Cultivating Character
Today, I would like to share with you what Peter has for us in 2 Peter chapter 1. This chapter begins with Peter praying grace and peace be multiplied to us. That sounds like a great prayer doesn’t it? However, this is not to be given without any effort on our part. Verses 1-3 say:
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Here Peter is praying that we may have grace and peace multiplied, but that we may have it through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord! We all have prayed for peace and grace, however I would venture to say that we don’t really seek these through the knowledge of Him. If we grow in more knowledge of God, that then will bring more trust in
Him, in turn showing us God’s grace and giving us peace. That is what growing your faith is. Jesus tells us that faith can grow like a mustard seed from the tiniest of seeds to a great strong tree in Matthew 13:31-32
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Let us read on in 2 Peter 1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We don’t have the power on our own to live a godly life. What we do have are the precious promises of God. When we get saved God fills us with His Spirit and His goodness because we don’t have that on our own. That is what Peter is saying in verse 4 when he says that we may be partakers of the divine nature. God indwells us with His divine nature.
That is why we need to continually stay close to God and get to know Him more and more each day. Because when we skip one day , one day may turn into two days, then two days into three days, and so on it goes. Then before we realize it, we are right back to where we used to be, relying on our own selves to get through our day to day.
I don’t know about you, but that never works for me! I have no peace in myself. What I have is worry about tomorrow, fear of what may come, busyness, constantly rushing, never seeming to accomplish anything, speculation, speculating what others may think of me, and at times, having myself a prodigious pitty-party!
In verses 5-9, Peter is saying that faith must have action or it will die. James 2:17 says that, “even so Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone”. That is why Peter is giving us these characteristics for us to work on, to develop our faith that it may grow.
God will empower us, but He wants us to put forth some effort ourselves to show Him that we are willing to grow. It is going to take a little work on our part, dedication so to speak. This gets confusing, because we all know that works do not save us.
Jesus already did that work for those of us who have trusted and believed in Him for salvation. However in order for a garden to grow, that does take work and patience. Jesus did do the work for our salvation, that being said, it does not give us cause to now be lazy. Never doing anything for Him, never showing growth, and in turn remaining babes in Christ as 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 speaks of.
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
If you plant a garden, yet you don’t continue to weed it, feed it and water it, what will happen to that garden? It will never grow. Therefore, it will not produce right? We need to put forth some effort for Jesus, that we may grow bigger and stronger each day. Not withering away, rather producing a great harvest!
Our faith should not be only what we believe, but it should be a pivotal part of what we do! Again, doing work for salvation? Absolutely not! Jesus has already provided the work for that! Doing work to show your love and dedication to Christ because He gave you salvation? Yes!
So let us read on and see what this is that Peter is speaking of in 2 Peter 1:5-7 There are some specific characteristics here that do not come naturally to us. Characteristics we do need to put into practice in order for us to show our love and dedication for Christ as well as for others. In doing so, we are growing our faith. Just like growing that garden we discussed earlier.
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 charity. (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Again, these characteristics that Peter is telling us about in verses 5-7 are not things that are just going to come naturally to us. These are all characteristics that we need to put forth work to achieve, that they may become a part of our day to day. God wants to produce His character in us! We shouldn’t just pick and choose a couple of these to work on, but Peter says that we need all of these characteristics, that we may never be barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Let us look at the meaning of each of these characteristics Peter is speaking of. Before we discuss these attributes, let us look at the word diligence that Peter used. The meaning of diligence is the effort to do one’s part while keeping faith and reliance on God. Or being dedicated in other words. This shows us that this is going to take work on our part.
Now continuing on, Peter speaks of characteristics we need to add to our faith. First he speaks virtue, which means moral excellence. We need not be ashamed to be a light for what is right. Showing our virtue is like shining our light into the darkness, saying to others that we will not be conformed or shaken when it comes to Christ!
Next Peter says we need to add knowledge. That is self explanatory, and we read earlier that Peter prays we have more grace and peace through knowledge of Him. We need to grow in that knowledge.
Next he speaks of temperance. The meaning of temperance is self control. That is definitely not something that comes natural to us! Nor does the next characteristic that Peter speaks of, which is patience. That is most assuredly something we need to practice.
Next we see godliness. The meaning of godliness in Hebrew is reverence, respect or piety towards God. Next we have brotherly kindness. This means having love and kindness towards fellow believers in Christ.
Then lastly but not the least is charity. The Greek meaning of charity is agape, which means love, or having an unselfish, great love for mankind. 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us how important charity is for us to have.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Now we will finish up in 2 Peter1:8-11
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Peter says that not only do we need to be diligent to have each of these characteristics within us, but they need to abound in us. I looked up the definition of abound. It says to exist in abundance. So Peter is saying not to only have these in us, but to have them in us abundantly!!
These characteristics should be oozing out of us! If we get saved and stop there, only having fire insurance as some may say, we aren’t fully understanding what God has actually done for us.
In verse 9 Peter says we need to never forget what Jesus has saved us from! Nor are we understanding what God actually wants for us. John tells us this in chapter 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
There is so much more to this life beyond salvation and assurance that we aren’t going to hell. God wants us not to merely have life here on Earth, but to have a more abundant life! A life of trusting in Him to provide for us, protect us and persevere for us! A life knowing that no matter what, we are never left in our own plaintiveness.
Finally Peter ends again with telling us to have diligence that we may never fall and stay down. In other words, put to practice these characteristics. Grow your faith in the knowledge of Jesus. Walking closely with Him in all you do. Allowing others to see your walk with Him through your characteristics that shine through. That we may have a life abundantly, not only here and now, but in the Kingdom to come!
