Preached Sunday, December 1, 2013 from 2 Peter 1:5-11
Theme: Our fruitfulness in Christ depends on our diligence to build on the foundation of faith.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
Last week, we began a new study from the little New Testament book of 2 Peter. And as we discovered, it starts off with a bang!
In just the first few verses of this letter, we found an amazing affirmation given to us as followers of Jesus Christ: that because of our faith in Him, we now have—as a present possession—God’s promised provision of “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). In other words, the apostle Peter assures us that everything we will ever need to live the victorious life God has redeemed us to live, and to do all the things in the service of our Lord Jesus that He calls us to do, is now ours through a dependent relationship with Jesus Himself by faith.
And today, we discover that the theological affirmation that we have “all things that pertain to life and godliness” is one that is meant to be put to use in our everyday lives. As we read on this morning in the verses that follow, we find that we are to now rise up and this great provision to work. Peter goes on to say;
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. 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; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11).
In other words, our fruitfulness in Christ depends—to a large extent—-on our own diligence to build on the foundation of faith. Knowing that God has provided us—through Christ—with everything we will ever need for life and godliness, we are to now do our part, put that provision to work faithfully, and get about the task of growing victoriously in Christ.
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Now; when I think of this passage, I think of something that I have often heard people say. I wonder if you have ever heard someone say the same thing. People who have not experienced a victorious Christian life—and who, in some cases, have given up on the faith altogether—sometimes say, “I have tried trusting Jesus and turning my problems over to Him. I have believed on Him, prayed the prayer, gone to church, read the Bible, done all the ceremonies. But I found that it didn’t work for me.”
I always feel very badly whenever someone says that. And more than that, it even used to make me feel a little intimidated—as if they were demonstrating that there was something inherently wrong with the claims of the Christian faith. Could it be that the promise of victory in Christ really wasn’t a reliable one? Could it really be that, for some folks, faith in Jesus really works—but that, for others, it doesn’t?
But I now feel that I understand the Christian faith a little better; and today, I almost wince when I hear someone say that they ‘tried’ the Christian faith and found that ‘it didn’t work’ for them. I am now convinced that it wasn’t that the faith didn’t work for them. Rather, it’s that they didn’t work in the faith as they were supposed to do.
That may sound a little harsh; but I don’t believe it really is harsh at all. Instead, I believe it’s a very hopeful thing to tell someone who is disappointed with the Christian faith. It corrects a serious misunderstanding that may folks have about biblical faith; and it may set them on the right track. You see; because we are saved by the simple act of believing on the sacrifice of Jesus, and trusting in the work that He did for us, many folks believe that progress in the Christian faith comes in the same way. Such people may believe—rightly!—that we are saved and begin the Christian life by a passive reception of Christ’s work on our behalf. But they then go on to think—wrongly!—that there’s nothing more that we must do; and that we are to expect the victorious Christian life to come upon us passively. And nothing could be further from what the Bible actually teaches!
It’s true that we enter into a saving relationship with Jesus by faith alone; and by that saving relationship, we are given all that we will ever need for life and godliness. But it’s also a fact that we are then commanded to rise up and make faithful use of that provision in an active and personally involved way. Jesus taught us this at the end of His Sermon on The Mount; when He said,
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27; emphasis added).
Just simply “hearing” doesn’t result in victorious living. In true biblical faith, it makes all the difference in the world whether or not we do the right thing with what we have been given! Or think of what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12-13;
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13).
It’s God who ‘works in’ us by faith; which is why we can be victorious in our Christian life. But it is our responsibility to faithfully ‘work out’ what God ‘works in’. Or think of what Pastor James wrote in James 2;
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:14-17).
