Salvation Summaries

2 Peter 1:10-11 ¹⁰ So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away. ¹¹ And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

When a person becomes a Christian, they are typically not handed an “owners manual” on how a Christian is to operate (live) going forward. Yes, they have a Bible that provides guidance, and can attend church for additional education. But spiritual growth is largely up to the individual, and motivation to grow might be lacking, or at least challenging, when the world’s beliefs and values contradict what they’ve been taught. Motivation might also be limited since a believer already knows what eventually awaits them (heaven), so why put forth all of the time and effort to “be a good Christian”?

This attitude, though, is not Biblical.

Peter tells fellow believers that they must “work hard” (or “make every effort”) to grow spiritually. They must do this in order to be an effective and productive Christian, which is what we all should want. And, by growing in these areas, a person’s assurance of salvation will increase (not that a person can’t have assurance from their faith alone, but this assurance will grow as a believer grows spiritually). Peter goes on to detail the steps a Christian should seek to take in order to grow spiritually, and I’ve shown them below.

It should be noted that some commentaries I used differed on whether a person grows in this particular order (some thought a person did, others believed the order was not important but the final outcome of loving all was the primary goal we should seek and the pinnacle of spiritual growth).

To help determine where you may be on this staircase to spiritual maturity, please review the following definitions for each term or trait. Hopefully you are further along (or higher up!) than I am.

Virtue. Some translations use the term moral excellence or goodness. This means having the moral courage to do what is (morally) right regardless of what others think. This is right thinking and acting according to what God says and wants in His world. Thus, if a person is acting or living in a worldly manner, they have not achieved this first step.

Knowledge. This is growing in our insight and understanding of God and Jesus through reading and studying His word, and through our relationship with Him. Thus, if a person is not actively reading their Bible or attending church or listening to Christian radio/podcasts to learn, they’ve not achieved this second step.

Self-control. This means controlling one’s desires and passions with a focus on curbing fleshly lusts. It is akin to the discipline an athlete must have to achieve their fitness goal(s). Thus, if a person is “caught up” in pornography, they would lack self-control.

Perseverance. Some translations show this as endurance or steadfastness. It means not growing weary in the prior three areas (acting with virtue, growing in knowledge, exercising self-control) even when temptations (to fall away) or hardships arise. It is akin to sticking to a strict diet in the face of temptations to make exceptions to it.

Godliness. This means having a desire to please God; it is devotion and loyalty to Him; it is being obedient to what He commands and wants. Thus, if a person is living only to please their selfish desires without regard to what God may want, they’ve not achieved this step.

Brotherly affection. This is having thoughtful consideration of, and a love for, fellow believers. Thus, if a person views fellow believers as no different than non-believers, and has no special interest in or care for their well being, they have not achieved this step.

Love for all. This means what it says – you love all people, regardless of their religion or lack of one, and you put their welfare above yours.