‘Be very eager’ means the same as ‘work hard’ in verse 5 and ‘try hard’ in verse 15. Peter urged his Christian family to show true qualities of character. God had invited and chosen them. Their good character was the evidence. ‘Chosen’ describes God’s action. ‘Invited’ means that they had to reply to God. They had to believe and trust Jesus his Son. A Christian with the qualities in verses 5-7 will not easily follow false teachers. ‘Fail’ means to turn away from God.

Important note: A person does not become a Christian because he works hard. A person does not become a Christian just because he behaves in the right way. This is not what Peter taught. First a person has to confess that he has *sinned. Then he believes and trusts God’s Son Jesus as his *Saviour. Once a person becomes a Christian he wants to please God. His good qualities are the evidence that he is a Christian.

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