AND MORE FRUIT
Ro 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law should be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to flesh but according to Spirit.
5 For they that are according to flesh mind the things of the flesh; and they that are according to Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit life and peace.
7 Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; for neither indeed can it be:
8 and they that are in flesh cannot please God.
9 But *ye* are not in flesh but in Spirit, if indeed God's Spirit dwell in you; but if any one has not the Spirit of Christ *he* is not of him:
10 but if Christ be in you, the body is dead on account of sin, but the Spirit life on account of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that has raised up Jesus from among the dead dwell in you, he that has raised up Christ from among the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies also on account of his Spirit which dwells in you.
12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to flesh;
13 for if ye live according to flesh, ye are about to die; but if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live:
14 for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, *these* are sons of God.
(DBY)
In a blog called Final Flesh, it behooves me to point out again that our flesh is refreshed by the Spirit, but not completely healed by it. The sin nature is forgiven and the body and mind can choose the Godly way, but the Adam flesh keeps calling us back. We easily get wrapped up in the idea of warfare and tussling with Satan and we so often lose that battle we forget we can win.
But a quote from Ray Pritchard can help us see the way the inner battle goes and its true author:
"Does God have a blueprint that includes everything in your life from the moment of birth to the moment of your death?...the answer to that question is, yes, But the only part of it you see arrives each morning in the form of twenty-four brand-new hours, freshly delivered by United Angel Service Overnight Express. Please don't miss this point: God wants to teach us to trust Him step by step. He reveals His will one step at a time so that we will trust Him moment by moment."
Let me replay a song I've used here before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2KOCgC8DnU
Charles Swindoll from FLYING CLOSER TO THE FLAME:
"Deep within the recesses of our minds, there is this invisible. albeit hostile, battleground. On one side are my fleshly desires; on the other, the blessed Spirit of God. One is dark; the other light. One is evil; the other righteous. One is full of lethal drives and desires; the other is nothing but wholesome and healthy.
"Because that conflict is carried out in the invisible realm, we seldom think of it in such objective terms, but the contrast could not be more antithetical. If it were not for the restraining presence of the Spirit, you and I would be the personification of wickedness. No sin would be too extreme. No act of disobedience too rebellious. The darkness of our souls would be blacker than a thousand caverns at midnight. Unrestrained, the flesh knows no bounds within the dark sphere of iniquity."
Now think back to our discussion of the Noah world, of the Flood. Imagine the world of Cain, a thriving urban metropolis, using up every available resource in the area to fulfill every lust and desire, Cain's family on the throne, driving in their chauffeured chariots, plucking any young person of any age for any sexual pursuit, killing anyone who didn't agree with them. Worshiping no god but their own desires, telling themselves that all they had was today, live in it. take whatever you want. there is no god, no law. Evil unrelenting. Then recall these passages of the end times.
Mt 24:36 But of that day and hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father only.
37 And as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
38 Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark,
39 And they had no care till the waters came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of man.
(BBE)
2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now it is clear to you what is keeping back his revelation till the time comes for him to be seen.
7 For the secret of evil is even now at work: but there is one who is keeping back the evil till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then will come the revelation of that evil one, whom the Lord Jesus will put to death with the breath of his mouth, and give to destruction by the revelation of his coming;
(BBE)
Paul and, here Peter, always contrast the way of the flesh with the way of the Spirit, wanting the believer aware because they saw a nearing time when the Spirit would be withdrawn, when the vile acts of men would pale in comparison, when the Holocaust would seem like a tiny event with only a few thousand slaughtered, World War II just a pale shadow of the nuclear death and the openings for poisons and diseases. They saw it with such terror that they knew Christ's followers had to be aware of it, had to keep the flesh at bay by strengthening the Spirit's depths in their life.
So as we study the fruit from Pete's point of view and you see that contrast yet again, don't be surprised and also focus, see if you are producing that fruit and open your heart to the Spirit. look for those signs in leadership and follow such men and women. Realize that any liar in charge anywhere is following the "father of lies". The end times are all around us, which will be even clearer with the signs we'll study soon.
