What is the meaning of 2 Peter 1:9? But whoever lacks these traits Peter has just listed faith’s essential supplements—goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (2 Peter 1:5-7). Here he makes the sober observation that a believer who does not cultivate these qualities is spiritually impoverished. • The absence of these virtues signals stunted growth, like a fruit tree that never matures (cf. John 15:2-6). • Faith without the evidence of these traits is “dead” in practice, even if genuine in origin (James 2:17). • The Lord expects His people to “bear fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:10); to lack these traits is to resist His clear purpose. is nearsighted to the point of blindness Peter pictures a believer who sees only the concerns right in front of him, missing the larger horizon of God’s kingdom. • Spiritual myopia causes: – short-term priorities to eclipse eternal ones (Matthew 6:19-21); – a fixation on earthly trials instead of future glory (Romans 8:18); – a tendency to stumble because the next step is all that’s visible (1 John 2:11). • “Blindness” does not mean loss of salvation; rather, the person forfeits clarity, joy, and usefulness (Revelation 3:17-18). • Christ offers “eye salve” through His Word and Spirit, enabling believers to regain clear sight when they turn back to Him (Psalm 19:8; Ephesians 1:18). having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins Spiritual forgetfulness sits at the root of the problem. • At conversion we were washed—“You were sanctified…in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). • Forgetting this cleansing dulls gratitude; gratitude is the fuel for obedience (Luke 7:47). • When the certainty of forgiveness fades, believers may drift back toward the very sins they were freed from (Hebrews 9:14; Galatians 5:1). • Regular remembrance—through Scripture, fellowship, and the Lord’s Supper—keeps the reality of cleansing fresh (1 Corinthians 11:24-26; 2 Peter 3:1-2). summary 2 Peter 1:9 warns that a believer who fails to build on faith with Christ-like virtues becomes spiritually shortsighted, losing sight of both God’s future and God’s past work in cleansing him. The remedy is deliberate growth in the qualities Peter lists, aided by constant remembrance of the cleansing accomplished by Jesus. Clear vision, fruitful living, and joyful assurance flourish wherever gratitude for the cross remains vivid. |
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