2 Peter 1:5-11

When you think about it, there are a lot of things that Christians are supposed to do. We are supposed to (1) pray, (2) read our Bibles, (3) gather with other Christians for worship, (4) be a true community, (5) help the poor and the needy, (6) preach the gospel, (7) share our faith, (8) live morally, i.e. don’t abuse substances, don’t have sex outside of marriage, etc., (9) be generous financially toward our local church, missionaries, etc., (10) study and obey God’s Word . . . the list goes on and on!

Have you ever felt like you are trying to do all of these things (or at least some of them) and it’s just not working?

Those of us who are in Christ experience at least three frustrations, seemingly on a regular basis: (1) Why can’t I repent of sin? (2) Why can’t I live a godly life? (3) Why can’t I be effective in ministry?

Paul took us through the first few verses of 2 Peter, showing us that our knowledge of Christ gives us two things: (1) grace and peace in abundance, 1:2, and (2) everything we need for life and godliness, 1:3. Later on, in 3:20, we will see that our knowledge of Christ also gives us escape from the corruption of the world.

So the question becomes, “How can I be effective and productive in my knowledge of Christ, if I really have everything that I need?” This is where we feel the tension. Why is “life and godliness” oftentimes so frustrating if we have everything we need?

In 2 Peter 1:5-11, we find a different kind of list from the one at the beginning of this post. It is a list of things we ought to add to our faith: (1) goodness, (2) knowledge, (3) self-control, (4) perseverance, (5) godliness, (6) brotherly kindness, and (7) love.

The first list was a list of “doing” (i.e. things we ought to do). This list is a list of “being” (i.e. the kind of people we ought to be).

In Peter’s text, these two lists produce two different kinds of people: (1) those who forget the gospel, v. 9, and (2) those who live out the gospel, v. 8.



Those who forget the gospel stumble through life blind to the truth and guidance and direction and power and glory of God. They are Christian without being Christ-like. In contrast, those who live out the gospel are effective and productive in their knowledge of Christ. By God’s grace, they (1) repent of sin, (2) live godly lives, and (3) are effective in ministry.

If we are ineffective and unproductive, it is only because we have forgotten the gospel.

What is the key, then, to being effective and productive in our knowledge of Christ? Cultivating the gospel in our lives. (To see what I mean, cf. the use of “godliness” in 1:3 and 1:6.) Simply put, “being” informs “doing.” Who we are informs what we do. The kinds of people we are inform the extent to which our outward actions will be Christ-like. And the extent to which our outward actions are, in fact, Christ-like is the extent to which we will be effective and productive in our lives and ministry.

Specifically, Peter is saying that the qualities listed in vv. 5-7 must inform our lives and ministry if we hope to be effective and productive.

Peter concludes in vv. 10-11 with an encouragement: if we make every effort to cultivate the gospel in our lives, then the result will be a warm welcome into the kingdom of God: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (to quote Matthew’s Gospel).

“Being” informs “doing.” Therefore, we must focus on cultivating the gospel in our lives, rather than focusing on conforming to some list of prescribed actions.

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