Adding to Faith

I believe in the doctrine of Sola Fide -- faith alone. That is, we are saved by faith apart from works. We don't need to add to faith to be saved. There are other components. We are saved by Christ alone. We are saved through grace alone. I get all that. But we don't need to add to faith for salvation.

Having said that, we are commanded ... to add to faith. Did you know that? Now, it's not a matter of salvation. On the other hand, the failure to do so is a good reason to question your salvation. Therefore, it is not insignificant. Look, here's what Peter says:

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³ seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. ⁴ For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ 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. ⁹ For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ 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; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:3-11)

Yeah, yeah, I know ... "TL;DR" -- too long, didn't read. I would recommend you take a moment to do so. It isn't unimportant.

Peter tells "those who have receive a faith of the same kind as ours" that, because we know Christ, because He has granted to us everything we need for life and godliness, because of His great promises through which we actually become "partakers of the divine nature", you need to "add to your faith" (KJV). We need to supply more than simple faith. We need to add love (agape). This agape love is on top of brotherly love (philadelphia). This brotherly love is on built on godliness. This godliness is premised on perseverance. This perseverance comes from self-control. This self-control is a product of knowledge. This knowledge is shaped by moral excellence. Moral excellence only comes as a product of faith. Think you're done? Think again. He says, "If these qualities are yours and are increasing ...". That is, you don't get to stop, to arrive, to "be all you can be." You are a work in progress. All of this, then, is added to faith.

How important is it? If you have this in increasing amounts, you will be neither useless or unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Did you know that you could have true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and be entirely useless? That's not good. Remember what Jesus did to the tree that did not bear fruit. In fact, Peter says that a lack of these qualities makes you blind and short-sighted. Indeed, it is only in these qualities that you can be sure of His calling and choosing of you. It's that important. In other words, if you settle for "faith" -- "I'm resting here on 'faith alone' because that's all I need to be saved" -- beware. The best you can be is useless. The reality is that it is more likely that you were never called, never chosen. You are blind.

I believe in the doctrine of Sola Fide -- faith alone. I believe that it is by faith in Christ that we are saved, born again, brought into a genuine relationship with God, made alive. That faith, however, is not -- cannot be -- alone. Faith, if it has no works, is dead, being alone. We are saved to be "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."