In one of my graduate classes, we were given time to share how God had worked in our lives. One pastor shared how he lived in college. He was brilliant—but he was a jerk. He used his sharp intellect to tear people down. Other people’s feelings weren’t even on his radar.
This is the exact opposite of moral excellence. You can have intellectual excellence, but without moral excellence, you are not living an excellent life.
The Morally Excellent Faith
The Apostle Peter called the scattered believers of the first century to pursue exactly this sort of life. He said, you believe. That’s good. Now put as much effort as you can into making your life a morally excellent one (1 Pet. 1:5).
The word he used was aretas, or virtue. This word could refer to excellence of any kind, but when applied to human beings it referred especially to living a life of moral excellence.
Peter did not leave the meaning of this moral excellence to their imagination. He explained what this life looks like in concrete terms. He said that virtue must be wise, that wisdom must be self-controlled, that self-control must persevere, that perseverance must be centered on God, that this God-centeredness must produce brotherly love, and that brotherly love must overflow into love for everyone we meet (see 2 Pet. 1:5–7).
The word Peter used for “add” is especially rich. It is derived from the Greek theater and refers to organizing the parts of a chorus so that they sound beautiful together. It can also mean “supply” or “intentionally organize” these specific components. The point is that none of these virtues stands alone. They are meant to work together.
Think about it. If someone is self-controlled but does not persevere or keep going, what good is it? If someone is disciplined but does not care for God or for people, what good is that kind of discipline?
That’s why you need all of these things working in harmony. And that is much easier said than done. So what do we do? The good news is that resources are available.
Resources for a Morally Excellent Life
Peter says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life . . .” (2 Pet. 1:3). That is an astonishing statement. Everything we need. Already given. Available.
This is what Jesus has won for us. God made a promise: if we believe in and receive Jesus as the Savior of the world, He will make us participants in the divine nature.
Anyone who has accepted this gift is already a partaker of the divine nature. That does not mean that we become all-knowing or that we can create a new world. It means that we are now capable of a virtue—a moral excellence—that truly reflects His moral excellence (the same word used in vv. 3 and 5).
Have you ever looked at a car in the summer and been blinded by the sunlight shining off of it? You are not looking directly at the sun. You are looking at a reflection. The surface of the car is “partaking” of the sun’s brightness.
That is how we partake of the divine nature. We are beginning to reflect it. A change is taking place. A transformation is occurring. We have escaped the corruption of the world and are being made glorious.
An Example of Moral Excellence
One interesting thing about my generation is that we knew many people before Facebook. Over time, we lost touch with them—but then we reconnected—through Facebook.
The pastor I mentioned earlier was one of those people. He began reconnecting with people he had known earlier in life. They saw his life and what he was doing now. They noticed the difference. They realized that a real change had taken place. They actually wrote to him and asked, “What happened to you? You were such a jerk!”
It surprised him. He had not even realized how much he had changed. But it also encouraged him.
He was able to tell them exactly what had happened: God’s power. That was it. God had changed him. He had worked at it, yes—but God had been working even in that effort. God really had given him everything he needed for life and godliness.
But what does this transformation look like in concrete terms? In the following articles, we will explore four key aspects of this transformation: community-mindedness (justice), practical wisdom (prudence), intentional living (temperance), and resolute endurance (fortitude). In the next article, we’ll consider community-mindedness.
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Excellent article, Wes. Thank you.
Jim Sydnor
Member of GracePres
Thank you for taking the time to read it, Jim!