“Whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:9).
I started wearing glasses when I was ten years old. My fourth grade teacher alerted my parents when she noticed I squinted to see the chalkboard. A few weeks later I was wearing black-framed glasses for distance. As I matured, I needed increasingly stronger prescriptions for glasses and then for contact lenses.
When Peter writes about a nearsighted faith, he attributes it to a lack of the qualities he mentions in verses five through seven: virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (1:5-7).
This is a departure from the usual, “All you need to do is believe.” Which is true. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can add to that.
However, Peter encourages his audience to supplement their faith with these qualities because we’re living in a world corrupted by sin that distracts us from God. Our sinful desires can easily shove God aside. These spiritual supplements help us see how our faith shapes every part of our lives and relationships.
Perhaps it’s like receiving the gift of a new bike. It’s yours. It’s beautiful. You adjust the seat and the handlebars to fit your body. You learn how to shift smoothly, keep a steady cadence, get in and out of the toe clips, adjust the brakes, check tire inflation, negotiate traffic, dress for different weather, and take off down a hill without ever touching the brakes. You don’t have to do any of those things, but it’s more fun riding when you do!
God knows you’ll really enjoy taking your faith for a spin!
Waite for it... 