“5But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge” 2 Peter 1:5 NKJV

I have chosen the New King James translation this morning as it reflects clearly an important point concerning our faith walk. We mentioned that our part in this relationship with God is to believe, that is, exercise faith. His role is to enact the promises He has given to us. The word diligence here is an active word, not passive. The Greek translation means to “make haste, be zealous, be concerned about, to push on with, to treat with respect and urgency.” God is calling us to build up our faith, each and every day. Faith is like a snowball rolling down a hill. The further it rolls the larger it becomes! As we see God provide and move in these small things we can move in larger steps. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we all enter “the school of faith.”

Kindergarteners are focused on learning pieces and processes. By the time the get to be a Senior in Highschool, we expect that they can synthesize information and draw reasonable and actionable conclusions from the data at hand. We likewise will follow the same course. The verse goes on then to use the word virtue. Generally, when we think about virtue we think about some good, wholesome or excellent. That is true but the meaning goes deeper. The word used here translated to mean eminence. It was the word used to describe a person who had mastery over a skill of subject that he had full knowledge and demonstrated that in its use. It referred to master craftsman able to have apprentices under themselves. It was a teacher who had a mastery of the subject they are teaching. It is unfortunate that in today’s educational system one can get a BS, then MS and then Ph.D. without having any real experience. That would have never worked in the day and age of this letter. It took years of practice before one could rise to the level of mastery. We have similar systems today in many unions. One does not start as a Master Plumber! Much time is spent learning, practicing and proving the skill before attaining such a title.

The verse is calling each one of us to have the same intensity of attention and practice to the area of our faith. We are called to “master” the ability to believe and trust God. It is rom that practice that we reach the next word, knowledge. The word here is not referring to book knowledge which many Christinas have today. It is speaking about experiential knowledge in the things of God! That means we need to allow God to help us grow in our faith and knowledge of Him, The only way to do that is to walk with Him in faith! NOT EASY for sure! The Apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Ephesis the following prayer.

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.” Ephesians 1:15-16 AMP

It was the knowledge of Him that was the root of Paul’s desire for the believers. I pray today that you also may have a spirit of wisdom and a revelation in your knowledge of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light! Have a blessed day, Pastor Ken