For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge...  II Petere 1:5, ESV

For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:10-11, ESV

I love this passage in II Peter. It contains a list of eight qualities that in essence will build a spiritual house that will never fall. It is a marvelous blueprint for spiritual success, and it begins with the foundation of our faith in Jesus Christ our Savior! As you full the full text of this passage (and I would encourage you to do just that) you will discover a systematic plan of action that will allow you to achieve the things that God wants for you, and those things that you want to accomplish, The end goal is eternal life in heaven, and it is a worthy goal to build our entire life around.

And it all begins with faith! But, when it comes to that, what exactly is faith?

We know that it involves more than a mere belief in God and Christ, for the brother of Christ reveals in James 2:19 that the demons believe - and they shudder! We also know that faith is the result of an educated pursuit of knowledge of God and Christ, because the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing the words of Christ. 

This is important, because many people approach faith as if it were some sort of a "mystical" experience that leads them to believe. Some view it along these lines: "I believe what I believe because I believe it". It makes no more sense to believe in God using this method than it makes sense to believe that you will have bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. Both are little more than unfounded superstitions, and they are a poor way to live your life.

Faith is something that comes from careful examination. God tells us that we can know about Him from His very creation in Romans chapter 1. Now a lot of people will look at the world and take the evolutionists stance that the world was made by a random chain of events that occurred from an explosion of gasses that were always "just there". They will often ridicule people who believe in an orderly creation by an eternal God, but which makes more sense to you - a world that came from an explosion of "eternal gas" or a world that was thoughtfully created by an eternal God? You may think me naive for believing in the eternal nature of God, but I would rather hang my hat on believing in the eternal God than the evolutionists belief in eternal gas. Both are faith based, but only one makes logical sense to me. And Paul indicates the same thing in Romans 1, when he reveals that those who observe God's creation but don't believe in God are completely without excuse.

Add this to another important factor: "Without faith", we are told in Hebrews 11:6, "it is impossible to please God". We could have a discussion on the meaning of the word "impossible" but I think most people understand that concept full well.

So, now we are left with this: Faith comes by hearing the message. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who do not believe are without excuse. Add these things to the truth found in Acts 4:11-12, where we are told that Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and that there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved, and we have this: Faith is logical, it is the result of a purposeful and educated pursuit, and it is absolutely necessary to our eternal life in heaven.

Can there be any wonder, then, that the Apostle Peter in his second letter to the churches revealed an inspired list of the virtues needed to be with God and Christ forever? And it all begins with that magnificent spiritual trait of faith in Jesus Christ!

Do you believe?