James was not, in any respect, in disagreement with what the Bible says elsewhere about saving faith. He wasn’t saying that we are saved by our works instead of by faith in Jesus. Rather, he was saying we are saved by a faith that proves itself by the fact that it rises up and gets to work in actual, day-to-day practice. And that’s why I believe some people have said that they “tried” the faith, but that it “didn’t work” for them. The real problem—and I mean this in all love—was that they were expecting the act of having faith to be the only thing they needed to do. They didn’t rise up afterwards and do the specific things God said that they themselves were supposed to in faith—making diligent use of the provision God has made for us through that faith.
And that kind of ‘faith’—the kind that is put to ‘work’ in proper action—is exactly what I believe Peter is talking about in this morning’s passage. It’s wonderful beyond words that Jesus Christ has done the work of saving us and providing for our redemption. We receive that as a gift of God’s grace. And it’s wonderful that, through that same faith, we have been given all that pertains to life and godliness. We receive that as a gift of grace too. But it doesn’t lead us to fruitful, victorious Christian living unless we then rise up and do our part! We must ‘work out’ in action what God ‘works in’ us by faith. We must faithfully ‘build’ on the provision that God has made for us.
You may have come here this morning as someone who has felt in the way I described earlier—that the Christian faith has been ‘tried’ by you; but you didn’t find that it ‘worked’ for you as you had expected. And if that’s the case, I believe Peter’s words in this morning’s passage should be an encouragement to you. In them, the Holy Spirit teaches us that our fruitfulness in Christ depends on—and indeed, can only come as a result of—our diligence to build on the foundation of faith; God Himself graciously helping us all along the way.
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So then; let’s look closer at this morning’s passage and see . . .
1. HOW WE ARE TO BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH (vv. 5-7).
As we do, the first thing we see is the attitudes with which we are to build. And I believe we begin to see this in what Peter says in his opening words: “But also for this very reason . . .” (v. 5). What is that “very reason”? It’s for the very reason that God has—as a present reality—provided us with all things pertaining to life and godliness. It’s for the reason that we now have all that we will ever need in the Person of Jesus Christ to live a victorious Christian life.
If I may put it this way, we are to believe—with all our hearts—in the unfailing promise of God Himself; that, through our relationship with Jesus Christ, we are now made sufficient for all that God wants us to be, and now have a complete provision. In Him, we can be confident that we have all we will need in every situation and circumstance of life; and that nothing remains except for us to rise up and build upon what we already have in our all-sufficient Savior.
And what’s more, Peter says that—in the strength of that conviction—we are to rise up, “giving all diligence” (v. 5). We are to recognize that we have a part to play—in the confidence of our Father’s unfailing provision through Christ—and get immediately to the task with eagerness and earnestness. In fact, if you look at verse 10, you’ll see that Peter wrote, “Therefore, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure . . .” It’s not that we make our calling and election sure to God. He’s already sure. Rather, it’s that we make those things sure to ourselves—and even prove it to others—through our own diligence in growth.
And then, notice that—with these attitudes in mind—Peter writes, “add to your faith” certain things; or, as it can be translated, “supply to your faith” certain things.(v. 5). Notice that we’re not commanded to supply “faith” to ourselves. Rather, in verse 1, we’re told that our faith is “obtained” or “received”. The faith is ours as a gift of God’s grace. And having obtained or received that faith as a gift of God’s grace, we are responsible to “add to” it, or “supply” certain things to it.
So; those are the attitudes we are to have. We’re to be like King Solomon when he was called upon to build the temple. Do you remember that story? He didn’t have to supply the materials for the building. His father, King David, had already done all that. Everything that was necessary had already been provided for Solomon; and all that he needed to do was to rise up to the work and make full use of the provision he had been given. And in a similar way, we’re to remember God’s gracious provision of all that we need; and then rise up to the work with diligence, and to add faithfully to the provision that has already been made.
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And now, notice the materials we are to use. They’re described for us in verses 5-7. Peter writes, “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.”
When I read this list—these seven qualities—I can’t help but think of what Paul the apostle once wrote to the Corinthian believers;
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:9-15).
