For many years, I suffered from poor eyesight, which required me to wear contact lenses or spectacles with very thick lenses. Without them, I was almost blind. I could not see anything clearly, even when I held something very close to me.

Peter uses the analogy of near-sightedness and blindness to describe those who do not possess the qualities of a godly life (2 Peter 1:9). You might wonder: How can a person be both short-sighted and blind? Surely he can only be either? New Testament scholar Tom Wright's translation of verse 9 is helpful: ″Someone who doesn't have these things, in fact, is so short-sighted as to be actually blind.″³ For Peter, those who believe that they lead godly lives and are not able to or refuse to see the true state of their Christian life, are ″so short-sighted as to be actually blind″–much like the self-assured Christians in Laodicea whom Jesus describes as blind in Revelation 3:17.

Such people are not only blind but are also suffering from memory loss (v. 9): they have forgotten what it means to have been cleansed from their sins. We know from the rest of his letter that Peter is referring to the false teachers who have come into their midst.

But Christians who live godly lives are so different from the ″short-sighted and blind″. These Christians not only possess the attributes described in verses 5 to 7, but they also do so ″in increasing measure″ (v. 8). When we continue to make every effort to add these attributes to our lives, we will be effective and fruitful in our knowledge of Jesus Christ (v. 8). This will enable us to stand firm in our faith and not fall away. It will also make us fruitful and effective in our service to God.

Adding these attributes is like becoming clear-sighted again after having cataracts removed from our eyes and having new lenses implanted. They enable us to see clearly that God has forgiven our past sins and given us everything we need to lead godly lives. And we can eagerly anticipate the day when God will welcome us with open arms ″into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ″ (v. 11).