Show of hands. Would you like to know for sure that your life as a Christian is both effective and productive? Would you like to experience a life filled with the confidence of knowing that you will never fail?
Is your hand up? Mine is!
Confession Time
Confession time. One of the things I struggle with the most, and which honestly haunts me, is the feeling I have that sometimes I am not doing everything God wants in my life, or I am not doing it very well.
I sometimes feel like I am not as effective or as productive as I should be. When I am feeling especially sorry for myself, I even feel like I have failed as a Christian in God’s eyes.
If you have ever felt that way, I am here to tell you I understand! However, I am also here to tell you it is not what God wants for you. He wants you to experience life as a believer that is both effective and productive.
Stumbling Peter Shows the Way
And to tell us how to be both effective and productive, the Lord chose Peter. That’s right, the guy that jumped out of the boat and almost drowned trying to walk on water. The one who denied Christ three times. This same Peter, who stumbled in his faith, yet persevered, now explains how we can escape the world’s corruption to live effective, productive lives in Christ. Peter writes,
5 …make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV)
Within these three short verses, Peter highlights the eight traits required of all effective, productive believers.
1. Faith
First up is our faith. Faith is the foundation of our lives as Christians. Our faith in Christ is what separates us from the world of non-believers and brings us into the family of God.
Faith forms the foundation of our lives as believers. To our faith, Peter says, we must add the next seven traits.
2. Goodness
To our faith, we must add goodness. The word “goodness” is better translated as “moral excellence” or “virtue.” The Christian life is to be characterized by moral excellence. A virtuous life is the mark of a believer separated from the values of the world.
3. Knowledge
To goodness, we must add knowledge. In the context of this passage, Peter is explicitly referring to knowledge of God that comes through the Holy Spirit. It is not knowledge in the sense of intellectual pursuit but is specific knowledge and understanding of God.
4. Self-Control
To the knowledge of God, we add self-control. Hedonism was quite common in Peter’s day. Peter tells us another differentiating trait of a believer is self-control in all aspects of life. Honestly, we face the same temptation today to indulge every desire of the flesh, but the mark of a believer is self-control.
5. Perseverance
To self-control, we add perseverance. In a world that is increasingly hostile to the word of God, we must persevere in our faith. We need to be prepared to endure criticism, rejection, and persecution for the sake of Christ.
6. Godliness
To perseverance, we add Godliness. Sometimes referred to as piety, Godliness means our behavior is Godly. To be Godly, we reflect a reverence for God, a life both dependent on and devoted to Him.
7. Kindness
To Godliness, we add kindness. The word “kindness” is more accurately translated to “brotherly kindness.” Brotherly kindness is the act of caring for others and their needs in very practical terms.
8. Love
Finally, to kindness, we must add love. No list of traits of an effective, productive Christian would be complete without love. We must love others as God loves them. God gave His only Son as a sacrifice for all mankind, not wanting that any should perish, but all to come to repentance.
A Crescendo from Faith to Love
Note that the first five traits (faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and Godliness) focus on ourselves and our relationship with God. The next two traits (kindness and love) focus on our relationship with others.
Peter says each trait must be added to the trait(s) before it in increasing measure. It is this “adding to” that moves us from establishing faith as the foundation of our lives, to an enduring relationship with God, ending with love for all God’s children.
The promise Peter makes is that we will be both effective and productive believers when we exhibit these eight traits in increasing measures. Moreover, says Peter, if we do these things, we will never fall and will be richly rewarded in the eternal kingdom (1 Peter 1:8, 10-11).
That’s a promise I want to see realized in my life!
Discussion Questions
These questions can serve as a valuable framework for a thoughtful and engaging discussion about the article and how its insights and perspectives apply to our lives today.
- Have you ever struggled with feeling ineffective or unproductive in your life as a Christian? How did it impact your faith and outlook?
- According to Peter’s teachings, what are the eight traits required for believers to be effective and productive? How do these traits build upon each other?
- How would you define “goodness” and “knowledge” in the context of Peter’s teachings? Why are these traits important for believers?
- Why is self-control significant in the life of a believer? How does it differentiate us from the values of the world?
- How can practicing kindness and love towards others demonstrate the effectiveness and productivity of our faith? How does it reflect God’s character and love for humanity?
More Articles
I have written other articles on a leader’s integrity. You can find them by typing “Integrity” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are two of them.
- #261: Can You Separate Private Integrity from Public Actions?
- #184: How Do I Trust Thee? Let Me Count the Ways!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Are there leaders you know today who exemplify these traits already? How are you doing personally in terms of exhibiting these traits in increasing measure?
I’d love your help. This blog is read primarily because of people like you who share it with friends. Would you be kind enough to share it by pressing the share button?
Category: Personal Development | Integrity
I often reflect on virtue (Goodness), your second trait. A lot of personal development advice focuses on success or happiness, but really, our top goal should be virtue. When we focus on doing the right thing, on being good people, everything else takes care of itself. Some people lie and cheat to attain more success, but they have to live with the kind of person they are. It will weigh on them later in life. Pursuing a virtuous life, in my view, is more fulfilling.