As Peter progressed through
this second letter to the church, he noted the divine power and
promises that have been given to those who believe in Jesus Christ to
be godly. Through the knowledge of God and His Son Jesus Christ,
those who believe in Him begin a growing process that helps them
adhere more and more to the divine nature. In chapter one and verse
five Peter demonstrated how we are to grow in our relationship with
God where he wrote:
And beside this, giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
The
verse begins, “And beside this, giving all diligence,”.
Peter begins with the phrase, “beside this”
which means “in addition to, along side of, or for this very
reason”, and he implies that because these great and precious
promises and divine power have been given, those who receive them
should be “giving all diligence”
which infers “earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or
striving after anything” to what he is about to mention. In other
words, those whom Peter addresses should pay particular attention to
what he is about to write.
The
verse continues, “add to your faith virtue;”.
The journey of a Christian begins with “faith”
which means to “rely upon, cling to and trust in” Jesus Christ.
This is the first step. Peter says believers should “add”
to their faith. It is as though faith is the foundation, and other
attributes are to be joined to that foundation. Peter says “virtue”
which means “a virtuous course of thought, feeling and
action; moral goodness” should be the outflow of a faith
relationship with Jesus Christ. Once we believe in Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord our lives should begin to change, and “virtue”
will be the natural outflow.
The
verse goes on to say, “and to virtue knowledge;”.
As “virtue” is
added to our faith, we next acquire “knowledge”
which implies “knowledge in general intelligence,
understanding”. The idea is that we know by experience. Once we
have believed in Jesus and begun the way of moral goodness, we will
know more of the Christian experience and relationship with God. Like
rungs on a ladder, we as Christians are to climb higher and higher in
maturity and fellowship with Him.
As we think about the words
in this verse, perhaps we are drawn to examine our own lives and see
if we are growing. Have we added “virtue” to our “faith”?
Have we joined “knowledge” to our “virtue”? As
we consider these things, let us keep in mind that God has given us
divine power and exceeding great promises to live this godly life,
and as we are challenged by the rungs of growth, let us continually
rely upon Him to supply what we need to grow every day.
Next
time we will continue to look at Peter's list for growing in our
relationship with God, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” and the new marriage book “So, You Want
to Be Married” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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