Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (1:5–11)

The doctrine of eternal security, or preservation, or perseverance of the saints, is the Spirit-revealed, objective fact that salvation is forever, while assurance is believers’ Spirit-given, subjective confidence that they truly possess that eternal salvation. Though the Old and New Testaments speak much about assurance (e.g., Job 19:25; Isa. 32:17; Col. 2:2; 1 Thess. 1:4–5, NKJV; Heb. 6:11; 10:22), many who profess Jesus Christ struggle to experience it. That raises the obvious question of why some Christians lack assurance. There appears to be a complex of several reasons that believers doubt their salvation. While this division is, in some ways, artificial, since the reasons overlap, it is still helpful to sort through them.

First, some lack assurance because they sit under demanding, confrontive, convicting preaching of the law that upholds a high standard of righteousness, forces people to acknowledge their sinfulness, and causes them to feel the weight of sin and God’s displeasure. Such preaching may greatly disturb some listeners and cause them to waver concerning their spiritual condition. The pulpit that features strong confrontation does not always balance that with preaching that conveys strong comfort to those under grace, which produces genuine assurance.

Second, some people feel they are too sinful to be saved, and thus they have difficulty accepting forgiveness. There may be two basic causes for this. First, the human conscience can be relentless in some sensitive souls, and it naturally offers little forgiveness, grace, and mercy to relieve conviction and guilt (cf. Ps. 58:3; Prov. 20:9). Second, holiness, the law of God, and divine justice do speak strongly against sin (cf. Isa. 35:8; 52:11; Rom. 6:13, 19); the law itself contains nothing of forgiveness (Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:21; Heb. 10:28; James 2:10; cf. Jer. 9:13–16; Acts 13:39).

A third reason for lacking assurance is that some do not accurately comprehend the gospel. They have an erroneous notion (Arminian) that maintaining one’s salvation requires their effort as well as God’s. Salvation, they think, is secure as long as the believer keeps believing and avoids sinful patterns. But assurance of eternal salvation can be very elusive for the person who believes it depends partly on his own “free will” cooperation with God. Such people need a true understanding of the gospel, namely that salvation is an utterly sovereign, divine operation in which sinners’ redemption (from justification to glorification) depends solely on God (John 6:37, 44–45, 64–65; 15:16; Rom. 8:31–39; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 1:4–5; 2 Thess. 2:13–14; 2 Tim. 1:9; Jude 24–25).

Some believe God forgave only those sins committed until the moment of salvation and that transgressions committed after salvation remain unforgiven unless confessed, which means a person needs to keep self-consciously confessing all through his Christian life to continue receiving forgiveness. Contrary to such thinking, however, Scripture teaches that God sent His Son into the world to completely pay the price of all sins—past, present, and future—for all who believe (Isa. 43:25; 44:22; 53:5, 8, 11; 61:10; John 1:29; Rom. 3:25; 5:8–11; Eph. 1:7; 1 John 1:7; 2:2; 4:10; cf. Isa. 1:18). Furthermore, Christ’s resurrection affirmed God’s acceptance of that total payment (Rom. 4:25; 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:17). An accurate understanding of the completeness of forgiveness is foundational to believers’ assurance.

Fourth, some people lack assurance because they cannot remember the exact moment of their salvation. Evangelicalism and fundamentalism have wrongly placed too much emphasis on a dramatic event—the so-called decision for Christ. They have so emphasized praying a prayer, raising a hand, walking an aisle, or signing a card, that when people cannot remember such an event they may wonder if their salvation is genuine. The only legitimate basis for assurance has nothing to do with a past event when one “made a decision,” but is based on the reality of present trust in Christ’s atoning work, as evidenced by one’s present pattern of faith, obedience, righteousness, and love for the Lord (cf. 1 John 1:6–7; 2:6).

Fifth, some believers still feel the strong influence of their flesh or unredeemed humanness and wonder if they truly are a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). One day all saints will experience complete deliverance from the flesh when they enter the heavenly realm (Rom. 8:23; 1 John 3:2; cf. 1 Cor. 15:52–57). But as long as they feel the power of the flesh warring against them (Rom. 7:14–25; Gal. 5:17), they may doubt if they are really Christ’s.

But one must read Romans 7:14–25 in a balanced way. The passage does explain the reality and power of the flesh, but it also speaks of the believer’s desire to do what is right (vv. 15, 19, 21), his hatred of sin (vv. 23–24), and delight in the Law of God (v. 22). The battle Paul refers to is indicative of the regenerated spirit contending against the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:5–6), and therefore is reason for saints to be confident they have new life in Christ. Unbelievers have no such struggle (Rom. 3:10–20) and no confidence in Christ.

