It is important to realize that there are many ways teach the Scriptures expositorily. One can take long passages at a time, or one can take very short passages and bring the expository microscope to bear on a single word as I did in last two blog posts. In this post I will place the expository microscope over four words in 2 Peter 1:5, The Bible’s Most Systematic and Detailed Exhortation to Growth in Grace.
In my last two posts I dealt with faith, and as you can see, the second grace mentioned by Peter is moral excellence. But it is crucial to put the discussion of growth in this grace in the context of the gift of faith that we discussed last week. It is also crucial that we not proceed until we have put the issue of growth in grace in the context of the matter of effort emphasized by Peter in verse 5. Four crucial words in 2 Peter 1:5 quadruplely emphasize this matter of effort: “applying … all … diligence … supply.”
Why is it crucial to put the matter of growth in grace in the context of both the gift of faith and the importance of effort as it is here in 2 Peter 1:5-7? When I was a young Christian, I often felt that the teaching I received about growing in grace, being sanctified, and being a Spirit-filled Christian was somehow deficient. I did not feel that it answered the practical question, How do I do this? Now there is a danger that we fall into a superficial how-to mentality in the Christian life with five easy steps for everything. I am not going to give you five easy steps for growing in grace in this series. There is nothing easy about it! Nevertheless, I do believe that Peter makes clear in verse 5 that there are two basic activities involved in growing in grace. In growth in grace, faith is first, but effort is necessary. Having dealt with faith already, I come to the second of these major activities emphasized by Peter.
The problem with much of the popular teaching on sanctification and growing in grace in our day is not a lack of emphasis on faith. Its problem is that it teaches that all you have to do to grow in grace is rest in the promises of God. Many of us were raised with its mottoes. Rely and relax. Let go and let God. Let Christ live His life through you. We are the glove Christ is the hand in the glove.
Even today voices have returned which seem to say that we may be sanctified by faith alone and that in order to grow in grace it is merely necessary to meditate on our justification by faith alone. These voices are simply different ways of emphasizing the necessity of faith resting in the promises and power of God in the Christian life. The problem with them is not that they are wholly wrong. The problem is that they are imbalanced and one-sided. They seem to affirm that there is nothing to be done in the Christian life except rely and let go and let Christ and rejoice in our justification. This is where the Bible and Peter part company with much of the popular teaching on the Christian life that prevails in our day.
Peter teaches that effort is necessary! And he does not do it softly, but loudly! Notice the emphasis Peter places on this point in verse 5 by means of four words: “applying … all … diligence…supply.” Each of these four words emphasize and re-emphasize how crucial it that labor and effort be put forth in growing in grace.
First Word: Applying
The verb, “applying”, (translated “make an effort” by the ESV) means according to BAG, “apply, bring to bear, make an effort.” The root of this word is used in twice Luke 5:18, 19. Look at what that passage says.
Luke 5:18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.
The men were trying to “bring in” to Jesus through the crowd the paralyzed man they were carrying on his bed. Clearly, that activity involved strenuous effort—especially when they carried him up to the roof and began to tear the roof of the house off in order to let him down to Jesus.
Second Word: Diligence
But Peter is not satisfied just to say “apply” or “make an effort.” They must not just “bring to bear,” or “make an effort.” They must “bring to bear” “diligence.” BAG says that this word means, “1. haste, speed, … 2. eagerness, earnestness, diligence, also zeal in matters of religion…make every effort to add 2 Pt. 1:5.” Verbs related to this noun occur in 2 Pet. 1:10, 15; 3:12, 14. This word, therefore, means diligence, the kind of diligence manifested for instance when people make haste or speed.
The picture conjured up is not one of a Sunday afternoon stroll, but of the kind of walking you do for exercise. The Sunday afternoon stroll does not convey “diligence,” but the tread-mill ‘walker’ does. This is not the bicycle ride with your children around the neighborhood. This is the 20 mile ride you take as part of your exercise regime.
Third Word: All
But Peter is not even satisfied with saying, “applying diligence.” He adds the word, all or every, and says, “applying all diligence.” It is not just some diligence. It is all diligence. It is all kinds of diligence, multi-faceted effort. It is being “fully engaged.” It is working with both hands. This is not playing in the sandbox with your children. This is digging that hole at work on a hot, summer day. This is all diligence.
Fourth Word: Supply
But Peter is not even yet satisfied with his emphasis on effort in the Christian life. He adds that word, supply. The word translated, add or supply, presents like many other of the words used by Peter a vivid picture. Lloyd-Jones provides this description of the use and origin of this term.
This word is interesting; it was a word that was used for fitting out the chorus in connection with Greek plays. It was a word that was used to describe the action of one who paid the cost of supplying, or fully furnishing with everything that was necessary, the chorus, which was always such a vital part of a Greek play. So it is rightly translated by the words ‘furnish’ or ‘supply abundantly.’ (p. 25)
Rightly to supply for a play means great expense and a whole lot of work. Ask any one in charge of putting on a play about this. There are many, distracting, and expensive tasks. The meaning of the Greek term is not just to supply, but frequently includes the ideas of supplying at one’s own expense and supplying lavishly or abundantly.
There are crucial lessons from this study on the necessity of effort in the Christian life. I will take them up in my next post.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
