A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
“Love,” or the word charity in the King James Version, means affection or benevolence. And it is not just an emotion that arises within our hearts from time to time—rather it is the crowning point of Christianity.
God the Father loved first by caring for us and by demonstrating His love in sending His Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice Himself for us. Just as God loved and just as Jesus loved, we are to demonstrate our love for them and our love each other.
And love cannot be feigned—that is, it must be real. Our love for others covers all aspects of life, but the ultimate demonstration of love is a deep, abiding concern for their spiritual welfare. Our love for them must be to the point that we would do anything possible to help them get to heaven.
Love does not overpower obedience to God’s word—we show our love of God by obeying His will. In our personal relationships, we have no problem loving those who love us; however, the kind of love that God requires demands that we love even those who may not treat us properly.