and we serve the hostile and haughty all in His name and for His sake.

3) What is the purpose for the qualities that Peter describes in v.5-7?
These qualities Peter describes are those we want to foster in our hearts. Paul describes similar qualities when talking about the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16-26) Our salvation isn’t simply fire insurance as an escape from Hell. God desires a living sacrifice and a total transformation that plays itself out by no longer being conformed to the world we live in, but rather by being a transformative part of this world acting on behalf of His Kingdom as ambassadors visiting a foreign land. (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:20)

4) According to Peter, how do we confirm our walk with the Lord?
Confirmation of what the Lord has done for us becomes evident in the way we live our life. Our actions, our words, our emotions, and even our thought processes. Are we living like daughters of the King? Is our walk with the Lord confirmed through our day to day interactions? We don’t have to prove we belong to the Lord, the evidence of our life should confirm it.

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Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

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Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

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