“And I say to you, ‘My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!’ ” (Luke 12:4-5).

In this passage, Jesus gives fear a place of honor—He makes it one of the strongest motivations for godly living. So, we ask the question: Which is it? Should we fear God or just love Him?
The definitions of fear show us that it can mean different things, depending on the level of fear we are talking about.
If our fear causes us to shrink away from God so that we really want nothing to do with Him, we have taken it to a level that was never intended in scripture. In fact, one of the purposes of fear is to drive us closer to God and to develop a greater desire to please Him.
If, however, our fear leads us to have a respect for God and a deep reverence for Him, we will be at a healthy level of fear that allows us to develop a closer and more personal relationship with Him.

A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
 
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
“for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
“for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 1:5-11).
 
When Peter teaches that adding these attributes will put one into a position that he will “never stumble,” he means the Christian creates a strong defense against falling and losing his salvation. Otherwise, this teaching contradicts the teaching in the first part of verse ten: that a Christian has the choice of making his call and election sure.
 
Christians work diligently to “supply” the Christian attributes, and God supplies the “entrance.” With this combination, we have an “abundant” opportunity to go to heaven.
 
Those who have been faithful to God will be admitted into the “everlasting kingdom” that Jesus has prepared for us. It is His kingdom and He will deliver it to His Father at the end of the world—it will last forever, never to be destroyed.

A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
 
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
“for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
“for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
(2 Peter 1:5-11).
 
“Therefore” means because the development of these attributes leads the Christian to a deeper understanding of Jesus and His sacrifice, he or she should be even more diligent to secure the eternal reward that has been made possible.
 
“Diligent” carries with it the idea of not stopping but continuing in their intensity to add these seven attributes to their faith. “Call” refers to the gospel call that goes out to all people. Jesus first issued this call when He said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
 
“Election” is the result of the Christian’s acceptance of the gospel call. It is up to each individual as to whether he answers that call. God has given us the freedom to choose.

A word study in 2 Peter 1:5-11
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…..to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness…..to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
“for if these things are yours and abound, you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”
(2 Peter 1:5-9).

Peter, in verses eight and nine, shows the natural consequence of Christians’ adding these seven attributes to their lives.
 “Yours” means they must internalize them, that is, they must make them an integral part of their way of thinking and of their behavior.
 “Abound” means these attributes must not be surface actions—they must be carried out not just with sincerity but also with intensity. Christians who do so will bear fruit for the Lord and will have a deeper understanding (‘knowledge’) of the Lord.
 Without these attributes, Christians are “shortsighted,” that is, they can’t look back and remember their former lives when they were without the Lord. Formerly, like us, they were sinners without spiritual hope; now they have an awareness of the blessing of Jesus and of the forgiveness He provides.