Fruitful growth in the Faith Part 2
2 Peter 1 verses 5 to 8 "In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone".
The Christian life begins with saving faith in the person of Jesus Christ. When we know Jesus Christ, our Lord and Friend personally, we also experience God's power, and this power produces a "godly life". Where there is life, there must be growth. Father God gives us all we need to live godly lives, and we need to be diligent to use the grace He has provided. Spiritual growth is not automatic, so it requires our cooperation with Holy Spirit in all areas of our lives.
The purpose of prophetic truth is not speculation but motivation, thus Peter included in this epistle the kind of practical admonitions that we all must heed. He was writing to believers who were naturally frustrated about living in the in-between times before Christ's return.
These 7 qualities of Christian character are produced by the Spirit of God. Although some unsaved people possess amazing self-control and endurance, their virtues point to themselves and not to God. But when God produces the beautiful nature of His Son in a believer, God receives the praise and glory.
Verse 8 tells us "The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." The word 'knowledge' here does not mean mere intellectual understanding of some truth, though that is included. It means a living participation in the truth in the sense that our Lord used in John 17:3 "and this is eternal life, to know You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
God bless.
Kath
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