Living Godly

Following Jesus

Jesus told us that we had to deny ourselves, take up our own crosses, and follow Him.

Thankfully, these days, most of us don’t have to worry about being physically crucified, just because we choose to follow Jesus, but the principle still applies. In the book of 2 Peter, the apostle Peter gives us several practical examples of how we should live. This is for our own benefit (becoming more like Christ), the benefit of our family and friends, and the benefit of everyone else around us.

More Like Christ

In the beginning of Peter’s second letter, he is offering a blessing to the recipients of the letter. He wishes “grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Grace has been described as a free gift. It is something that we have not earned, nor do we have the ability to earn it. God gives us the free gift of grace because of His love for us.

Peace

Godly peace is more than just being able to relax after a hard day at work or school or watching the kids. Godly peace is what we can have when we realize that God has forgiven us of our sins — not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done.

This peace is special, obtained only through the grace of Jesus Christ. This is what He told His disciples shortly before He was crucified.

This is not something that we can find on our own. It’s not something that we can make or buy. Only Jesus can give us this peace. The great thing is that Peter told us that we could have this peace abundantly, being multiplied in our lives.

Life and Godliness

God’s divine power “has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.” We don’t have to try to be good enough to win a place in heaven; Jesus paid the price for us, and now His power, through the Holy Spirit, gives us everything we need to live an abundant and godly life. How? It’s “through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

Divine Nature

We all have a desire to be “special” in some way. God tells us that we can share in (“be partakers”) of His divine nature. When God created Adam, He breathed His own life into Adam, making him a living being.

We are more than flesh and blood; we have God’s divine (godly) spirit (breath) inside of each one of us. At the same time, we have all inherited a sinful nature from our parents, Adam and Eve. There is nothing that we could possibly do on our own, so God Himself provides the way.

This is not just forgiveness of sin. He is making a way for us to avoid being destroyed by the world and its ways.

Attributes

Peter now gives us a list of actions and attitudes that we can apply to our lives. He first tells us to apply “all diligence.” If we want to make a real change to be godly, we can’t do it half way; we have to be “all in” and be willing to do the hard work, striving toward our goal.

Actions and Attitudes

If we look carefully at Peter’s list, we will see certain actions — things we should be doing — along with attitudes — ways we should be thinking or feeling about ourselves, other people, and God. We could classify them this way.

When we take these actions, our attitudes or way of thinking will change. When we change our attitudes, our actions will also naturally change.

Moral Excellence

The word translated here “moral excellence” comes from a root word referring to a man or boy. In other words, manliness. God is saying that we should act the way that He originally created Adam — with virtue and morals, not with sinful actions. “Being a man” does not mean dominating other people. It means doing what is right and treating everyone with respect and love, seeking what is best for them, not ourselves.
Note that in the Greek language of the day, this term derived from a masculine root, but it was applied to men, women, and children alike. Having moral excellence does not make someone weak. It makes them strong, and it shows their strength to others.

Knowledge

We have probably all heard someone say that they don’t believe in faith or religion, because they believe in science — facts. Many people that we think of as great contributors to modern scientific thought and processes were Christians. True knowledge looks for facts. There are some things that we can know for sure, and other things that we can’t. For example, there is no way to prove how the universe was created using the scientific method, because there is no way for anyone to perform an experiment to test their theory (by creating another universe).
There are other things, however, that we can see. When I see someone living an unruly, ungodly life, I usually see pain, suffering, agony, and despair. When I see someone else living a godly life, I usually see peace, contentment, and joy. Everyone goes through hard times. Christians have the Holy Spirit to be there with them and comfort them. This knowledge can help us get through those hard times.

Self-control

It’s easy to fight back when someone says or does something that you don’t like. It’s much harder to control yourself. We should always act, never react. If we react to what other people do, we are letting them control our lives. If we choose to control our temper, our fleshly desires, and what we might want in this life, we will find that we can “overwhelmingly conquer” in this life (Romans 8:37).

Perseverance

Perseverance is more than continuing on when things are hard. It is an attitude of knowing that you will overcome, no matter what things look like right now.

God promises us that we will eventually reap (harvest our crops) if we don’t grow weary (persevere). God’s riches and blessings (not always money) are waiting for us, if we don’t give up. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of standing on the promises that God has given you, even when everything around you says that it’s impossible.

Godliness

The Greek word used here for godliness means to act in a godly, pious way, both toward God and other people. It is an action word. It’s not just a matter of not doing wrong. It’s also a matter of doing what is right. Godliness is living, actively, the way that Jesus lived on this earth.

Brotherly Kindness

There are several words in the Greek language that are translated “love” in our Bibles. This word means “brotherly love”, the kind of love that someone would have for a brother or sister. This is how we should treat each other, not just our family members. If we are relating to another Christian, we actually are brothers and sisters, because we are part of the family of God.

Love

Peter then uses the word, “agape.” This is another Greek word for love. It carries the idea of more than just a brotherly love. It is a love for everyone, putting the needs and desires of others before ourselves. The Bible uses this word to describe the love that God has for us, as well as our love toward God and other people. It is truly a selfless love.

Full Context

Putting this all in context, we can see how Peter comes to his conclusion in verse 8.

Lord, help us to all be useful and fruitful to You and Your kingdom, in Jesus’ name!

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