Thursday, July 06, 2006

Be All the More Eager to Make Your Calling and Election Sure

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Love
Brotherly Kindness
Godliness
Perseverance
Self Control
Knowledge
Goodness
Faith-------------------------------------The Foundation

It appears that all of the qualities we need to posses are built up on the foundation of faith. From faith we see levels of refinement with the highest level of achievement being love, the way Jesus defines it:

1 Corinthians 13:3-5 (New International Version)
3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.