Anything Living, Grows
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
II Peter 1:5-8 NKJV
Peter outlines a progression of growth for the Christian. A growing Christ follower might start with faith but he doesn’t simply stay there. He says:
From your faith will grow, virtue… virtue is defined as moral goodness or excellence such as modesty and purity. It is the desire to want to live rightly followed by the steps taken in that direction.
From virtue comes knowledge. This isn’t just an analytical pursuit but rather it stems from virtue. As our desires change to be more like who God has called us to be, so our hunger increases to know more about Him and what He’s done. Don’t miss this. This is a hunger, a desire to know God deeper and know more about Him and what He desires of me.
From knowledge comes self control. As our knowledge of who God is and what He expects from us grows, changes will be necessary. Self control is choosing the right course even when they conflict with my desires. It is mastery of one’s own desires and passions.
From self control comes perseverance. Perseverance, also called steadfastness, is the discipline and willingness to hold a course no matter what. James writes in James 1:3 that it is the testing of our faith that causes perseverance to be produced. So as we grow in our ability to master our own desires with self control, now we begin to meet with external opposition, with testing such as persecution, difficulties, hardships, or even blessings intended to distract us away from the prize. The goal of all this is to dig deeper into our hearts and purify those areas still bound to this world.
From this perseverance then comes Godliness, or God-like-ness. It literally means we are becoming more like Him. Although we are still sinful beings, we are becoming more and more singularly focused on His will, His purpose and His kingdom. Just as He is.
From Godliness comes brotherly kindness. This brotherly kindness is the word “philadelphia” and means a love specifically toward our brothers in Christ. I want to be with other Christ followers. I want to serve them, fellowship with them, do life with them, grow with them. They become my circle of influence and I become theirs.
And from brotherly kindness grows love, agape. We all know this to be unconditional and sacrificial love, but what does that look like? As we go through this process of sanctification we become so singularly focused on God’s will and His kingdom that we’re willing to sacrifice all that we have, and all that we are, in order to accomplish it. This is the idea of biblical love. It is seeking another’s highest good. The unconditional aspect of this is that we do so regardless of whether the individual wants it or not. My seeking their best is not contingent on whether they accept me or not. It also doesn’t matter whether they want for me to love them in this way. I still want what’s best for them.
This is the culmination of our spiritual growth. While each of these traits might be in us to varying degrees throughout our spiritual development, they will all grow. Each one increases and produces a greater degree of the next.
But Peter has a word of caution:
He says that our development in these areas are directly related to our fruitfulness in Christ. In the parable of the sower Jesus gave an example of the seeds of the kingdom falling on 4 types of soil.
In the first Satan snatched the seed and it never took root. In the second the ground was hard and shallow and the roots could not take hold. Jesus said these were those who “believed for a while” but in time of testing fell away. The third fell among weeds, and although it took root, it was choked of resources by the weeds. Jesus said these were those who were more concerned with the cares of this world and never produced fruit. The fourth fell on good ground, took root, grew and produced fruit. This picture of the soils demonstrates the failures of pseudo-faith that never grows and the necessity of fruit that is the evidence for true faith. So fruit is not optional. Growth is the evidence of true saving faith.
Peter goes on to say regarding his outline of spiritual growth that where growth isn’t present there are only two possible conclusions:
“For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;”
II Peter 1:9-10 NKJV
He says that those who don’t grow have either forgotten who they are in Christ. They have become shortsighted, focusing on what’s in front of them and not on the kingdom to come, or blinded by the distracting influence of their present affairs.
Or…
He says, your calling and election may be in question. The idea here is that God has called and elected those who are His. Those who continue in the sanctification process, growing spiritually, prove that they are called and elect. They prove that they are among those who God knew before the foundation of the world would be saved.
He closes with the statement that those who continue to grow spiritually need never fear of falling away. Growth demonstrates life. Where there is no growth, one has either become sick or they were never alive to the new birth to begin with. This is why Jesus tells us to abide in Him and Paul urges us to walk in the Spirit. Because it is through this abiding or continuing in the root (Christ) that we draw sap (His Holy Spirit) and produce fruit. It is the Spirit, through Christ, who gives us life, who walks us through this process of spiritual growth, through sanctification. Our willingness to walk with the Spirit through this process is the evidence that we are His.
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