1Peter 1:21 Who through him have faith in God who took him up again from the dead into glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 And as you have made your souls clean, being ruled by what is true, and loving one another without deceit, see that your love is warm and from the heart:
23 Because you have had a new birth, not from the seed of man, but from eternal seed, through the word of a living and unchanging God.
24 For it is said, All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass becomes dry and the flower dead:
25 But the word of the Lord is eternal. And this is the word of the good news which was given to you.
(BBE)
As we begin again, one reason I present this separately; we often hear from critics that the Apostles, especially Peter and Paul, had disagreements, Which they sometimes did. But I want you to see the basic message of Christ is consistent from one to the other. (I pursued this in James: the Brother of Jesus also.) Disagreements then seem to have been about the stress placed on the daily working of the Church and on spreading the word to the Gentiles,
And, of course, the rules which should apply to the Gentiles:
Acts 21:24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the Law.
25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written them our decision that they must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
{In this case, James and the council were doing the adding. Not intended as the Judasizers to make salvation less, but to help the newly delivered walk away from idols, from the unhealthy practice of drinking blood (Bruce Lee, who passed away very young, had adapted the pagan practice of drinking raw bull's blood for strength and manliness.) and eating dangerously prepared food; blood not drained from strangled food carries a lot of disease, another reason God ordered them to eat food thoroughly cooked. Modern medicine finally has caught up with those rules. The refraining from sexual immorality is an obvious statement kept by Christian's today and certainly STD's make that another health practice, one Paul also agreed with in his letters and made mention of last time in the sins of the flesh.}
2 Peter 1:3 Because by his power he has given us everything necessary for life and righteousness, through the knowledge of him who has been our guide by his glory and virtue;
(Knowing Jesus provides us with everything necessary for life and living in righteousness. Underlined everything. We find ourselves at a loss sometimes when we hear this, wondering if we really have everything. Recall the life mentioned here is the eternal one, the righteousness is not our own but Jesus'. No matter our circumstance, and it may get very ugly for all of us in this world, the Christian has the hope of tomorrow.)
4 And through this he has given us the hope of great rewards highly to be valued; so that by them we might have our part in God's being, and be made free from the destruction which is in the world through the desires of the flesh.
5 So, for this very cause, take every care; joining virtue to faith, and knowledge to virtue,
6 And self-control to knowledge, and a quiet mind to self-control, and fear of God to a quiet mind,
7 And love of the brothers to fear of God, and to love of the brothers, love itself.
Pete give us our step by step pruning instructions, This gives us a detailed way to prune adding that dimension to Paul's list of the fruits produced. and when we want details, Matt Henry:
Verse 5-8.
In these words the apostle comes to the chief thing intended in this epistle--to excite and engage them to advance in grace and holiness, they having already obtained precious faith, and been made partakers of the divine nature. This is a very good beginning, but it is not to be rested in, as if we were already perfect. The apostle had prayed that grace and peace might be multiplied to them, and now he exhorts them to press forward for the obtaining of more grace. We should, as we have opportunity, exhort those we pray for, and excite them to the use of all proper means to obtain what we desire God to bestow upon them; and those who will make any progress in religion must be very diligent and industrious in their endeavours. Without giving all diligence, there is no gaining any ground in the work of holiness; those who are slothful in the business of religion will make nothing of it; we must strive if we will enter in at the strait gate, Luke 13:24.
I. Here we cannot but observe how the believer's way is marked out step by step.
1. He must get virtue, by which some understand justice; and then the knowledge, temperance, and patience that follow, being joined with it, the apostle may be supposed to put them upon pressing after the four cardinal virtues, or the four elements that go to the making up of every virtue or virtuous action. But seeing it is a faithful saying, and constantly to be asserted, that those who have faith be careful to maintain good works Tit 3:8, by virtue here we may understand strength and courage, without which the believer cannot stand up for good works, by abounding and excelling in them. The righteous must be bold as a lion (Pr 28:1); a cowardly Christian, who is afraid to profess the doctrines or practise the duties of the gospel, must expect that Christ will be ashamed of him another day.
