Character qualities which every Christian should strive for – Part One
He leads me …
In 2 Peter 1:5-7 we see an interesting progression, which in the New King James Version reads like this -
Fruitful Growth in the Faith
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.
What does it all mean? Firstly, a little background.
1. Peter is writing to Christians about their spiritual development to become more like Jesus. He is trying to motivate them to do their best in achieving this list of character qualities.
2. The list contains character qualities of God which should be seen in our lives by those around us.
3. Commentators say that this list of qualities was selected by Peter because false teachers will twist the truth of Scripture to try to lure people to follow them. The character qualities we are looking at are the attributes of God. They are in powerful contrast to the character of the false teachers and their followers.
4. Each quality builds upon the previous qualities.[1]
Characteristics of a Growing Christian
In these verses Peter is listing some things that we should add to what God is doing in us. Basically, God does His part, and we do ours. Of course, we are assisted by the Holy Spirit, but we still must make an honest effort. These qualities of Christian character and maturity are not achieved one at a time, but work on them is done collectively. However, we will stay with the existing list as we look at the virtues that we should add to the basic faith that God has given to us.[2]
1. Faith.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is not only the basis for our belief but also the basis for our behaviour (see Hebrews 11). This faith, which is the same kind that the apostles had, is how we know God through Jesus Christ. Knowing Him brings grace and peace. Only by His power we are granted everything necessary for life and godliness.[3]
Faith gives us the hope and confidence so we can receive, act on, obey, and trust God's promises, because God is sovereign and totally dependable. We can trust God for the future because we can see what He has done in the past, through people’s testimonies, and in His infallible Word.[4]
Faith is our personal reliance upon the Lord and His Word. Faith is our subjective trust in our Saviour and the foundation of our spiritual life. We believe Christ will work in and through us, so we depend on His Spirit and His Word to sanctify us and minister through us as we step out in obedience.[5]
2. Moral Excellence.
Moral excellence is seen in someone who has excellence of character, and is not motivated by a sense of duty. This means that they act with honour and integrity toward God and toward others.[6]
Moral excellence is seen in someone who embraces everything God says about their spouse, their friendships, their home, their job, their money, their possessions, and their time. They learn to live according to everything the Word of God says about all aspects of their life.[7]
3. Knowledge.
This is a doctrinal knowledge - a knowledge revealed and supported in Scripture. It is also an experiential knowledge of God. For example, peoples testimonies of what the Lord has done in their lives can be seen to be similar to examples in the Bible.[8] We also learn what does and does not work in our lives from what we read in the Bible.
It is important to go deeper into God’s Word. The more we learn from the scriptures, the more we will see that we should continually review our understanding of other texts. For example, our fresh understanding of the book of Daniel will encourage us to reconsider Revelation.[9]
We ought to learn spiritual lessons and begin to grow as we read scripture. We can also review some of the lessons God has taught us through the tough times in our life. We can also ask more mature Christians about their experiences in order to learn more.[10]
4. Self-control.
Self-control is to have power or dominion over our feelings. It is personal restraint over our emotions and desires - especially in how they affect our physical desires. God has given us what we need to exercise power and rule over our feelings, and this includes having the help of the Holy Spirit.[11]
The New Testament writers often compared the Christian to an athlete who must discipline himself. Just like athletes are to be self-restrained, Christians are to control their flesh, their passions, and bodily desires, rather than being controlled by them. First century self-controlled athletes would abstain from rich foods, wine, even sexual activity in order to focus all their strength on their training routine.[12]
Folk, we must be our own task master and discipline ourselves if we are to grow in maturity.[13]
We are not saved just to be rescued from hell and enter into God’s blessings. We are called to be the Lord’s ambassadors which includes doing our part as a way of showing appreciation to God for all that He has done, and continues to do for us. Let us remember this as we continue with Peters teaching in the next blog.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] The Pursuit of Christian Character (2 Peter 1:5-7), Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible.org
https://bible.org/seriespage/3-pursuit-christian-character-2-peter-15-7
[2] Our Faithful Growth in Christ!" Dr. Richard J. Krejcir, Into Thy Word Ministries;
http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=36066
[3] The Pursuit of Christian Character (2 Peter 1:5-7), Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible.org
https://bible.org/seriespage/3-pursuit-christian-character-2-peter-15-7
[4] Our Faithful Growth in Christ!" Dr. Richard J. Krejcir, Into Thy Word Ministries;
http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=36066
[5] Growth Is Evidence of Life (2 Peter 1:5-7), Chris Mueller, Faith Bible Church - Murrieta. California;
https://media.faith-bible.net/scripture/2-peter/growth-is-evidence-of-life
[6] 2 Peter 1:5-11, Make Your Calling and Election Sure, Brent Kercheville, Church of Christ - West Palm Beach, Florida;
https://westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com/new-testament/2peter/2peter_1_5-11.html
[7] Growth Is Evidence of Life (2 Peter 1:5-7), Chris Mueller, Faith Bible Church - Murrieta. California;
https://media.faith-bible.net/scripture/2-peter/growth-is-evidence-of-life
[8] The Pursuit of Christian Character (2 Peter 1:5-7), Bob Deffinbaugh, Bible.org;
https://bible.org/seriespage/3-pursuit-christian-character-2-peter-15-7
[9] 2 Peter 1:5-11, Make Your Calling and Election Sure, Brent Kercheville, Church of Christ - West Palm Beach, Florida;
https://westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com/new-testament/2peter/2peter_1_5-11.html
[10] Add to Your Faith Goodness (2 Peter 1:5-11), Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, JesusWalk.com
http://www.jesuswalk.com/2peter/2_adding.htm
[11] 2 Peter 1:5-11, Make Your Calling and Election Sure, Brent Kercheville, Church of Christ - West Palm Beach, Florida;
https://westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com/new-testament/2peter/2peter_1_5-11.html
[12] Growth Is Evidence of Life (2 Peter 1:5-7), Chris Mueller, Faith Bible Church - Murrieta. California;
https://media.faith-bible.net/scripture/2-peter/growth-is-evidence-of-life
[13] Add to Your Faith Goodness (2 Peter 1:5-11), Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, JesusWalk.com
