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 (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Imagine you’re about to die. Before you die, you write a letter to someone you love. What would you say in the letter? Peter was about to face his own death when he wrote the Epistle of Peter from Rome. The letter was directed to believers who were heavily persecuted from without and doctrinally and morally confused from within. It was written around the time of Nero (c. 64-65AD), a despotic Roman emperor who oppressed and killed Christians. To be sure of one’s calling and election, Peter clearly highlights the qualities that Christians need to embody to prove that we are indeed effective and productive in our knowledge of Christ. Meaning, others will need to see and feel these qualities to prove that we indeed know God. Our knowledge of Him needs to be shown not only in theory but also in concrete everyday life practice. 

The qualities described by Peter are not completely discrete or separable. But here Peter breaks down what we need to accomplish into smaller achievable steps. It begins with our relationship with God (faith), and upon that relationship we build up ourselves (goodness). After that we need to deepen and broaden ourselves (knowledge), and the ability to discipline ourselves (self-control). When we have the ability to deepen, broaden, and discipline ourselves in Christ, we need to withstand the test of time (perseverance) to show our relationship with God is solid (godliness). When we become like Christ, we should be like light that shines on those in our immediate circle (brotherly kindness) and eventually expand those more distant from us (love). 

These verses also remind me another verse written by Paul. He also instructed the believers how to remain joyful in suffering, step by step:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us (Romans 5:3). 

Here, Paul also breaks down a mission impossible–rejoicing while in suffering–into smaller progressive steps. Through suffering, we learn not to give up (perseverance). When we have learned not giving up, it becomes a constant habit that defines our personality (character). That constant habit will then allow us to remain hopeful in Christ (hope). When we have hope in Christ, we will not be disappointed for God is faithful. 

From both passages, we know God is loving and kind. He has high expectations of us, but He makes sure there is a ladder we can climb, step by step, to ultimately get there. It begins with the building up of individual self, in depth, breadth and discipline, progressively rippling outward to those close to and then further away from us. When we are at low points in life, God gives us the steps to stay above and to transcend sufferings. Instead of letting suffering defeat us, we allow suffering to mold us into someone who can stand the test of time in our relationship with God. Through that, we remain hopeful always. 

Our learning curve may not always be an upward curve. But God has already shown us His way to be nearer to Him, step by step, one step at a time.