Tuesday Devo
Scripture:
2 Peter 1
5 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, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
5 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, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
Commentary:
1:5 supplement your faith. Peter exhorts Christians not merely to confess faith in Christ but actually to live as he taught. He is not saying that works are a prerequisite for salvation but rather is arguing that faith must take concrete form in life. All the virtues listed in vv. 5–7 are results of faith, so faith is listed first, while love (the ultimate result of faith) is listed last (v. 7; cf. 1 Tim. 1:5). Virtue translates Greek aretē; see note on 2 Pet. 1:3.
1:6 Godliness translates Greek eusebeia, “devoutness, piety, devotion to God” (also in vv. 3, 7; 3:11; see 2 Tim. 3:5).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2418.
1:6 Godliness translates Greek eusebeia, “devoutness, piety, devotion to God” (also in vv. 3, 7; 3:11; see 2 Tim. 3:5).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2418.
Questions:
- Verses 6 and 7 show us a little more what the process of sanctification looks like. It speaks to the fruit of your ACTIONS. Peter is encouraging us to increase in moral excellence, knowledge, self control, patient endurance, godliness and love for others. These are things that will be a natural outflow of a life surrendered to Jesus. What do YOUR actions say about the state of your heart? do the things you do and say prove that you belong to Him?
- To some people, they hear this and will call it legalism. They might say, "Oh, so if you don't do all these things then you're not saved?" But people that think in this way just don't get it. Peter isn't giving us a legalistic code to make sure we get to heaven. Instead, he is showing us the desires of a transformed heart. Good works are the EVIDENCE of our salvation, not the BASIS of it. Read through the list in verses 5-7 again. Is there an area in which you fall short? Where are you needing to grow the most?
Pray:
- That your life would prove your faith by its fruit.
- That you would be growing in every way more like Jesus.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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