Life and Godliness
2 Peter 1
1 Simon Peter, a
bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of
our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be
multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
3 as His divine power
has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through
the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been
given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may
be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust.
5 But also for this
very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue
knowledge, 6 to
knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness
brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things
are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in
the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks
these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was
cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore,
brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you
do these things you will never stumble;
11 for so an entrance
will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
12 For this reason I
will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and
are established in the present truth.
13 Yes, I think it is
right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
14 knowing that
shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.
15 Moreover I will be
careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my
decease.
16 For we did not
follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 For He received
from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the
Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
18 And we heard this
voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the
prophetic word confirmed,[a]
which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day
dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
20 knowing this first,
that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,[b]
21 for prophecy never
came by the will of man, but holy men of God[c]
spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.