The foundation is faith in Christ Himself; and because of this glorious foundation, it’s important that we not use cheap and inferior building materials. We shouldn’t use things like ‘religious ritualism’ or ‘phony spirituality’ to build on this foundation. Nor should we use the world’s ‘philosophies’, or human principles of ‘success’ and ‘self-improvement’. In order to build as God would have us build on the foundation of faith in Christ, we must use the materials God Himself—the ‘Great Architect’—says that we must use. That’s the only way we can we experience the fruitful and victorious Christian life God wants us to have in Christ.
So; what materials does Peter tell us to use? First, Peter says, “add to your faith virtue”. “Virtue” here refers to basic goodness—living in a good and sincere and righteous way in the sight of God and in the sight of men. Many people claim to have faith in Jesus; but they still cling to the same old sinful habits and patters of life they held to before they came to Christ. They still talk and act and participate in activities like the people of this world do. We’re to add genuine goodness to our faith—genuine virtue. We’re to work diligently at living righteously.
Then, Peter says that we are to add “to virtue knowledge”. Pursuing sincere virtue is important to do; but we must make sure that what we pursue truly is ‘virtue’ as God defines it. How do we know how to live as God wants us to live? We do so by gaining knowledge. And we gain that kind of knowledge only through a regular habit of studying God’s word. We’re to do this diligently—to truly study and know God’s word well. We’re to grow in our understanding of the truths of the faith, and to translate those truths accurately into action.
And to knowledge, we’re to add “self-control”—or as some translations have it, “temperance”. We’re to learn to rule over our emotions and our passions. We’re not to fly off the handle at every offense. We’re not to demand our own rights whenever we feel short-changed. We’re not to give-in to the impulse to throw our own fuel into the fire of every heated conversation we encounter. We’re to learn to think before we speak and before we act; and to develop a Christ-like meekness that brings calm into the situations of life we face.
Peter then says that, to self-control, we’re to add “perseverance”—or, in some translations, “patience”. Self-control focuses on how I respond to what is going on in myself, and perseverance focuses on how I respond to what is going on outside myself. It’s a matter of being content with God’s sovereign control over the events of life; and communicating an attitude of peace in His constant care. It’s a confidence that God will—indeed—cause all things to work out for good to those who love and trust Him.
To perseverance, we’re told to add “godliness”. This speaks of an attitude of reverence and respectful awe in the constant presence of God. It’s an attitude in which I learn to turn to God for every need, habitually pray about everything, and give Him thanks in every circumstance and situation. It’s an attitude in which I put into practice the presence of God in the simple affairs of everyday living; and continually conduct myself in the joyful confidence that our holy Lord and Master is always present and is always watching over me.
Peter says that, to godliness, we are to add “brotherly kindness” or “brotherly affection”. I believe that this means we grow in our genuine love and affection for one another in Christ. In Romans 12:10, Paul wrote, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another . . .” To show “brotherly kindness” means that we are drawn to fellowship with one another regularly, and that we support one another in our mutual faith, and that we are ready to serve one another as members of the same eternal household.
And finally, Peter says that to brotherly affection, we are to add love. This doesn’t speak of a mere emotion. This is an active kind of love that seeks the good of others in a sacrificial way. It’s the kind of love that Jesus showed to us when He died on the cross for us. And I don’t believe it is meant to be restricted only to our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s meant to be extended to all the people that God puts around us—even toward those who do us wrong; even to our enemies.
Now; I don’t believe Peter means for us to think that we are to add these things to our faith one quality ‘perfected’ at at time. He doesn’t mean for us to start working on adding “virtue” to our faith, for example; and to keep working on virtue until we have it down perfectly; and only then move on to adding “knowledge”—after we have mastered “virtue”. If we went about it that way, we’d never get the task done! Rather, I believe he means for us to see this as a life-long process. In fact, in the original language, he uses a word that means “in” or “in connection with” something. So we can translate it, “in connection with your faith, add virtue”, or “in connection with virtue, add knowledge”. It assumes the first quality is there and is in progress as we’re adding the second to it. It assumes a life-long process of continual growth.
