Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

1. These Christian virtues are listed in verses 5 through 7. They are: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.

B. Christian Virtues Promote the Believer’s Fruitfulness (8)

1. Every true believer will produce at least some degree of fruit and will grow.

a) If a person is a true believer, then these Christian virtues are theirs (present participle of uparchō –present or exist) meaning they do exist in that believer.

b) In addition, a true believer not only possesses these Christian virtues, but they are continually increasing (present participle of plenazō – continually abound, 1Th 3:12) in the believer.

2. Every true believer with these Christian virtues, will not be useless.

a) The Greek word for “useless” is argos and means something that is idle or unprofitable. In fact, it can mean “unemployed” (Mat 20:3).

b) Ultimately, a true believer who has faith will also have works (Jam 2:20).

3. Every true believer with these Christian virtues, will be fruitful.

a) These Christian virtues will keep the believer fruitful (karpos – literal fruit (Mk 11:14) or figuratively some, produce, or character) in character (Gal 5:22-23; Eph 5:9; Jam 3:17) and labor (Php 1:22).

b) The believer will especially be fruitful in the “true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

c) This is the third usage of the Greek word epignōsis which means a full or true knowledge (2Pe 1:2, 3, 8; 2:20, 21).

d) In the NT of content, used especially of intensive religious and moral knowledge, what one comes to know and appropriate through faith in Christ. (Friberg)

e) It is first the knowledge of Jesus Christ as personal Savior (Luk 1:77; Joh 17:3; 2Co 2:14). Sometimes “unfruitfulness” (akarpos – unfruitful or barren) refers to unbelief and apostasy (Mat 13:22; Eph 5:11; Jude 12).

f) After which, it is the knowledge of the wisdom (Col 2:3) and attributes of Christ emulated in the believer’s life (Rom 8:29; 13:14; Eph 4:24; 1Jo 3:2). Sometimes, true believers, who for a time are unproductive, can be described as “unfruitful” (Tit 3:14; 1Co 14:14).

g) This is a description of spiritual growth and fruit. For Peter, this was summarized in his sevenfold symmetry of spiritual character.

C. Christian Virtues Prevent Spiritual Blindness (9)

1. If on the other hand, a true believer is not growing in these qualities, then there are certain spiritual consequences for him.

a) One who is lacking in these qualities will become spiritually blind (tuphlos – lit. blind (Joh 9:32) or fig. blind as spiritual blindness (Joh 9:40-41; Rom 2:19; Rev 3:17) or short-sighted (muōpazō – Eng. “myopic” i.e. nearsighted, fig. not seeing far, the whole picture, or understand).

b) This refers to a believer’s lack of spiritual discernment, not only in spiritual matters, but also in regard to the believer’s own spiritual condition.

2. Such spiritual blindness can cause the believer to forfeit assurance of salvation. Peter stated that he had “forgotten his purification from his former sins.”

a) “Purification” is the Greek word katharismos and means to cleanse (Eng. Catharsis). In this case, it would refer to cleansing the believer’s past sins.

b) Such a believer’s sin makes him unable to be confident that he was cleansed and rescued from his former life (Eph. 2:4-7; 5:8, 26; Titus 3:5-6; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 1:7). He cannot be certain if he has been truly saved because he does not see an increase of virtue and usefulness in his life. Once blind before salvation, then made to see, these saints can experience a kind of spiritual blindness again. (MacArthur n loc.)

c) When a believer lacks assurance of salvation, he is limited in his testimony, his evangelism, and his service for the Lord.

D. Christian Virtues Presume a Sure Calling (10)

1. Because of the reality of those truths, Peter exhorts his readers to diligently pursue Christian virtues and therefore make their calling (salvation) sure.

a) If Christian character is that important and makes that much difference, then believers by all means should be more diligent (aorist imperative of spoudazō – “you must be diligent”) to add them to their lives.

b) By adding them to their lives Peter’s readers were making certain their calling and those who were chosen (eklogê – selection, divine selection, Act 9:15; Rom 11:28; Eph 1:4 cf. 1Pe 1:1; 2:4, 9; 5:13; 2Pe 1:1, 10) were able to enjoy the assurance of their salvation.

2. Practicing Christian character would keep them from stumbling in their Christian life and in their assurance of salvation.

a) “Stumble” is the Greek word ptaiō and means to literally stumble or here to figuratively doubt, despair, or fear.

b) In fact, Peter stated that if they diligently pursued Christian character, they would never stumble.

E. Christian Virtues Prove Entrance into the kingdom (11)

1. Peter was not promoting a works-salvation, rather he was establishing the truth that salvation is by faith alone, but the faith that saves is not alone. It will inevitably produce works and works produces perseverance and assurance of salvation.

2. Entrance into the eternal kingdom is promised to every believer who trusts in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

3. However, not every believer has assurance of salvation for one reason or another. Peter has given one of the main reasons why some believers have doubts about salvation. Other reasons may include misunderstanding of Scripture, difficulty in trusting God’s Word, trusting in emotions more than God’s truth, or perhaps sin, which can prevent a believer from enjoying assurance.

4. The Lord does not want any believer to go without the blessing of knowing that he is saved (Rom 8:15; 1Jo 5:13; Heb 6:16-19). He wants every true believer to know that eternal life has been supplied. But it has been supplied so that the believer can abundantly enjoy his salvation even before entering heaven.

III. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

A. Diligence to Grow

1. Every believer should have the desire to grow spiritually. But even with that desire, Scripture admonishes the believer to grow.

2. This admonishment not only depicts what is only becoming for the child of God, but also the blessings of growth in this life and the next.

B. Security and Assurance

1. [Security]…is a fact due to God’s faithfulness whether realized by the believer or not, while [assurance] is that which one believes to be true respecting himself at any given time. (Chafer, Systematic Theology, V7 p.21)

2. Security is a biblical truth whether or not one has assurance…. Assurance is the confident realization that one has eternal life. (Ryrie, So Great a Salvation, p142)

3. Eternal Security focuses on God’s work; Perseverance focuses on God’s and the believer’s work; and Assurance focuses on the believer’s understanding of both.

C. False Teachers

1. Perhaps Peter had to deal with false teachers who separated teaching from morality. He amply showed that a true believer will produce and continue to produce true fruit.

2. It is also possible that Peter dealt with false teachers who believed in a works-salvation. Therefore, they could never give assurance to anyone of eternal life.

3. Peter taught salvation was by faith alone, but saving faith was accompanied by good works. He also taught that security of salvation is known through the promises of God and assurance is gained by obedience and fruitful spiritual growth.

Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516