“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness… For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness (virtue), 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 1:3, 5-7

In a world where faith means little more than what is right in our own eyes, Peter gives us a description of the real thing—a faith that is authentic and productive faith, received through our knowledge of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.  This genuine faith expresses itself in ever increasing measure through his list of “faith additives” or qualities; virtue (goodness), knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and LOVE (agape).

Agape love, the capstone of this list, says it all.  It is a love that is as wide and genuine as God’s love.  It is volitional, unconditional, the highest expression of love, the mark of authentic followers of Christ, and that which activates our faith with power.  It is love shown to all men as God has shown it to us, thus validating our love for God.  Jesus said in John 14, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”  John drives home this truth in his first epistle and summarizes it with “whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

So the question is… do our grandchildren know, because of our example, that faith is more than some one-day-a-week experience?  Do they see in us how faith orders our Monday mornings and every other day of the week?  Without continuity between weekend and daily living, our faith is ineffective and unproductive.  So, Peter gives us God’s formula for faith that is the real deal and meets all of life head on with genuine love as its capstone.  Something this important should exact from us, like Peter, every effort to see that the next generations will know and remember these things long after we are gone.  This is love as the capstone…the final capstone on our legacy of faith!

GRANDPAUSE: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world is Christians who acknowledge Christ with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” -Brennan Manning.