It All Adds Up
4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.
8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:4-8
Dynamic Christians
What does the world see when it sees the modern Christian? Does it see divine nature or does it see human nature represented by weakness, faults, sinfulness, and pride. The Apostle Peter offered a different perspective of the vibrant and dynamic Christian. The Apostle uses a simple rule of addition to not only paint a picture of the dynamic Christian, but to also reflect how their nature and character flourished. The question is: who wants to be a dynamic Christian?
Our discussions have focused on going to the extreme as a Christian. The believer’s life should not be described in terms of dull and dated worship. The believer should have a “freshness” and “vibrancy” surrounding their life. The believer should reflect the nature and character of God because they are Children of God. The life of the believer should not only be in contrast to the world, it should be a testimony to the very power of the Living God. It was said of the early Disciples, they took note of them, that they had been with the Lord. What has happened to this vibrant and abundant life of the believer? I believe that it has been traded for world popularity and acceptance. I must confess, that in my seeking the convenient life, I have neglected the vibrant and abundant life in Jesus. The power-filled life has been traded for the life of material gain and acceptance in this present world. What we have found is that gaining the things of this world has not brought the joy, peace, and completeness we sought. Gaining these things has only brought disillusion, discontent, and death. It’s time to get back to life in Christ!
Is such a thing as the vibrant life even possible? Is it possible to draw from the power of God to add meaning, purpose, and enthusiasm to life? The Apostle Peter offers a resounding yes and even more. Peter does not base this vibrant life on man’s ability but on God’s “precious promises.” Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. God gave these promises and they are not merely the ordinary. Now, understand that the ordinary promises of God are powerful whereby God gives natural blessing on the just and unjust (blessings of food, clothing, shelter, healing, provision of sunshine and rain). The precious promises of God are reserved for the believer and they are exceeding great. Without these promises, none of the abundant life resources would be available. The believer would not have access into the things of God without the Door of Precious Promises. That Door is Jesus Christ. That way is Jesus Christ. That fulfillment of the Promise is in Christ and Christ alone.
We find that these Precious Promises not only give access for the believer but transforms the nature of the believer. That by these (Precious Promises) you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. How did our nature change from corrupt to blessed and pure? God’s Precious Promises transformed us. We have more than a good nature or innocent nature; we have the divine nature. We are born of God now! We are sanctified by the Righteousness of Christ now! Our heart, mind, and soul have been transformed by the very Precious Promises that God has fulfilled in Christ Jesus. What a gift! What a fellowship! Now we are the sons and daughters of God! What changed? Our nature changed. How was that nature changed? It was changed by God’s Precious Promises in Christ Jesus. That is the only power that could transform the believer’s life to that of a Dynamic Christian.
It’s All Adding Up
Here is where we discover the qualities of the Dynamic Christian. The Apostle Peter starts with the foundation of our faith and then adds seven qualities of the Dynamic Christian. He notes also that if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Dynamic Christian is not one that seeks to impress people by the way they appear, or talk, or worship; the Dynamic Christian is one who bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit and possesses great knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith can only add up when our focus is on knowing Christ and bearing fruit for Christ. Forget about impressing others and gaining acceptance in this world. If that is your goal, you will not be fruitful in Christ nor will you learn much about His Ways. Remember, Jesus was rejected by this world and it is also true that you will be rejected by this world. So, first focus on who you are. You are a Dynamic Christian. You do not belong to this world; you belong to God. Your roots are not in religion but in the righteousness of Almighty God. You are planted not in the pleasures of this world but in the Precious Promises of God. It is adding up that counts.
Please note that the Precious Promises of God form the foundation of our faith. The faith of the believer is not some virtue that is self-generated. No, that is not how faith works. Those same Promises transform our thinking from lust filled to faith filled; it transforms us from habitual sinners to holy saints. Those Precious Promises lay the foundation for how God will direct our lives in righteousness and truth. Make no mistake about it, we did not lay the foundation of faith. God, who gave the Promises, also dealt to each one of us the measure of faith. Romans 12:3.
It is sad but true, that many Christians who are saved do not strive to reach their full potential in Christ. In other words, many Christians do little more than escape the firepit. They do not add anything in the process of living for God’s Glory. I will go further and say that many Christians feel that because they are Christians, God is obligated to respond to their every beckon and call. Many Christians act more like spoiled brats than as mature Children of God. Why? They have refused to add to their faith. If they would add to their faith, the outcome would be so much different. Peter stresses adding to the faith because if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:8. It all adds up.
When believers add to their faith, it impacts both the quantity and the quality of their character. Please remember that the virtues that Peter describes are not trophies on a shelf or religious plaques on a vanity wall. These are real living proofs of the believer’s life in Christ. These character qualities reflect the nature of God in the believer’s life. They become the evidence of divine nature in the Child of God. They add up for the Glory of God.
Here are the seven qualities and fruit-filled traits of the believer’s life. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge…And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; … And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.
Under the commutative law of addition, numbers in a set can be arranged in any order and they still add up to the same total or achieve the same results. The issue is that you must be sure to add all the numbers in that set. If you leave out any of the numbers or add other numbers to the set, the sum will change. You must be sure to retain the same numbers in the set if you are seeking to arrive at the same total. The other thing about the cumulative law of addition is that you must add. Adding is the process. Please note that Peter is not asking us to multiply, divide, or subtract. The process is simply to add.
Here is what you add. You add virtue or moral courage. Why is moral courage first? It is first because without virtue or inner fortitude, the dedication and commitment to what is right will be lacking. But virtue must have knowledge added. If knowledge is absent, then information will be lacking as to what we are dedicated to and there will be nothing on which to express virtue. We could stop there but remember the commutative law of addition says that all the numbers or spiritual qualities must be added if the results are expected. I have virtue plus knowledge, but the total is not possible because I have not finished adding. Virtue and knowledge must be followed by temperance or self-control. This means discipline for the believer. Temperance is followed by patience (because getting there is not a short trip but a long journey). Patience is followed by godliness or a deep reverence for God and the things of God. Then godliness embraces brotherly kindness. I must comment that I have seen many Church folk claim godliness but were just plain rude. What happened? They stopped adding. Brotherly kindness finally culminates in love. If you keep adding these, you will have proof of your faith in Christ. Keep adding and get the same results. The fruit will be good, and the fruit will be abundant. It all adds up.