“make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…” (2 Peter 1:5, ESV)

Salvation. It’s a big word.

When a lot of people hear that word, they think about heaven. And they should; it’s one of God’s promises. When you believe in who Jesus is and what he has done for you on the cross, and when you turn from your sin and ask for God’s forgiveness, he gives it to you—forever!

But people who receive the gift of salvation are not just going somewhere—they ARE somewhere. People who have become citizens of God’s kingdom are also actively growing in Christlikeness in the here and now.

We’re not just waiting around for something to happen eventually; we are being transformed presently.

John Cassian, the church father, notes that living with the kingdom of God as your first priority includes the cultivation of character and virtue while here on earth: “For just as the kingdom of the devil is gained by deceiving people with vices, so the kingdom of God is possessed in purity of heart and spiritual knowledge by practicing the virtues.”*

Vices versus virtues.

It’s not something we achieve on our own. It’s being open to what God wants to do in and through you.

How can you advance the purity of your heart? How can you increase spiritual knowledge?

Seek virtue. In your decisions, in your relationships, and in your calendar.

We’re not just waiting around for something to happen eventually; we are being transformed presently.

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Notes:

–*John Cassian, Conference 1.14.1-2.