According to Peter’s word in verse 6, in our self-control we need to develop endurance. Self-control is to deal with ourselves; endurance is to bear with others and with circumstances. In order to live a proper Christian life, we need endurance toward those around us and also toward our environment and circumstances.
In our endurance we need to develop godliness. Godliness is a living that is like God and expresses God. As we exercise control over the self and bear with others and with circumstances, godliness needs to be developed in our spiritual life so that we may be like God and express Him. If faith is the seed, virtue and knowledge the roots, self-control the trunk, then endurance and godliness are the branches. Here we see a rather full development: out of the seed come the roots, the trunk, and the branches. Eventually, in verse 7 we see brotherly love and love as the blossom and the fruit.
In verse 7 Peter concludes, “And in godliness brotherly love, and in brotherly love, love.” The Greek word rendered “brotherly love” is philadelphia, composed of phileo, to have affection for, and adelphos, a brother; hence, brotherly affection, a love of delight and pleasure. In godliness, the expression of God, this love needs to be supplied for the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2:17; 3:8; Gal. 6:10), for our testimony to the world (John 13:34-35) and for the bearing of fruit (John 15:16-17).
The Greek word for love in verse 7 is agape, the word used in the New Testament for the divine love, which God is in His nature (1 John 4:8, 16). It is nobler than phileo; it adorns all the qualities of the Christian life (1 Cor. 13; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:13-14). It is stronger in ability and greater in capacity than human love (Matt. 5:44, 46), yet a believer who lives by the divine life (2 Pet. 1:3) and partakes of the divine nature (v. 4) can be saturated with it and express it in full. Such a love needs to be developed in brotherly love, to govern it and flow in it for the full expression of God, who is this love. As we have seen, faith may be considered the seed of life, and this nobler love, the fruit (v. 8) in its full development. The six developments in between are the stages of its growth unto maturity.
Peter’s thought in chapter one of his first Epistle is that the full salvation of the Triune God issues in holiness and brotherly love. Holiness is related to godliness. Hence, the issue of God’s full salvation is the expression of God and the love for the brothers. According to some translations, the word love in 2 Peter 1:7 indicates a love not only for Christian brothers but for all men. According to this understanding, first we love the brothers and then we go on to love all men. However, I do not believe that this understanding is accurate.
We have pointed out that agape is nobler than phileo. In quality and perhaps also in quantity agape is greater than phileo. Sometimes we may love the brothers in a narrow, limited way with a certain amount of brotherly love. In our love we may have preferences and love certain brothers more than others. We may claim that we love all the saints, but our love for them is not the same. Because Peter was experienced and knew the situation among the saints, he did not stop with brotherly love but went on to speak of love, of agape, the deep and noble love with which God the Father loves all mankind, both believers and sinners.
In Matthew 5:44-47 the Lord Jesus said, “But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may become sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not also the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what are you doing extraordinary? Do not also the nations do the same?” As God sends rain upon both the just and the unjust, so we should love not only our brothers but also our enemies. It does not take much strength or energy for someone to love his own brother. But it does take a special strength and energy to love our enemies. We all need to have this noble love.
Actually, in the church life we may prefer a certain brother whom we regard as nice and love him, but we may not appreciate another brother as much. We may have love for both brothers, but that love is shallow. Therefore, we need a deeper, nobler love. This love is agape. When we have this kind of love, we love all the brothers the same, no matter what kind of brothers they may be.
In 1:5-7 we have the development from faith to love. This development includes virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, and godliness. Eventually, we have the full development and maturity from the seed of faith, through the roots of virtue and knowledge, the trunk of self-control, and the branches of endurance and godliness, to the blossom and the fruit of brotherly love and love.