I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Peter 1-3.

I really like the way that Peter shows us how we should build our lives of faith in this passage. In particular, I think the NIV translation of 2 Peter 1:5-7 gives us the clearest picture.  Following those guidelines will help us escape the corruption caused by sinful desires.  We start with faith.  To which we add goodness, but it is not enough to intend to do good, we must actually know what is good.  Once we know what is good, and therefore what is not good, we must have the self-control to do that which is good.  At that point we must stick it out to continue to do good, even when it doesn’t seem to make any difference in the short term.  As we stick it out, we can either become godly, or become bitter.  Let us choose the former.  Everything Peter writes up to here is very hard, but everyone I have known  who gets to this point has a genuine sense of goodwill (affection) for everyone they meet and truly shows God’s love to everyone. So, by the time you get to the last two steps, they seem to come naturally, or maybe by then you have gotten so used to the hard work of taking the next step that you just do it.  I hope to someday find out which it is.

In any case, Peter goes on the tell us why doing all of that is necessary.  We need to do all of that because there will be false teachers among us who will teach destructive heresies.  But if we have built ourselves up according to the process Peter outlined we will be prepared to resist their clever arguments.  Peter emphasizes that many of these false teachers promote sexual immorality.  Peter saying that about false teachers is interesting to me because when I read about cult leaders the first thing which many of them did which made some people question them was teach some form of alternate sexual practice. Actually, I want to note that Peter spends quite a bit of time in this letter warning us about the dangers of sexual immorality.  Sexual sin entices us away from God and righteousness.  Peter tells us that God rescues godly people from their trials, but the wicked continue to experience punishment.