Sixth, other Christians may lack assurance because they fail to see God’s hand in all their trials. They thereby miss the strongest proof of assurance, which is a tested faith. Paul instructed the Romans,

Peter earlier wrote,

Trials test believers’ faith, not for God’s sake but theirs. He knows if their faith is truly saving faith because He gave it to them (Eph. 2:8–9); however, they learn their faith is real because it triumphs in their trials. In God’s sovereign providence, He ordained that believers’ trials and difficulties constitute the crucible from which assurance derives (cf. Job 23:10; Rom. 8:35–39).

Seventh, others lack assurance because they do not know and obey the Word and, thus, fail to walk in the Spirit, whose ministry it is to assure obedient Christians (Rom. 8:14–17). He does so first by illuminating Scripture for them (1 Cor. 2:9–10). The very process of illumination means the Holy Spirit is confirming to believers that they are children of God. Second, the Spirit testifies through salvation itself, as He reveals to saints that Jesus Christ is indeed their Savior (1 John 4:13–14). The Spirit’s work in the hearts of the elect causes them to love Christ and dwell in the love of God (Gal. 4:6). Third, the Spirit’s testimony draws believers into communion with God, as the expression “Abba! Father!” in Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6 indicates. That term of intimacy connotes a Spirit-generated petition of praise and worship offered to the Father.

Finally, and perhaps mingled through all the previous issues, some believers lack assurance because they are willfully sinful. Clearly, one who walks in the flesh and fulfills its desires (Gal. 5:16–21) will not know the blessing of spiritual fruit or the joy of assurance (vv. 22–23). Purity and assurance go hand in hand, as Hebrews 10:22 points out: “Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” When believers fall into sin, they may fall into doubt, as happened on various occasions even to the psalmist (e.g., Pss. 31:22; 32:3–4; 77:1–4, 7). Whatever the causes for lack or loss of assurance, the reliable cure is to walk in the Spirit and thereby obey God’s commands (Ezek. 36:27; John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:12–13).

Assurance of one’s gracious standing before God is not a small matter but is actually the supreme blessing of the Christian’s experience (Rom. 5:1; 8:38–39; cf. Ps. 3:8; Isa. 12:2). This is true because the doubter forfeits the enjoyment of all other blessings of life in Christ (cf. Eph. 1:3–14). Assurance first causes the heart to live at the highest level of joy. Regarding the purpose of his first letter, the apostle John told his readers, “These things [tests of salvation’s genuineness] we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4, NKJV).

Second, the blessing of assurance lifts the soul to seek God’s purposes above anything else. The familiar opening words of the Lord’s Prayer suggest this: “‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’” (Matt. 6:9–10; cf. v. 33).

Assurance also fills the heart with gratitude and praise. The psalmist demonstrated this: “But as for me, I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long; for I do not know the sum of them” (Ps. 71:14–15; cf. 103:1–5).

A fourth blessing of assurance is that it strengthens the soul against temptations and trials. Paul exhorted the Ephesians,

The helmet is best understood, not as salvation itself, but as Paul identifies it in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “the hope of salvation.” When trials and temptations assault believers, God protects them from losing their hope.

Fifth, assurance also compels Christians to love obedience. The psalmist said, “I hope for Your salvation, O Lord, and do Your commandments” (Ps. 119:166). On the other hand, the insecurity of not knowing if salvation is certain can cause people to slide more deeply into sins of fear and doubt, which lead to other transgressions.

Sixth, the blessedness of assurance calms the soul with perfect peace and rest in the midst of life’s storms. Regardless of the circumstances that buffet believers, there is a divine anchor of security (Heb. 6:19).

Seventh, assurance enables believers to wait patiently upon God’s perfect timing for needed mercy. If their hope rests firmly in the certainty of salvation, then believers can persevere in waiting for that hope’s realization (Rom. 8:25; cf. Ps. 130).

Lastly, the blessedness of assurance purifies the heart. John wrote, “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:26–3). If believers know they will spend eternity with the Lord, enjoying their reward for earthly service to Him, that will change the way they live (cf. 2 Cor. 5:9–10).

