Adding the Biblical Way

Scripture Read: 2 Peter 1:5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; [6] and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; [7] and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

NET © For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence,  to excellence, knowledge;

NIV ©For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

NASB ©Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

NLT ©So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better.

NKJV ©But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Application  moral excellence =  Superiority or being pleasing to God, or the superiority of God revealed in the work of salvation. Areté̄ (ἀρετή)  denotes in a moral sense what gives man his worth, his efficiency. In the NT: virtue, moral excellency, perfection, goodness of action. In 1 Pet. 2:9, aretás (pl.) is translated “praises.” The virtues as a force or energy of the Holy Spirit accompanying the preaching of the glorious gospel. ἀρετή is the attitude which the righteous must maintain in life and death. The same is true in relation to the only other passage in which there is reference to human ἀρετή, i.e., 2 Pt. 1:5: 

Some renderings leave the idea that these are to be added. Others leave the idea that this is what faith produces. They both lead to the same conclusion. Faith is an action word that has proactive ramifications. Your trusting belief will bring forth these other qualities. Either way you understand it – it lands you where you wanna be. One concept seems to be emphasizing what faith should produce  The other brings with it the clear sense that each step leads to the next. That is a good concept of how intertwined each quality is to the next – none can stand alone. I will spend more time in the next days meditating on these things. Thanks Holy Spirit for the insight and challenge!