“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, 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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:3-7).

We started this series on Godliness several weeks ago, looking at Peter’s instructions about growing in our godly life. After building on faith, goodness, knowledge, and self-control, we come now to perseverance.

There are many enemies to perseverance:

• Recalling the preceding action of self-control, sometimes the whole practice thing just becomes boring. We crave excitement, which sometimes means doing something different. Taking a break. And sometimes that is okay, if we realize that the “break” we are taking is only temporary. And sometimes, it is not okay, such as when we are engaged in critical roles like parenting and ministry. That is when we must focus on the result and the rewards that will come eventually. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
• A huge enemy of perseverance is discouragement–not seeing immediate results. Like trying to lose weight and getting stuck on a plateau. We begin to question why we are even trying this; it is useless. The enemy will give us every reason to quit. But here’s where knowledge in this progression of godliness comes in. We know that results will come only if we keep on keeping on. “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
• Sometimes we are tempted to change our priorities. The devil tried to tempt Jesus when he was in his 40-day fast in the wilderness by showing him “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.” The devil said, “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:30). But Jesus remained focused on the goal his Father had given him and said “Away from me, Satan! For it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10). Jesus persevered because he remained focused on his God-given priority.
• It is quite easy to question our efforts when we run into conflict or criticism. And it never hurts to pause and reflect on this feedback prayerfully. But we must prayerfully evaluate whether the criticism is coming from someone who has God’s priorities in mind. There are only two sides—if we are not with Jesus, we are against him. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Love is the ultimate test. If our efforts are based on love for God and love for each other, then we have God’s promise in the passage above that “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 2:1).

“But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life! —even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.” (James 1:25 Message).

In Christ,

Judy

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, 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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:3-7).

We started this series on Godliness several weeks ago, looking at Peter’s instructions about growing in our godly life. We are now going to the part about self-control. I still remember the epiphany I had about self-control several years ago. I have always sought to be self-controlled; purposeful. I worked hard at it and was often frustrated because I never met my own ambitious standards. And then in reading about the fruit of the spirit, I realized that self-control was included. In other words, self-control is only really possible when endowed and supported by the Holy Spirit, and then only when we have accepted Christ as our Savior. This realization took the pressure and spotlight off me and put it where it belongs, on the Holy Spirit.

Where I had thought that I needed self-control in order to possess the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness; now I know that I need the Holy Spirit in order to possess self-control along with all the other fruits.

So now that we know where it comes from, just what is it? “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28). In earlier times, it was customary for cities to build walls of protection. Even in the early days of the United States, forts were common. The purpose was to provide protection from danger. But now, even as then, we know danger is pervasive. That is why we have firewalls for internet protection, and even parental controls for our children’s access to the internet—as much to keep the harmful stuff out as to prevent our kids from going where they should not.

Self-control works like forts and firewalls. We determine where we are at risk, and we develop protections in the form of daily habits, accountability, and even physical restraints such as guardrails. For example, I do not buy cookies. Why? Because I know myself well enough to know that I would eat too many. If I could keep cookies in the cookie jar and only eat one or two a day, then I would. But I know myself too well. Your fort will not necessarily look like my fort. Self-control presumes that we know that too many cookies (or whatever) are a bad thing. That is where the knowledge that precedes self-control in this progression comes from. We learn what is best and why, and then we develop ways to stay on track.

Another element of self-control is regular practice, probably starting small and then increasing, much like you would if you were starting to lift weights. You don’t start with thirty repetitions of a 100-pound weight. You start with five reps of a five-pound weight and increase reps and weight as you build your strength and stamina. It’s the same with anything you are choosing to master. Maybe you want to improve your prayer life. If so, shoot for daily prayer, increasing the time you spend each day in prayer as you become more proficient.

There are all kinds of good books on the subject. Two of my current favorites are John Ortwell’s The Life You Always Wanted and Atomic Habits, by James Clear. But the best book on the subject is the Bible. Paul struggled with self-control because of some of the words he wrote:

• “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So, I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:19-25)
• “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
• “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

In summary, know what is right, then practice, always calling on the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength.

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

In Christ,

Judy

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, 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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:3-7).

We started this series on Godliness three weeks ago. In the past two weeks, we discussed that just as faith is belief in action, goodness is virtue and holiness in action. In the passage above, we are to “make every effort to add to our faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge.”

Right off the bat, this tells me that knowledge is not a requirement for faith or goodness. That means that we do not need to wait until we think we know enough in order to receive salvation, or to do or to be good. But knowledge is necessary at some point to continue to grow in godliness. In fact, three separate times, Paul tells his churches: “Do not be uninformed” (1 Corinthians 12:1, 2 Corinthian 1:8, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13).

