What does 2 Peter 1:5-11 mean?

⁵ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; ⁶ And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; ⁷ And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. ⁸ For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. ¹⁰ Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: ¹¹ For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11 KJV)

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

In these words, the apostle comes to the main purpose of this letter—to stir and engage believers to grow in grace and holiness, having already received precious faith and become partakers of the divine nature. This is a good beginning, but it must not be treated as if we were already perfect. The apostle had prayed for grace and peace to be multiplied to them, and now urges them to press forward to obtain more grace. We should encourage those we pray for and urge them to use all proper means to receive what we ask God to give them. Anyone who wants to make progress in the Christian life must be diligent. Without real effort, there’s no progress in holiness; those who are lazy in the business of religion will accomplish nothing. We must strive to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13:24).

The believer’s way is laid out step by step.

1. He must add virtue to his faith. Some understand this as justice; others see it as strength and courage, essential for standing firm in good works. “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). A cowardly Christian, afraid to profess doctrine or practice the gospel, can expect that Christ will be ashamed of him in the end. We need courage while we live, and it will serve us well when we die.
2. Add knowledge to virtue—prudence to courage. We need to know God’s will to follow it (Psalm 9:10). Proper circumstances for duty must be understood and observed. Christian wisdom considers who we’re dealing with, where we are, and how to act. Every believer should seek wisdom that gives clear direction—both in the order and the way Christian duties are to be done.
3. To knowledge, add temperance. We must be moderate in our desire for and use of earthly goods. If we truly understand material things, we’ll see how inferior they are to spiritual blessings. Physical exercises and comforts are of little value compared to godliness (Titus 2:12). Excess in food, drink, sleep, recreation, or reputation competes with a sincere pursuit of God and Christ.
4. Add patience to temperance. Patience must complete its work or we won’t be mature and complete (James 1:4). We are born for trouble and must enter the kingdom through many hardships. Trouble (Romans 5:3) produces patience, which bears suffering quietly and humbly, without grumbling against God but acknowledging that our sufferings are less than our sins deserve.
5. Add godliness to patience. Patience leads to godliness because it builds experience (Romans 5:4). Those who patiently endure hardship learn from it and recognize God’s constant kindness—even in discipline (Psalm 89:32–33). This brings them to a reverent love and childlike fear of God.
6. Add brotherly kindness to godliness—a tender affection for fellow believers, who are children of the same Father, servants of the same Lord, members of the same family, and heirs of the same inheritance. They are to be loved with sincere affection and delight (Psalm 16:3).
7. Add love to brotherly kindness—goodwill toward all people. God made all nations from one blood. All people share the same human nature, are capable of mercy, and face the same troubles. Though Christians are spiritually distinguished, they must still show compassion, meet needs, and promote the good of others in both body and soul. In doing so, they show they are children of God, who is kind to all, and especially to Israel.

All these virtues must be present, or we won’t be fully equipped for doing good—for both the duties of loving God and loving neighbor, for obedience in action and endurance in suffering. To motivate believers to pursue these qualities, the apostle describes the benefits of having and growing in them (2 Peter 1:8-11).

1. More generally (2 Peter 1:8): Having and increasing in these virtues makes us neither idle nor unfruitful. By this the apostle means that we will be active, zealous, and productive in all aspects of the Christian life. We will bring much glory to God by bearing much fruit, especially by being fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have these virtues declare Jesus as Lord and prove themselves his servants by abounding in the work he has given them. When one grace is added to another, they strengthen and encourage each other, and all grow together. Where grace abounds, good works will also abound.

This condition is clearly desirable. In contrast, the apostle explains the misery of lacking these virtues (2 Peter 1:9): Anyone who lacks these qualities—or even seems to have them but does not grow in them—is spiritually blind. He is shortsighted and cannot see what lies ahead. He focuses on this present world and is unmoved by the spiritual blessings and future glory that await believers. He forgets what God has done in the past—especially that he was cleansed from his old sins. Those who forget their baptism also forget the commitment they made to holiness and their solemn vow to fight against sin, the world, and the devil. Believers should remember their dedication to the Lord and their unique encouragement to lay aside all impurity in heart and life.

2. The apostle then mentions two specific benefits of diligently pursuing these virtues: spiritual stability and a triumphant entrance into heaven. This connects back to his earlier command: what was previously expressed as giving diligence to add to faith is now described as giving diligence to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10).

Believers must work to confirm their election—to be sure they are chosen by God. The way to do this is to confirm their calling. We cannot look into God’s eternal decrees, but we know that those whom God predestined, he also called. If we find clear evidence that we have been truly called, we may confidently believe we are chosen for salvation.

This assurance requires serious effort and searching self-examination. We must ask: Have we truly been changed? Is our mind enlightened, our will renewed, and our whole soul inclined toward God? This level of certainty takes the greatest diligence and depends on God’s help (Psalm 139:23; Romans 8:16).

But whatever the effort required, don’t shrink from it—because the reward is great:

1. You’ll be kept from falling—even during seasons of great temptation. When others fall into sin or error, you’ll remain faithful and continue in the will of God.
2. You’ll receive a rich welcome into glory. While some barely escape judgment (1 Peter 4:18) and are saved “as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15), those who are growing in grace and abounding in God’s work will enter abundantly into the everlasting kingdom, where Christ reigns—and they will reign with him forever.