Blog

May 25, 2025 06:00am

Links in the Beautiful Chain of Faith

85 Views

One of my very favorite necklaces broke. I studied the chain to see if it could be put back together, but it seems it is beyond my ability to repair. The links are very small, and I would need a professional who has the proper tools to break the chain next to the one split open in order to force the two links to interlock again.

As I read 2 Peter 1:5-8, I envisioned such a chain. As Peter addresses followers of Christ, he implores us to follow a progression in our faith growth. Beginning with faith gained by salvation offered by Jesus, Peter says we should make every effort to support that gift with goodness.

We know that none of us are good… but, through the gift of salvation, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, drawing us to Him. We should prioritize living out our faith with moral excellence, not because of who we are, but because of whose we are. If we choose to only accept the link of salvation but never attempt to live out the goodness of God, we are keeping the most precious gift God has given us to ourselves. Not much of a chain, stopping with that one link.

As we strive to become like Jesus, living out lives of goodness, we should pursue knowledge. How else would we know good? Without pursuing knowledge through God’s Word and other spiritual disciplines, we could distort “goodness” and look just like the world.

As we grow in knowledge, Peter urges us to pursue self-control. We all know “those people” (armchair coaches) who know all the things but don’t live them out. We’ve probably been those people. I know I have. As we gain knowledge, we should also learn how and when to apply it.

Peter goes on to say we should pursue endurance as we gain self-control. This makes me think of the times I have been trying to eat a healthy diet. I know what I should do, and I keep up the good work for a while. When I have done well for a length of time, I tend to feel entitled to cheat a little. “I deserve this chocolate,” I tell myself. And, maybe, in those instances, I could allow a cheat treat. But when we are attempting to connect links in this beautiful chain that shows the world what a relationship with Jesus does to our hearts, we need to grow in self-control. Knowledge without self-control can come across as arrogant and unloving, not an accurate depiction of a life with Christ.

We are able to build this beautiful chain, not because we are good, but because God tells us that:
“His [God and Jesus our Lord] 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, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them, we may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption of this world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)
He provides all we need! None of it really is dependent on us!

As we grow in self-control (which is a fruit of the Spirit at work in us, not our own gumption), God helps us grow in endurance. As we endure, through His power, our links are growing into a beautiful display of Christ. If, though, we are growing in self-control but neglect building endurance, our efforts will be short-lived and self-focused.

As we are being sanctified in Christ and build endurance, we should continue to pursue godliness. Endurance without godliness is just a person who doesn’t give up. This may present as a dedicated person, but that doesn’t always present in a positive light. Just not giving up doesn’t mean much—without the vital link in the chain of not giving up in pursuit of godliness.

The last links in the chain that Peter implores us to pursue are brotherly affection and love. If we are pursuing godliness but we are not concerned with loving others, we are missing the mark completely. One of the key foundations laid out for us in God’s Word is to love Him and love others. By applying our knowledge with self-control, and enduring life’s challenges with a heart that still pursues godliness, we are able to live out our faith.

Each link joins dependently with the others to create a beautiful “chain” displaying our faith. If we remove one link, the beauty of our faith is not displayed as God desires. Thankfully, He is the professional mender who offers mercy, grace, and forgiveness when we take our “broken chain” to Him with repentance and ask Him to repair our hearts! And, like a chain continues in a circle, so our sanctification continues, helping us become more like Christ continually during our time on earth.