The trustworthy, all-sufficient promises of God’s Word provide a firm foundation for a strong assurance of salvation. The 1689 Baptist Confession (also known as the Old London Confession) summarizes well the doctrine of assurance:

All that discussion leads up to the text for this chapter, in which Peter (1:5–11) concludes his opening discussion of soteriology with a detailed look at this matter of assurance. God’s gift of eternal life carries with it the possibility and intention that its recipients will enjoy the full benefits of true assurance (John 10:10; Rom. 8:16; Col. 2:2; Heb. 6:11; 10:22; 1 John 3:19; cf. Ps. 3:8; Isa. 12:2). Believers who are doubtful or confused about their salvation, who succumb to fear and fail to experience the anticipation of God’s promises or the full benefits of a vital faith, are out of God’s will. A study of assurance further reveals that Christians who have it do not become easy targets for false teachers (like the heretics the apostle discusses in chapter 2 of this letter) and are prepared to resist their deceptions and errors (cf. Eph. 6:10–11; Jude 20–23). Peter analyzed the blessings of assurance by identifying four aspects: the effort prescribed, the virtues pursued, the options presented, and the benefits promised.

THE EFFORT PRESCRIBED

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply (1:5a)

Because of all the “precious and magnificent promises” (v. 4) God has given believers and because they have received “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (v. 3), for this very reason they must respond with maximum effort toward living for Christ. This prescription echoes Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians:

God, through Christ, granted believers a perfect and complete salvation (cf. Eph. 1:7; 3:17–21; Col. 2:10; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9); yet, paradoxically, He requires that they work it out by applying all diligence (cf. Col. 1:28–29). Applying (pareispherō) means “to bring in,” or “to supply besides” and implies making a strong effort to provide something necessary. In view of and parallel to God’s endeavor in providing salvation, believers are compelled to call on all their regenerate faculties to live godly lives (3:14; cf. Rom. 6:22; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 5:7–9; Heb. 6:10–12). Believers must carry out that effort with all diligence (spoudē, “zeal and eagerness”), accompanied by a sense of urgency (cf. 2 Cor. 8:7).

Saving faith is the ground in which the fruit of Christian sanctification grows (cf. Rom. 15:13; Eph. 2:10; 5:9; Gal. 5:22–23; 2 Thess. 2:13–15; Heb. 6:11–12, 19–20; 1 John 5:13). But that faith battles the flesh and will not produce a firm sense of assurance unless saints pursue sanctification (cf. Phil. 3:12–16). The word rendered supply (epichorēgeō) derives from the term meaning “choirmaster.” In ancient choral groups, the choirmaster was responsible for supplying everything needed for his group, and thus the term for choirmaster came to refer to a supplier. William Barclay provides this additional background:

Believers must supply (“give lavishly or generously”)—alongside all that Christ has provided—all virtues required to maintain the assurance of salvation (cf. Luke 10:20; Rom. 5:11; 14:17).

THE VIRTUES PURSUED

moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. (1:5b–7)

The first virtue, moral excellence (aretē), uses the distinctive word in classical Greek for virtue. It was such a lofty term that it was used for moral heroism, viewed as the divinely endowed ability to excel in heroic, courageous deeds. It came to encompass the most outstanding quality in someone’s life, or the proper and excellent fulfillment of a task or duty (cf. Phil. 4:8). Aretē never meant cloistered virtue, but that which is demonstrated in the normal course of living. The apostle Paul modeled the pursuit of such spiritual heroism: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14; cf. 2 Cor. 5:9; 1 Thess. 4:1, 10).

At the heart of moral excellence is knowledge. Knowledge refers to the divine truth that is the foundation of spiritual discernment and wisdom (Rom. 15:14; 2 Cor. 10:5; Col. 1:9; cf. Prov. 2:5–6; 9:10), the truth properly understood and applied (cf. Col. 1:10; Phile. 6). This virtue is related to illumination (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6), which is having one’s mind accurately enlightened about the truth of Scripture (Col. 3:10; Titus 1:1; 2 Peter 1:3; 3:18) and involves diligent study and meditation on it (John 5:39; Acts 17:11; 2 Tim. 2:15; cf. Deut. 11:18; Job 23:12; Ps. 119:97, 105), so as to acquire “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).

Flowing from knowledge is a third virtue, self-control (egkrateia), which literally means “holding oneself in” (cf. Gal. 5:23). It was used of athletes who sought self-discipline and self-restraint, even beating their bodies into submission (cf. 1 Cor. 9:27). They would also abstain from rich foods, wine, and sexual activity in order to focus all their strength and attention on their training regimen. False theology (such as that propounded by the heretics of Peter’s day and discussed in chapters 2 and 3) inevitably divorces faith from conduct because it cannot deliver the soul from sin’s harmful effects and forces its followers to battle for self-control on their own and indulge their lusts (cf. 1 Tim. 6:3–5; 2 Tim. 2:14, 16–19; 1 John 4:1–6; Jude 16–19).

