We have reached the conclusion of Peter’s progressive list of Christian qualities in 2 Peter 1:5–7. This journey has been a path of intentional growth, building quality upon quality to reach what Paul calls the “bond of perfection.”
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love."
Understanding Agape: A Love Learned from God
While we are familiar with affection and friendship — the phileo love we discussed in our last study — the word used here is agape. This is a love that does not originate with man; it is learned from God. It is a serving, self-sacrificing expression that can only be known by the actions it prompts. As John confirms in 1 John 4:19, "We love Him because He first loved us."
When we show agape love, we are imitating what we have seen from the Father and Jesus. This love is not natural for us; it is a new idea that transforms our nature. It is the realization that Jesus laid aside His majesty, power, and comfort in Heaven to take on the death meant for us.
In 1 John 3:16, the apostle writes: "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." Many translations add the phrase “of God” to clarify that this kind of love is perceived through His example. We perceive it because He acted.
The Practical Sacrifice: Laying Down Our Lives Daily
While we may not be called to literal martyrdom today, there is a much larger and more immediate way to “lay down our lives” for one another. It means being available and accessible. True love is seen in our everyday living — it is sacrificial in how we use our time, our resources, and our hearts to serve the family of God.
The idea that I simply “go to church” with one another is not enough for the Christian life. To add love is to wish to live and share life together. Our interaction throughout the week proves that we mean the things said behind the pulpit and that we truly see ourselves as a family beyond natural family bonds.
Recent Articles in this Series:
What About Faith | Grace and Peace | But Also For This Very Reason | Add Virtue | Add Knowledge | Add Self-Control | Add Perseverance | Add Godliness | Add Brotherly Kindness
Moving Beyond Words to Deeds
Our love for one another must move beyond mere sentiment. John challenges us: "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18).
This might look like noticing when a brother or sister isn’t “fine” and pausing with enough empathy to actually listen. It might look like making room in our schedules to be in each other’s homes. It is a commitment to seeing the needs of our brethren and refusing to “shut up” our hearts against them. If we see a brother in need and have the world’s goods, yet provide nothing, how does the love of God abide in us?
A Powerful Testimony for the World
The closeness of the brotherhood is not just for our own benefit; it is a powerful testimony to our Lord. In the first century, the church grew rapidly because the world saw the believers working together in union, preferring each other above any other earthly bond.
It is my conviction that any congregation will not grow primarily by what we do on Sunday morning, but by what we do daily, Monday through Saturday. Those in the world do not see us together during our assemblies, but they do see how we treat each other in the workplace and the community. When we show Christ to each other throughout the week and together show Christ to the world, we grow stronger than ever before.
The Bond of Perfection
As we conclude this specific list, we recognize that each quality depends on the ones that come before to be truly fulfilled. Love is the capstone. Paul writes in Colossians 3:12-14:
"Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another… But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."
Let us continue to move forward well, being transformed by the renewing of our minds and making our call and election sure.
We will soon come to the end of this series of articles, but we never end this pattern of growth if we are truly His.