In his second epistle, the apostle Peter addresses the believing Gentiles who had obtained the same “precious faith with us,” the believing Jews. After praying that grace and peace be multiplied to them through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ, Peter emphasizes the great promises that were extended to them—that by these promises they might become partakers of the divine nature. And then, being assisted by divine power, they were admonished to give all diligence to walk in the Spirit, so that their faith would not wither but would be fruitful and grow to a state of maturity, producing all the qualities that belong to a Christian character. Compare 2 Peter 1:5–7 with Galatians 5:22, 23.

Some readers may ask the question: Do I also have to meet the same requirement? Do I have to put forth all diligence, by the grace of God, to attain perfection of Christian character if I want to be counted among the redeemed? What will happen if I forget the divine requirement explained by the apostle Peter, because I understood that I was saved the moment I accepted Christ? Listen to the answer given by the apostle:

“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8–11).

The seven graces listed by Peter—each grace serving as a stepping-stone for another grace—tend to a specific goal: the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, we are to employ “all diligence,” by the help of God, to become mature in our Christian experience—“unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).

If you have not yet been able to show in your Christian life all the fruits of the Spirit mentioned by Peter and Paul (2 Peter 1:5-7; Galatians 5:22, 23), do not be discouraged but do not deceive yourself by thinking: “I still have time, plenty of time.” Decide right away to follow the example that Paul left for you, for me, and for all of us. He wrote:

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

Faith and virtue are the first two rungs in the spiritual ladder presented by Peter to us.

What is faith?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews shows how faith works and how many wonders have been accomplished by faith.

In the writings of Sister White, genuine faith is defined as:

1. The arm for laying hold on divine power.2

2. The hand that clasps Christ’s hand “in every emergency.”3

3. The hand that appropriates Christ’s merits and remedies for sin.4

4. The hand that reaches upward to grasp God’s never failing promises5; “the hand that takes hold of infinite help”6; the hand “that touches infinity.”7

5. A living power that “overrides all obstacles.”8

6. The means of laying hold of Christ’s merits.9

Genuine faith is also described as that which:

1. “Always works by love.”10

2. Works “as leaven that transforms the character.”11

3. Creates “desire to save souls at home.”12

4. “Destroys selfishness and pretense.”13

5. Makes people “sober-minded.”14

6. Leads to conformity to God’s Law.15

7. Manifests good works.16

8. “Purifies the soul.”17

9. Relies wholly on Christ.18

10. Will not “fail under test and trial.”19

George F. Watts (1817–1904) was an English painter who painted ideas rather than objects—ideas that were not at first sight apparent to the beholder. In his picture of faith, for example, he put a powerful, resolute, and conquering figure, determined to fight the evils of the world. He represented faith as being a woman holding a sword in her lap while letting water wash her blood-stained feet. This reminds us of Paul’s description of a Christian soldier, carrying “the shield of faith” “to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16). In his first epistle, John says that “he who is born of God overcometh the world” through faith. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (5:4). Faith; “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17); and perseverance in prayer are powerful Christian weapons.

“Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

“But faith is in no sense allied to presumption. Only he who has true faith is secure against presumption. For presumption is Satan’s counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God’s promises and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin. It is not faith that claims the favor of Heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and provisions of the Scriptures.

“Often when Satan has failed of exciting distrust, he succeeds in leading us to presumption. If he can cause us to place ourselves unnecessarily in the way of temptation, he knows that the victory is his. God will preserve all who walk in the path of obedience; but to depart from it is to venture on Satan’s ground. There we are sure to fall. The Saviour has bidden us, ‘Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation’ (Mark 14:38). Meditation and prayer would keep us from rushing unbidden into the way of danger, and thus we should be saved from many a defeat.”20

What is virtue?

Clarke’s Commentary, vol. 6, p. 880, gives the following definition: “Virtue — Courage or fortitude, to enable you to profess the faith before men, in these times of persecution.”

How do faith and virtue walk hand-in-hand? “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV). And the word of God is a powerful tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit.

“Man cannot transform himself by the exercise of his will. . . . The renewing energy must come from God. The change can be made only by the Holy Spirit. All who would be saved . . . must submit to the working of this power. . . .

“Received into the heart, [the truth of the word of God] will regulate the desires, purify the thoughts, and sweeten the disposition. It quickens the faculties of the mind and the energies of the soul. It enlarges the capacity for feeling, for loving.

“The world regards as a mystery the man who is imbued with this principle. The selfish, money-loving man lives only to secure for himself the riches, honors, and pleasures of this world. He loses the eternal world from his reckoning. But with the follower of Christ these things will not be all-absorbing. For Christ’s sake he will labor and deny self, that he may aid in the great work of saving souls who are without Christ and without hope in the world. Such a man the world cannot understand; for he is keeping in view eternal realities.”21

“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

And if the world can see that “we have the mind of Christ” (verse 16), they may understand why the things that are “wisdom” to them are “foolishness” to us.

I repeat: We cannot change ourselves. Only God, through the Holy Spirit, can change our heart with our consent and cooperation. We must “give all diligence.” The Holy Spirit is still active, leading men and women to find repentance and conversion as He did with a young man whose experience is still fresh in my mind.

After listening to a sermon on confession of sin, the young man turned to the pastor and asked for advice. I’m giving, in my own words, the gist of the conversation that followed.

“Pastor, I’m in trouble. I have sinned against another person, and I don’t know what to do. I would like to make a confession and make amends, but I cannot pluck up courage to do that. I’m ashamed. I have built a boat for my boss and, in my trade, I took advantage of him. I have used common nails which are relatively cheap instead of copper nails which are expensive. I know that copper nails are used in boat building, because they do not rust in the water. In this case I was tempted to deceive my boss.”

The pastor said to the young man that he must go to his boss, make a confession, and put it right.

“I cannot,” said the young man. “I cannot tell him that I have robbed him. I cannot offer to compensate him for the wrong that I have done to him.”

“Why not?” asked the pastor.

“He is an unbeliever and a scoffer. I have often tried to talk to him about God and about salvation, but I only get derisive answers. If I tell him what I have done to him, he will say that I am just a hypocrite. I am afraid to present an unfavorable image of Christianity and of Christians in general if I talk to him. But my conscience is bothering me. I have no peace of mind. I want to settle this problem, and I don’t know how to.”

The pastor insisted that he must talk to his boss and make a confession. That was the beginning of a fierce mental struggle. Positive decision and cowardly hesitation kept circling in his mind in a seemingly endless war. At the same time the Holy Spirit kept rebuking his conscience and building up his courage to make a confession.

After a few days the young man met the pastor.

“Pastor,” he said with an expression of joy on his face, “the matter is settled. My conscience is clear, now.”

“Tell me more about it,” said the pastor.

“Well, I confessed to my boss. When I did that, there was a queer look in his eyes. Then he said to me: George, I must tell you the truth. I have always had an unfavorable opinion about you. I have always thought you were just a hypocrite, like the rest. But now, after I have heard your confession, I have changed my opinion about you and your religion. Now I begin to see there is something positive in Christianity. It must be good to follow such a religion.”