A fourth essential virtue to pursue is perseverance, which connotes patience and endurance in doing what is right (Luke 8:15; Rom. 2:7; 8:25; 15:4–5; 2 Cor. 12:12; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:10; Titus 2:2; Rev 2:19)—resisting temptations and enduring in the midst of trials and difficulties.

Perseverance (hupomonē) is a difficult term to express with one English word. Uncommon in classical Greek, the New Testament uses the word frequently to refer to remaining strong in unwelcome toil and hardship (cf. Rom. 5:3–4; 12:12; 2 Cor. 1:6; 2 Thess. 1:4; James 1:12; 1 Peter 2:20; Rev. 2:2–3), the kind that can make life extremely difficult, painful, grievous, and shocking—even to the point of death (cf. Rev. 1:9; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). Barclay again offers helpful insight:

At the heart of spiritual pursuit is a fifth virtue, godliness, from a term (eusebeia) meaning reverence for God (1:3; 3:11; 1 Tim. 2:2; 6:6; cf. 1 Cor. 10:31). It could also be translated “true religion,” or “true worship” and conveys the idea that one who has it properly honors and adores God (1 Tim. 3:16; Titus 1:1; cf. John 4:24; Phil. 3:3). In Greek thought eusebeia encompassed all the rituals related to worship and loyalty given to the pagan gods—respect toward all that is divine. The early Christians sanctified the Greek definitions of the word and directed them at the one true God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul instructed Timothy that such reverence toward God is the highest priority because of its eternal value.“Godliness,” Paul wrote, “is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8; cf. Acts 2:25–28).

Flowing out of the vertical reverence for God in every area of life is the horizontal virtue of brotherly kindness. The companion of affection for God is affection for others (cf. Rom. 13:8–10; Gal. 5:14; 1 Thess. 1:3; Heb. 6:10; James 2:8). Peter undoubtedly recalled what Jesus had told the religious leaders:

The saints’ pursuit of devotion to one another flows from the highest virtue of all—love. For believers, love for others (especially fellow believers) has always been inseparable from love for God (John 13:34; 15:12; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 John 3:23; 4:7, 21). This is the familiar agapē, the sacrificial, selfless love of the will (Matt. 5:43–44; 19:19; Mark 10:21; Luke 6:35; John 14:21, 23; 15:12–13; Rom. 12:9; 1 Cor. 8:1; 16:14; 2 Cor. 8:8; Gal. 5:13–14; Eph. 1:15; Phil. 1:9; 2:2; Col. 1:4; 1 Thess. 3:6; Heb. 10:24; 1 John 2:5; 4:7–12). (For further discussion of the biblical concept of love, see chapter 7 of John MacArthur, 1 Peter, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2004].)

THE OPTIONS PRESENTED

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. (1:8–9)

God certainly does not want His children miserable and doubting His gift of salvation; instead He desires and delights in their joy and confidence (cf. Pss. 5:11; 16:11; 33:1; 90:14; 105:43; John 15:11; Acts 13:52; Rom. 15:13). If Christians are to fully enjoy their assurance as God desires for them, they must consider the two options Peter presents in this passage and choose the positive one rather than the negative.

Positively Peter calls for pursuing these qualities (the preceding list of virtues) and sets forth the result of doing so. The phrase rendered are yours and are increasing is a strong expression drawn from two present participles (huparchonta and pleonazonta). The first denotes owning property in an abiding sense, and the second refers to possessing more than enough, even too much, of something. If the virtues are abundantly present in a believer’s life and actually on the increase, that reality will render (“make,” “set in order”) him as neither spiritually useless nor unfruitful.

Useless (argos), meaning “inactive,” or “idle” when employed in the New Testament, always describes something inoperative or unserviceable (cf. Matt. 12:36; 20:3, 6; 1 Tim. 5:13; Titus 1:12; James 2:20). Unfruitful (akarpos) or “barren” is sometimes used in connection with unbelief or apostasy. For example, Paul warned against the “unfruitful deeds of darkness” (Eph. 5:11). Jude described apostates as “autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted” (Jude 12). Matthew 13:22 and Mark 4:19 use it as they record Jesus’ description of superficial believers in the parable of the soils. It can refer even to true believers who are for a time unproductive (Titus 3:14; cf. 1 Cor. 14:14). If Christians pursue the virtues Peter outlined, their lives will be increasingly productive spiritually. But if those qualities are not present, believers are likely to be indistinguishable from the superficial professors Jesus described in His parable.

