Make Every Effort! (2 Peter 1:3-15)

This sermon on 2 Peter 1:3–15 proclaims that because God has graciously granted believers everything necessary for life and godliness through a personal knowledge of Christ, Christians must respond with diligent, purposeful effort to grow in Christlike virtue. Peter emphasizes the sufficiency of God’s provision in Christ, including precious promises that make believers partakers of the divine nature without collapsing the Creator–creature distinction, and calls the church to actively supplement faith with a visible pattern of moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. Such growth guards against spiritual complacency, blindness, and fruitlessness, provides assurance of salvation, and results in a rich welcome into Christ’s eternal kingdom, demonstrating that while salvation is rooted in grace, a thriving and assured Christian life is marked by intentional labor and perseverance in holiness.