And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8 ).

 

To better understand the actual meaning of the word "add" as used above, I’ll give you a brief history of that word. In Peter’s day, they had these Athenian or Greek dramas, enacted on stage. Usually, there were three major collaborators required. One was the scriptwriter, who wrote the script for the play, and then the state who provided the theatre where the play would be staged; thirdly, they required what was called "the sponsor."

 

That word "sponsor" is from the Greek "choregeo," and it means the supplier; the one who lavishly sponsored or supplied all that was necessary for the successful staging of the play. This was the financier. Therefore, when the Word says, "add to your faith virtue," for instance, it doesn’t just mean taking one thing and adding another to make two; no. It means "epichoregeo" (Greek); "to lavishly supply" or "sponsor" virtue to your faith. What’s the importance of this?

 

God has already given you faith: "…according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). However, here you are in this world, which, in a sense, is your stage, where you’re acting out your role, based on the script (God’s Word) that’s been written concerning you. However, you need some "supply" such as, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, to make your faith effective and enjoy all the blessings that God has given to you in Christ.

 

Now, understand that these things, which you’re to add to your faith, are already in you; you only need to dig deep within you, bring them forth, and put them to work! The communication of your faith—your faith-life—becomes effectual when you acknowledge that they’re in you, and put them to work in your life (Philemon 1:6).