Use of the identifying expression the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrates that Peter is addressing genuine Christians. Real believers to whom God has granted true saving knowledge (1:3; Luke 1:77; 2 Cor. 2:14; 4:6; 8:7; Col. 2:2–3; 3:10; cf. Prov. 1:7; 2:5–6; 9:10; Isa. 33:6) therefore possess the capacity to pursue and fruitfully apply the virtues mentioned. If those virtues are present in one’s life, then he has and enjoys this true knowledge.

On the other hand, Peter presents a negative option for his readers to avoid. If one who professes faith in Christ fails to pursue virtues and fruitfulness, and thus lacks these qualities, he is blind or short-sighted, unable to discern his true spiritual condition (cf. Isa. 59:10; Rev. 3:17).

The believer who is not experiencing an increase in the virtues will forfeit assurance, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Literally the phrase here means “to receive [lambanō] forget-fulness [lēthē].” Purification translates katharismos, from which the English catharsis (“cleansing”) derives. Such a believer’s sin makes him unable to be confident that he was cleansed and rescued from his former life (Eph. 2:4–7; 5:8, 26; Titus 3:5–6; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 1:7). He cannot be certain if he has been truly saved because he does not see an increase of virtue and usefulness in his life. Once blind before salvation, then made to see, these saints can experience a kind of spiritual blindness again.

That kind of spiritual forgetfulness leads to the repeating of old sins, and it robs such Christians of their assurance. Assurance of salvation is directly related to present spiritual service and obedience, not merely to a past salvation event made dim in the disobedient believer’s memory.

THE BENEFITS PROMISED

Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (1:10–11)

Peter urges believers to select the positive option already stated in verse 8. Reiterating verse 5 (“applying all diligence”), the apostle commands believers to be all the more diligent spiritually, so as to know and enjoy the reality of their eternal salvation. Be … diligent (spoudasate) is the verb form of the noun spoudē (“diligence”) used in verse 5 and again conveys urgency and eagerness. To emphasize the right believers have to enjoy assurance, the apostle speaks not of their faith, but God’s sovereign choice. Believers are able to make certain—in Hebrews 9:17 the word for certain [bebaios] is used in the sense of a legal validity or confirmation—God’s calling and choosing of them. To make (poieisthai) is reflexive, indicating believers are to assure themselves. Calling and choosing are inseparable realities indicating God’s effectual call of believers to salvation (Rom. 11:29; 2 Thess. 2:14; 2 Tim. 1:9; cf. Matt. 4:17; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30) based on His sovereign election of them in eternity past (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4, 11; Titus 1:2; 1 Peter 2:9). Peter’s concern is that believers have confidence and assurance that they are included in the elect. God knows His elect (cf. 2 Tim. 1:9, and the discussion of 1 Peter 1:1–5 in John MacArthur, 1 Peter, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody 2004], 13–38), and His elect should enjoy the knowledge that they are His.

As long as Christians practice these things—increasingly pursue the moral virtues essential to holy living—they give evidence to themselves and enjoy assurance that God has granted them eternal life (cf. Heb. 6:11). Practice refers to the pattern of daily conduct (cf. Rom. 12:9–13; Gal. 5:22–25; Eph. 5:15; Col. 3:12–17). If it is in keeping with the moral virtues Peter described, believers will never stumble into doubt, despair, or fear, which allows them to confidently enjoy an abundant and productive spiritual life (cf. Ps. 16:11; John 10:10; Eph. 1:18; 2:7; 1 Tim. 6:17).

In this way, again referring to the constant pursuit of holiness, the blessings of assurance and perseverance come to believers. As a result, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to them. Assurance of one’s having entered into the eternal kingdom is the experience of the Christian who practices what Peter has listed. That was great encouragement to the apostle’s weary readers. No believer needs to live with doubt regarding salvation, but he may have assurance abundantly supplied in the present. A rich heavenly reward in the future may also be implied (cf. 2 Tim. 4:8; Heb. 4:9; 12:28; 1 Peter 5:4; Rev. 2:10; 22:12).

The Lord will reward His children based on their faithful pursuit of righteousness (see again 1 Cor. 3:11–14; 2 Cor. 5:10). Assurance in this life and riches in heaven are the benefits of spiritual diligence and fruitfulness.