Add to Your Faith
2 Peter 1:5-7 For this very reason, make every effort to
add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, 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.
Faith is being sure
of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see. Faith is the very
foundation of Christian life. Peter closes his second epistle with the
tremendous statement, “Grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). Growth
is the characteristic of life and sign of life. To live is to grow. The
alternative is to wither and die. Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by
action, is dead, says James (2:17).
A familiar illustration is that of a growing tree. Trees
rooted on ground flourish. Branches cut off die and decompose. Look at the forest trees and the decaying
debris around. Christian life is rooted in faith. The graces listed in 2 Peter
1:5-7 are essential additives to keep faith growing and healthy. These are:
[1] Virtue is moral excellence -- strength and courage. Faith gave you your divine nature, gave you
forgiveness of sins and made over to you the righteousness of Christ. Now you
are to add to that, first of all, courage. The world needs believers who have
the courage to stand for that which is right and to stand up and be counted for
God in this day. You need courage to declare the Word of God. You are not apt
to give out the knowledge that you have of Christ unless you have the courage
to do it. A cowardly Christian, who is afraid to profess the doctrines or
practice the duties of the gospel, must expect that Christ will be ashamed of
him another day. e.g. The three Hebrew
young men in Daniel,, Ezra’s courage in traveling alone, Peter’s courage before
Pharisees, Stephen’s courage of conviction.
[2]
Knowledge: Knowing Him is true wisdom. Fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom. Writing to the Colossian believers, Paul said that he
prayed that they might have this knowledge. Knowledge for both Peter and Paul
meant growth and development in the Christian life. It indicates growth.
Knowledge is also spiritual truth. “You will know the truth and truth will free
you” said Jesus. You don’t need a multitude of arguments to prove to yourself
the Bible is the infallible word of God. You can be sure of the Word of God,
and as you study it and share it with others, the Spirit of God will confirm it
to your heart, and you will experience growth in your spiritual life. This is
what Peter had in mind when he said “add
knowledge to courage” . Peter exhorts believers to “be ready always to give an
answer to every man who asks you a reason of the hope that is in you” (I Peter
3:15). The blind beggar in John 9 told the Pharisees that he didn’t know who
healed him, why or how, but one thing he knew. He had been blind, but he could
see now. This knowledge he upheld. Jesus
said to Samaritan woman—“We know whom we worship”. Praying for His disciples in
John 17 Jesus says “And this is eternal life that they may know you, the only
true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
[3] Self-control: We must be sober and moderate in our love to, and use of,
the good things of this life, moderate in desiring and consumption of such things
as meat, drink, clothes, sleep, recreations, money and sex. Daniel’s self
control regarding food and drinks paid off!
We are to be self-controlled in every area of our lives, not only
physical. Deny yourself the luxury of responding to situations like the world
does (with impatience, irritation, anger, sarcasm, bitterness etc). Learn to
humble yourself and accept humiliations and offences. Moses readily threw away
the privileges due to the future emperor of Egypt
[4] Perseverance is endurance or
patience. We are born to trouble, and must through many tribulations enter into
the kingdom of heaven; and it is this tribulation (Romans 5:3) which
works patience, Patience is being able to endure
when trials come. It is built upon knowledge and courage. Avoid murmuring against God or complaining of Him. It is not surprising
Peter mentions patience immediately after temperance. Like a growing tree, a
Christian should be developing courage, then knowledge, then self-control, and
then endurance. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says “be patient with everyone”; e.g.
Patience of Moses with the Israelites; Job’s patience in his trials; Hebrews 12:2 says of Jesus that “He endured the shame
of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he
did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne!”
[5] Godliness means exactly what it says—to be like God. It is produced by patience! When you accept Jesus as your Lord and master, you lose your personality and become like Him. He becomes your role model. “For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5).I believe there is a time in everybody’s life when his dad is his hero and sometimes his idol. Well, we are children of God, and because of this, we want to be like our Father. He will never disappoint us. He is not only our hero, He is our God, the one we worship and praise. The word godliness has in it that very thought of praise and worship of God. It speaks of a dependence upon God and a life that is devoted to Him. There is enough of piousness and professed religiosity in the world, but that is not godliness. 2 Timothy 3:5 calls this “a form of godliness, but denying its power.” Mindless practice of religious exercise for the sake of the society or as a continuing tradition or for some material benefits is the bane of today’s religion. “Godliness with content is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). You can be pious and religious without being godly.
[6] Brotherly kindness: This means “love of the
brethren.” We are to love other believers. It is a joy to have a sweet and
loving relationship with the brethren. We must
add brotherly-kindness, a tender affection to all our fellow-Christians
who are children of the same Father, servants of the same Master, members of
the same family, travelers to the same country,
and heirs of the same inheritance, and therefore are to be loved with a pure
heart fervently (Psalms _16:3). Having the right kind of
fellowship helps our faith grow; thus we also help others with their faith. No
Christian is an island. We witness to the world through our fellowship. This is
what Jesus prays to God in John 17:21—23.
“I want all of them to be one with each other……. Then the people of this
world will believe that you sent Me.……They will know that You love My followers
as much as you love Me.” Love one another, depend on one another, bear with one
another, forgive one another, sympathize with one another, confess your faults
to one another– scriptures are full of similar instructions. “Bear one another’s burden and fulfill the
law of Christ” says Galatians 6:2.
[7]
Love: While “brotherly kindness” is specifically for other believers, ‘love”
is to be directed to outsiders. We must love the sinner as God loves him. God
loved him enough to redeem him, but He hates his sin and will judge it unless
he does turn to Christ. “When we were yet sinners Jesus died for us.” Love him by bringing the gospel to him. God
promised Abraham that the nations of the world will be blessed through him.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone
who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16);
Jesus also said “I have other
sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will
listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd”. St Paul
Love and
goodwill to all mankind, must be added to the love of delight which we have
for those who are the children of God. God has made of one blood all nations,
and all the children of men are partakers of the same human nature; all are
capable of the same mercies, and liable to the same afflictions, We must
sympathize with others in their calamities,
help them in the time of their need and constantly pray for them. Promote their welfare both in body
and soul and thus evidence that they are all the children of God.
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