2 Peter 1:5-8

[Oatmeal]

2 Peter 1:5-8

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

CLV
Now for this same thing also, employing all diligence, in your faith supply virture, yet in virtue knowledge, yet in knowledge self-control, yet in self-control endurance, yet in endurance devoutness, yet in devoutness brotherly fondness, yet in brotherly fondness love." For your possessing these and increasing is constituting you not idle nor yet unfruitful in the recognition of our Lord, Jesus Christ

What specifically and accurately are these things?  What is virtue? What is devoutness?  I can look up dictionaries and things but what is God meaning?

Thanks for your help.

[Kat]

Hi Oatmeal,

Here are a few more translations that might help with the meaning of these words.

YLT
2Peter 1:5  And this same also--all diligence having brought in besides, superadd in your faith the worthiness, and in the worthiness the knowledge,
v. 6  and in the knowledge the temperance, and in the temperance the endurance, and in the endurance the piety,
v. 7  and in the piety the brotherly kindness, and in the brotherly kindness the love;

RSV
2Peter 1:5  For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
v. 6  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,
v. 7  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

Rotherham
2Peter 1:5 And, for this very reason also—adding, on your part, all diligence, supply, in your faith, excellence, and, in your excellence, knowledge,
v. 6 And, in your knowledge, self-control, and, in your self-control, endurance, and, in your endurance, godliness,
v. 7 And, in your godliness, brotherly affection, and, in your brotherly affection, love.

NKJV
2Peter 1:5  But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
v. 6  to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
v. 7  to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

GNB
2Peter 1:5  For this very reason do your best to add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge;
v. 6  to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness;
v. 7  to your godliness add Christian affection; and to your Christian affection add love.

CLV
2Peter 1:5 Now for this same thing also, employing all diligence, in your faith supply virture, yet in virtue knowledge,
v. 6 yet in knowledge self-control, yet in self-control endurance, yet in endurance devoutness,
v. 7 yet in devoutness brotherly fondness, yet in brotherly fondness love."

mercy, peace and love
Kat

[mharrell08]

Hello Oatmeal,

To add along with the rest of the replies you've received, these passages may help as well:

Faith

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Virtue [Gk. 'aretē' - moral goodness or excellence; purity]

1 Tim 1:5  Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned

1 Tim 3:9  Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience

1 John 3:2-3  ...we know that, when He [Jesus] shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.

Knowledge

Eph 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him

Col 1:10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God

Col 3:9-10  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him:

Temperance [Gk. 'egkrateia' - self-control or self-restraint]

1 Cor 9:24-27  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Phil 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content

Patience

Rom 5:3  ...we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience

Rom 8:24-25  We are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it

James 1:3-4  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing

Godliness [Gk. 'eusebeia' - holiness, reverence, respect]

Titus 1:1  Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness

1 Thess 4:7  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness

Rom 6:19   ...for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Brotherly Kindness [Gk. 'philadelphia' - love of brothers & sisters]

Matt 12:50 & Mark 3:35  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother

1 John 3:14-16  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Charity ('Love')

John 15:9-10  As the Father hath loved Me, so have I [Jesus] loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

Rom 13:10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law

1 Cor 16:14  Let all your things be done with charity

Col 3:14  ...above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness

1 Pet 4:8  ...above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins

1 Cor 13:4-8  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.


I'm sure you already read most, if not all of these scriptures, but thought I'd try to show these virtues in use by Jesus and His apostles.


Hope this helps,

Marques

[Deborah-Leigh]

What is virtue? What is devoutness?  I can look up dictionaries and things but what is God meaning?

Here are some of the words that appear to you in both Marques and Kat's post responses.

Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, Charity, Worthiness, Endurance, Piety, Self-control, Steadfastness, Perseverance, Excellence and Devoutness.

This is what I have learned from what Ray says here following is that the above are attributes all of which together and more, are the Truth. :

Psalms 119:160
Rotherham - The sum of thy word, is truth
CLV - The sum of Your word is truth
ASV - The sum of thy word is truth
YLT - The sum of Thy word is truth

They all have that it is the sum of God's word that is truth, not that His word was truth from the beginning.  But King James changed the word order, that's not the right word order.  Now the sum of God's word is Truth, that is such an amazing, spiritual, Scriptural, profound, eternal Truth and it's lost in the translation.  Because that is the only place it says that specifically that way and it's lost in the translation.  I didn't know that until like eight years ago or whatever.  All my life reading this and I never knew what that Scripture said.  "The SUM of Thy word is truth."  

Well we can dissect that a little bit.  Not that any part of God's word is not truth, but if the sum equals the truth, maybe part of the sum only equals part of the truth.  I mean it's all true, but it is only part of this truth, there is more.  Ref : L. Ray Smith CAN WE LOSE GOD'S SPIRIT AND EONIAN LIFE?

As John says, God is making us into His Image and the sum total of His Word is Truth. Put together all the words above and many more ( Just click on a thesaurus and see what each word represents ) is what God means. That is who God is.

Just one random word selected : Perseverance/ persistence (n.) –, determination, doggedness, pushiness, diligence, resolution.
– insistence, urgency, firmness, resolve,  determination.

The antonym to persistence is feebleness. One blasphemes to even think that Jesus Christ ever displayed feebleness. On the stark contrary, He was determined to do the will of His Father. The Pharisees may have even seen Him to have pushy doggedness resolve when He went into the Temple and turned over their tables of trade.

The antonym to perseverance is vacillation.  One preaches heresy to offer the idea that Jesus vacillated or in any way was hesitant, uncertain or wavering in anything He ever said or did.

This is what I have learned from what Ray has counseled, exhorted, highly recommended and encouraged us to PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORDS. L Ray Smith
When I pay attention like this, knowing that  "The SUM of Thy word is truth."    especially the Glory words like the ones that appear in Marques and Kat's post, for me,  opens up windows of spiritual visibility into the Glorious Spirit Being that is Jesus Christ.  

Arc