| Written By Administrator Friday, 17 July 2009 |
2 Peter 1:5 to 11
"Make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness,
knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these
qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective
and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone
does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he
has been cleansed from his past sins".
The Christian life is one of constant progress and growth. Paul writes in 2
Corinthians 3:18 that we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ
with 'ever-increasing' glory. Ephesians 4:15 calls us to 'grow up' into Him
who is the Head, that is, Christ.
Stagnant water stinks and a stagnant Christian life does the same as well.
Matthew 5:13 describes us as "the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its
saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." The apostle Peter
knew this only too well and so, in what he describes as his final and most
important words before his death (1:12-15), he exhorts the believers to keep
pressing on and moving forward in their life with Christ.
Very often, people seem to 'get stuck' as believers because they fail to
understand that growth requires co-operation with the grace of God. It does
not happen automatically. Indeed, all that we need for life and godliness
has already been given to us but we need to "work OUT what God has worked IN
us." (Philippians 2:12,13).
"Add to your faith, goodness".
The Christian life begins with Faith. Without faith, it is impossible to
please God (Hebrews 11:6). We are saved through faith and live by faith
(Romans 1:17; Ephesians 2:8). But even while it is true that everything is
of faith, that is not all there is to our walk with God.
Goodness needs to be added to our faith. The word translated goodness can
mean 'moral excellence' or 'virtue'. Both speak of a nobility of character.
There is indeed no doubt that our faith must result in a changed life. We
have been saved by 'faith without works' but we have not been saved by a
'faith which does not work'.
As believers, we must take care to live upright lives. We must not tolerate
sin. Sin is our enemy. Have you heard of anyone playing, sleeping and
living with their Enemy? It seems foolish and yet the truth is that many
Christians tend to live this way thinking that there's absolutely nothing
wrong with such a lifestyle!
"To goodness, add knowledge".
The knowledge that is spoken about here is not mere 'head knowledge' but the
'practical wisdom to deal with life'. While it is true that we need to be
full of goodness, we also need to be full of wisdom. God wants His children
to be wise in their dealings with other people and with life as a whole.
Jesus said that we must be "shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves"
(Matthew 10:16).
If we need wisdom to handle the various experiences of life, we can ask God
for it in prayer and He will supply it abundantly (James 1:5). We further
grow in this knowledge through our fellowship with the Lord and His Word for
in Him is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Psalm
119:98-100; Colossians 2:2,3).
"To knowledge, add self-control".
What is the use of mere knowledge if it does not help us lead disciplined
and balanced lives? We need to exercise our senses and apply the knowledge
that we have in making choices based on Scriptural principles (Hebrews
5:14). Information must eventually lead to transformation. As Peter says,
a Christian must be a person who has 'a grip on himself'. This is what
self-control is all about.
The Bible never advocates 'self-destruction', only 'self-denial'. We need
to keep in mind that even as Spirit-filled Christians, we will have fleshly
passions, feelings and desires. Discipline is, therefore, of great
importance. One can never be a disciple without discipline. Discipline
leads to true freedom, while a careless life will lead to disaster.
"To self-control, add perseverance".
Galatians 5:22 and 23 teaches us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.
No fruit is developed overnight. There is a process involved. This is why
we need perseverance or steadfastness.
The character of Christ can be formed in us only as we submit daily to the
promptings and directions of the Holy Spirit. We need to stand up to the
challenges that come at us from within or without and overcome them in the
strength of the Lord. It is not easy at first, but as we make it a habit to
obey the Spirit, following God will soon become a thrilling, joyful and
natural experience!
Repeated failure must not discourage you. The righteous man may fall seven
times but he rises up again every single time (Proverbs 24:16). Seven in
the Scriptures stands for 'perfection'. This verse therefore means that
even when the righteous person seems to have fallen beyond all recovery and
hope, he will still rise up again. For a Christian, failure is never final!
Keep fighting on!
"To perseverance, add godliness".
Peter is speaking here of 'a person who is in a right relationship with God
and his fellow-men'. Isn't this after all the essence of godliness!
It is impossible to be reconciled with God and live in unforgiveness with a
fellow human being. We have been given a ministry of reconciliation and if
we are to make people one with God, we need to make sure that we are first
of all living in harmony with people. There is no excuse for us to live in
anger or bitterness towards anyone. Even when we are genuinely hurt and
offended, we must pour out our complaints before the Lord and seek His
healing. We are not doing ourselves a favour when we go around carrying our
hurts because it only causes more hurt! Be a peace-maker for this is what
your Father in heaven is like (Matthew 5:9; Romans 5:1,10).
"To godliness, add brotherly kindness".
The disciple of Christ needs to continually grow in love for the brethren.
We are exhorted to do good especially to those who belong to the family of
believers (Galatians 6:10). How can we say that we love God if we forget or
fail to show practical kindness to our brothers and sisters? (1 John 3:17)
The early church knew no lack of this wonderful fellowship. Look at what
happened on the Day of Pentecost. When the tongues of fire came from
Heaven, 'they separated and then were equally shared among the brethren'
present in the Upper Room. There is more to this than God creating some
'special cinema effect' for all to see and enjoy. It was actually a
demonstration of what happens when a person is truly Spirit-filled. For in
Acts 2:44 and 45, we see that in just the same way that the tongues of fire
were separated and shared, now the disciples decided to 'sell their
possessions and share it amongst themselves'. This is the true work of the
Holy Spirit. This is what we call revival!
"To brotherly kindness, add love".
This is the culmination. This is the height of spirituality! "And over all
these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity"
(Colosssians 3:14). ".........but the greatest of these is love." (1
Corinthians 13:13).
Not even affection for the brethren is enough, the Christian must literally
be saturated with the love of God for all. The believer must love not only
those who agree with him but even those who oppose him. We are called to
love our enemies, bless those who curse us and pray for those who persecute
us. If God can be full of mercy towards us, He expects us to show the same
to others. "Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient
with yours!" A daily meditation of 1 Corinthians 13 would do us all a world
of good!
