Love

The last characteristic Peter talks about in this passage is Love.

The Strong’s Concordance definition for love (agape) is:

agape

- brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence, love feasts

This type of love refers to the type of love God has for us. A self-less love, a love passionately committed to the well-being of another. The love of I Corinthians 13 - a patient, kind, not envying or boastful, not arrogant or rude, rejoicing with the truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things, never failing kind of love. A love that involves self-sacrifice, an active and thoughtful love, love in action - like Jesus putting aside His God-hood and becoming a man so He could die on the cross for us!

Love is the last characteristic Peter lists here, and so this is the conclusion of our study. As we conclude we must also consider verse 8:

For if these qualities are yours and increasing, they keep you from being ineffective [useless] or unfruitful [barren] in the [true] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That is why we need to continue to grow in these qualities - not because they gain our salvation, rather because they prevent us from going backwards in our spiritual growth!

So in conclusion, prayerfully consider how you can strengthen the love “muscle” in your daily life!