2 Peter 1:5-6 Explained

"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;" — 2 Peter 1:5-6 (KJV)

A chain in which each link is built on the one before, and the order is not decorative.

Read it in context: The Book of 2 Peter. Also gathered under verses about self-control.

2 Peter 1:5-6 in context

What does 2 Peter 1:5-6 mean?

'Giving all diligence' rules out drift at the start — none of this happens by waiting. The sequence is cumulative: virtue is moral energy, knowledge is discernment, temperance is self-mastery, patience is endurance under it, godliness is the shape all of that finally takes. You cannot practise self-mastery without knowing what to master, which is why knowledge sits where it does.

What is the context of 2 Peter 1:5-6?

Peter is writing near the end of his life against teachers who promised freedom and delivered indulgence. The list answers them: this is what a life actually looks like when it is going somewhere, and it takes work.

How do I pray 2 Peter 1:5-6?

Find where in the chain you actually are rather than aiming at the end of it. Ask for the next link only. The verse assumes effort — 'giving all diligence' — so pair the prayer with one concrete practice this week, because Peter clearly does not expect the list to arrive on its own.

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