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“To
those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior
Jesus Christ have received a faith as
precious as ours: Grace and
peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God
and
of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power
has given us everything we need for life and
godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by
his own
glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his
very great
and precious promises, so that through them you may
participate in
the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world
caused
by evil desires.
For this very
reason, make every effort
to add to your faith
goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;
and to knowledge,
self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance;
and to
perseverance, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly
kindness;
and to brotherly kindness, love.
For if you
possess these qualities in increasing
measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and
unproductive
in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But
if anyone
does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has
forgotten
that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore,
my
brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and
election
sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall,
and you will
receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our
Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ.
So I will
always remind you of these things, even though
you
know them and are firmly established in the truth you now
have.
I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I
live in the tent
of this body…”
II Peter 1:1-13 (NIV)