God would not have given us his Word if He did not want us to learn it, to absorb it. Early on, baby Christians are exhorted to deepen our knowledge in order to grow in discernment: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

There are many Scriptures about knowledge:

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but foolsdespise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7)
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10).
• “Wisdom brings strength; and knowledge gives power” (Proverbs 24;5-14).
• Knowledge is a spiritual gift: “…for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 12:8).
• “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

Paul gives us a full picture of why God is calling us to grow in knowledge in his letter to the Colossians (what a beautiful blessing this is):

“I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Col. 2:1-7).

There were two special trees in the Garden of Eden. God forbid the eating of the fruit only the one: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. On its face, this seems strange, doesn’t it? It is clear that the tree itself was not bad. There is no indication that the fruit was bad–Adam and Eve did not immediately get sick or die after they tasted the fruit. So why did God put this tree there and then tell them they could not eat the fruit? What was the necessity of this tree? This tree represents choice—the choice to obey or disobey God.

God is a God of love. It comprises his entire being. And if he wanted to give humans free will, something a loving God would do, he had to allow for the possibility for them to choose something over him, and therefore, sin. (From Crosswalk.com)

It is true that Paul, while extolling knowledge, warns the Corinthians “…knowledge puffs up while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). But that highlights the importance of keeping our priorities straight and in balance. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is meaningless, vanity. Knowledge for the sake of growing in wisdom in order to build up the church is right knowledge. God has given us brains to use for His glory. In our day and time, God has given us access to worlds of knowledge. Friends, there is so much information out there. As the saying goes, “garbage in, garbage out (GIGO).” Use your free will to choose wisely what you put into your brain as you grow in faith, goodness, and knowledge.

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

In Christ,

Judy

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, 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, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:3-7).

We started this series on Godliness two weeks ago. Last week we discussed the topic of faith as the foundation of our ongoing sanctification. We discussed believing, and how faith is putting our beliefs into action. In the passage above, we are told to “make every effort to add to our faith goodness.”

What is goodness? What is the standard of good? Jesus gives us a clue in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all of which speak of the same conversation with a man. Here is the passage from Mark: “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matthew reports that the man asked the Teacher, “what good thing must I do…”). In each account, Jesus answers: “Why do you call me good (why do you ask me about what is good? No one is good—except God alone” (Mark 10:17-22).

God is the standard for good. It does not matter how you were raised—religion, culture, education level, financial status. Good is not relative. Good is absolutely what God is; it is an attribute of God. “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble” (Nahum 1:7).

“Moses said, ‘Please show me your glory.’ And the Lord said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you’ (Exodus 33:18-9). As Candice Lucey wrote for Christianity Today, “Moses asks for glory. God promises goodness. The two cannot be separated. If glory is the weight and worth of God, then goodness is the blessing and bounty of God. What Moses ‘sees’ is actually a declaration of God’s name and his character.” 

In David’s beloved Psalm 23, verse six tells us that “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life….”  Mercy and goodness are connected.

“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4). God’s goodness leads to taking action, to changing our minds and our direction, turning back to Him.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). Goodness has the power to overcome evil.

Now that we have defined “goodness,” what should we do to demonstrate it? Here’s a passage from Got Questions, which gives us guidance:

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul lists the “fruit of the Spirit“. “Fruit,” here, means “beneficial results,” the good things that come from the Spirit’s indwelling. As the Holy Spirit works in our lives, our character changes. Where we had harbored selfishness, cruelty, rebelliousness, and spite, we now possess love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Everything in the list reflects the character of God, and goodness is one that relates directly to morality.

Goodness is virtue and holiness in action. It results in a life characterized by deeds motivated by righteousness and a desire to be a blessing. It’s a moral characteristic of a Spirit-filled person. The Greek word translated “goodness,” agathosune, is defined as “uprightness of heart and life.” Agathosune is goodness for the benefit of others, not goodness simply for the sake of being virtuous.

Someone with agathosune will selflessly act on behalf of others. Confronting someone about a sin demonstrates goodness. So do giving to the poor, providing for one’s children, visiting the sick, volunteering to clean up after a storm, and praying for an enemy. Expressions of goodness are as varied as the Spirit is creative.

Goodness is not a quality we can manufacture on our own. James 1:17 says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” This certainly includes a life characterized by goodness. In letting the Holy Spirit control us, we are blessed with the fruit of goodness. As others see our good works, they will praise our Father in heaven.

Just as faith is belief in action, goodness is virtue and holiness in action. Following through; putting our money where our mouth is. God, help us to add goodness to our faith, as we pursue godliness in our ongoing growth in sanctification.

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

In Christ,

Judy