And you may ask when it is that we’re suppose to go about the work of adding these things to our lives. I believe that—with God’s ongoing help—it’s to be done in every circumstance that God brings our way; right in the midst of the activities of everyday living. As each new circumstance demands, we’re to be diligent to make use of the full provision that God has made for us in Christ, and add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love to the basic foundation of our faith in Christ.
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Dear brothers and sisters; this is our responsibility! This is the work that God has given us to do in ensuring the fruitfulness and victory of our life in Christ. We mustn’t ever think that, if we have placed our faith in Jesus, that our part of the work is over. Our work is enabled by God’s perfect provision through Christ; but it has really only begun—and we must do our part with diligence and faithfulness!
And that leads finally to consider . . .
2. WHY WE MUST DO THIS FAITHFULLY (vv. 8-11).
Peter gives us four reasons. First, he tells us that our faithfulness and diligence to build on the foundation of faith guarantees our fruitfulness in our relationship with Jesus. Look at what Peter says in verses 8; “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s quite a bold statement; isn’t it?
To be “barren” in our knowledge of Christ means that there’s no outward evidence of it. It would mean that people couldn’t see a real transformation of life in us. And to be “unfruitful” would mean that we don’t share Him with others and lead them to a knowledge of Him. It would mean that we don’t ‘reproduce’. God wants us to show the evidence of Christ in our lives, and to be His instruments of leading others to Him. And if these seven qualities are truly ours—and truly abound in us—Peter says we will be neither barren nor unfruitful in our knowledge of Christ. What a great motivation that is!
Second, Peter tells us that building these things on the foundation of our faith is appropriate to do because of our cleansing from sin. We have been washed clean of our sins freely by God through the grace that is in Christ. But though He receives us as we are, He doesn’t mean for us to remain as we are. And so, Peter says, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (v. 9). When I think of this, I think of what Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-4;
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-4).
To not put forth the effort to diligently build on the foundation of faith—to not work at growing increasingly in the image of Christ—is to completely forget that we have been washed clean of our past sins. Our full cleansing in Christ is a great motive to rise up and grow.
Third, Peter tells us that diligently building on the foundation of faith secures us from ever stumbling in our Christian walk. He makes an amazing statement in verse 10; “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” In the original language of this letter, he puts it in the most emphatic way possible—saying that we are to do these things faithfully so that we may, by no means, at any time, stumble.
Dear brothers and sisters; I am getting old enough now to know people who used to be very devoted professing Christians—very vocal in their commitment to Christ—who after a decade or two have wandered from Him. Some of them have now stumbled so badly in their faith that they are bitter toward spiritual things altogether. I love them; and I pray for them. But I do not ever want to be one of them! And this verse is telling me that, if I do the things Peter urges us to do in this morning’s passage, I will never stumble. I’ll reach the end of my life faithful to the Lord, and fruitful in my walk! What a great promise! What a great motivation!
And finally, Peter tells us that being faithful to build these things on the foundation of faith supplies us with a rich heavenly reward. He closes with these words; “for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (v. 11). I think here of the confidence of the apostle Paul—just before he left this earth:
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 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 4:6-8).
I want to enter heaven with that confidence too; don’t you? I want to hear the Lord Jesus say, on the day I finally meet Him, “Well done!” And the apostle Peter is telling us that, if we work diligently now to build on the foundation of faith as we should, we will hear Him say that to us on that great day!
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So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; let’s not be among those who—erroneously—say that they ‘tried’ the Christian faith but it didn’t ‘work’ for them. It only works for us if we do the work God tells us to do!
Let’s trust fully in the provision God has made for us through Christ; and be diligent to build on the foundation of our faith as we should. That’s the way to fruitful, victorious Christian living!