A.C.T.S. Grid

A.C.T.S. reflection

2 Peter 1

1Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. 10Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. 11For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. 13I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. 16For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Adoration

Father, we praise You for Your divine power, which supplies everything we need for a godly life through knowing Your Son.

God supplies what His people need rather than leaving them to produce godliness on their own. Peter says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness”. His generosity also appears in His “precious and very great promises,” through which His people escape corruption and share in the life He gives.

Confession

Lord, we confess that we neglect growth in godliness instead of making every effort to live as people You have cleansed.

The central failure is neglecting growth in godliness despite God's provision and cleansing. Peter commands believers to “make every effort” and warns against being “ineffective or unfruitful” in knowing Jesus. Someone who lacks these qualities has “forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins”, showing that this neglect contradicts the salvation already received.

Thanksgiving

Jesus, thank You for living in perfect godliness where we neglect it, and for bearing the penalty for our neglect on the cross so that we might be cleansed.

Peter grounds our standing in “the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ”, not in our success at spiritual growth. The Father's declaration, “with whom I am well pleased,” points to the Son's perfect life, including the godliness we neglect. Peter also describes the believer as “cleansed from his former sins”; although this chapter does not describe the cross, that cleansing rests on Jesus bearing sin's penalty in His death. We therefore thank Jesus both for His perfect godliness and for dying for our neglect of it.

Supplication

Holy Spirit, change our habits so that we diligently cultivate godliness, paying attention to Your Word and becoming fruitful in our knowledge of Jesus.

The godly life involves active growth grounded in what God's power has already supplied. Peter says these qualities should be “yours and are increasing,” producing fruit in knowing Jesus. This growth includes attending to the prophetic word “as to a lamp shining in a dark place”. Since its writers “were carried along by the Holy Spirit”, we ask the Spirit to shape our habits through the Word He gave.

Prayer prompt

Pray these four lines slowly, adding your own names, situations, or specific sins to each as appropriate.

Make this reflection your own

Reflect on 2 Peter 1

Reflections on this page are generated with AI to guide your own prayer — always read the passage yourself first. Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.