2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
Peter says the same thing that is found throughout the Bible. We must act on our faith with obedience. He stresses that with the words “make every effort.” This is going to take our best effort. It is not something to take lightly. If we want to participate in what God has purposed for us by being recreated in His image, we must put our whole beings into it. We must add virtue to our faith. Virtue can refer to the ethical norms by which we live, or simply, morality. What is our worldview? What guides the daily decisions we make? Our virtue can grow as we learn more about God’s design for us. We learn God’s word and hide it in our hearts. From this deepening resource we make decisions about how we live. To this we must add knowledge. Knowledge is important because it is the resource that helps our virtue grow stronger. The more we know about God’s word and the teachings of the Bible, the better able we can make good decisions consistent with God’s divine nature of holiness and love. We can only grow in knowledge by study. There are many ways to study: individual Bible study, group study, listening, teaching, and many other things. That is why Jesus told His disciples that part of making disciples is to teach people about His words (Matthew 28:20).
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