Make Every Effort To Live A Godly Life Series

MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE

II Peter 1:5-9

There is a common word of counsel that we Christians give to those who have a misunderstanding about living a Christian life. Many of us have encountered someone who has said “I am trying my best to live a Christian life”. Often, we seize that opportunity to inform them that they cannot live a Christian life on their own. There is certainly much truth in our instruction. Especially concerning the reality that one cannot be saved by the way that they live. This is why we tend to respond to such a situation by quoting Ephesians 2:8-9:

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.”

There are also times when we are discipling new believers who are discouraged that their old sins keep creeping back into their lives. They may say “I’m trying to be a good Christian and I just can’t do it!”. This is when we encourage them by quoting the many verses that speak to the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God who abides within us. Again, there is much truth in such counsel, and all Christians need to be reminded that it is impossible to live the Christian life apart from walking in the Spirit.

However, though the Spirit is essential, we are not exempt from all responsibility concerning living a godly Christian life. In fact, there are innumerable scriptures that tell Christians exactly how they should live. We are told what we should do and what we should not do. These passages are not suggestions, they are commands that must be obeyed.

2 Peter 1:5-9 tells us that it is our responsibility to make every effort to live in a way the pleases God. I would like to look at this passage and see that we are to “Make Every Effort To Live A Godly Life.”

In our selected text, the Apostle Peter lists several characteristics that should be present in the life of every Christian. Peter mentions such attributes as, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. These are not traits we should pursue in a legalistic way, rather they are evidence of a heart that has been transformed in regeneration.

There are many people in this world who profess faith in Christ, yet there is no effort on their part to live in the way that He has commanded His followers to live. True faith is faith that follows Christ, imitates Him, and seeks to obey His commands. Therefore, we must heed the exhortation to “supplement” or “add to our faith” those characteristics that would please our Savior. This is not something that we can do on our own, we can never supplement our faith in the flesh. But God has equipped us with His power and given us everything we need to live a life that is pleasing to Him. In fact, Peter speaks of this reality in verses 3-4. He says that:

(God’s) divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.

While it is true that God has transformed our lives, and that we are not saved by works, morality or any other human action, there is still a matter of personal responsibility when it comes to living a godly life. This is why Peter says that we are to “make every effort to supplement our faith”.

We are saved by grace through faith and not by works, but because of the extravagant grace that God has shown us we should be so humbled that we respond by making every effort to honor the Lord with our lives. We can do this by “supplementing our faith”. The Greek word for “supplement” or “add” means to give generously.

Concerning this, John MacArthur says “In Greek culture, this word was used for a choirmaster who was responsible for supplying everything that was needed for his choir. The word never meant to equip sparingly, but to supply lavishly for a noble performance.” (Source: MacArthur Study Bible 2nd Edition; Thomas Nelson Publishers)

A choirmaster was more than just a song leader. It was his duty to supply everything that his choir needed. When they arrived he would have the music prepared, he would ensure that the instruments were tuned and ready. He was devoted to the task of supplying his choir with everything that was needed for a splendid performance.