"Let not your hearts fail you in the evil day, but show yourselves valiant in standing against all opposition, and resisting every enemy, world, flesh, devil, yea, and death too."
We have need of virtue while we live, and it will be of excellent use when we come to die.
2. The believer must add knowledge to his virtue, prudence to his courage; there is a knowledge of God's name which must go before our faith (Ps 9:10), and we cannot approve of the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, till we know it; but there are proper circumstances for duty, which must be known and observed; we must use the appointed means, and observe the accepted time. Christian prudence regards the persons we have to do with and the place and company we are in. Every believer must labour after the knowledge and wisdom that are profitable to direct, both as to the proper method and order wherein all Christian duties are to be performed and as to the way and manner of performing them.
3. We must add temperance to our knowledge. We must be sober and moderate in our love to, and use of, the good things of this life; and, if we have a right understanding and knowledge of outward comforts, we shall see that their worth and usefulness are vastly inferior to those of spiritual mercies. Bodily exercises and bodily privileges profit but little, and therefore are to be esteemed and used accordingly; the gospel teaches sobriety as well as honesty, Tit 2:12. We must be moderate in desiring and using the good things of natural life, such as meat, drink, clothes, sleep, recreations, and credit; an inordinate desire after these is inconsistent with an earnest desire after God and Christ; and those who take more of these than is due can render to neither God nor man what is due to them.
4. Add to temperance patience, which must have its perfect work, or we cannot be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (Jas 1:4), for we are born to trouble, and must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven; and it is this tribulation (Ro 5:3) which worketh patience, that is, requires the exercise and occasions the increase of this grace, whereby we bear all calamities and crosses with silence and submission, without murmuring against God or complaining of him, but justifying him who lays all affliction upon us, owning that our sufferings are less than our sins deserve, and believing they are no more than we ourselves need.
5. To patience we must add godliness, and this is the very thing which is produced by patience, for that works experience, Ro 5:4.
(Paul's step by step comes into play in Henry's mind. W)
Romans 5:1 For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
2 Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting;
4 And waiting gives experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
(BBE)
When Christians bear afflictions patiently, they get an experimental knowledge of the loving-kindness of their heavenly Father, which he will not take from his children, even when he visits their iniquity with the rod and their transgression with stripes (Ps 89:32-33), and hereby they are brought to the child-like fear and reverential love wherein true godliness consists: to this,
6. We must add brotherly-kindness, a tender affection to all our fellow-Christians, who are children of the same Father, servants of the same Master, members of the same family, travellers to the same country, and heirs of the same inheritance, and therefore are to be loved with a pure heart fervently, with a love of complacency, as those who are peculiarly near and dear to us, in whom we take particular delight, Ps 16:3.
7. Charity, or a love of good-will to all mankind, must be added to the love of delight which we have for those who are the children of God. God has made of one blood all nations, and all the children of men are partakers of the same human nature, are all capable of the same mercies, and liable to the same afflictions, and therefore, though upon a spiritual account Christians are distinguished and dignified above those who are without Christ, yet are they to sympathize with others in their calamities, and relieve their necessities, and promote their welfare both in body and soul, as they have opportunity: thus must all believers in Christ evidence that they are the children of God, who is good to all, but is especially good to Israel.
{And Matt focuses on the Mission, to reach others no matter who or where, with our hearts for them, not against them in their nations. Everything leads to making us better to serve Him. W.}
II. All the aforementioned graces must be had, or we shall not be thoroughly furnished for all good works--for the duties of the first and second table, for active and passive obedience, and for those services wherein we are to imitate God as well as for those wherein we only obey him--and therefore to engage us to an industrious and unwearied pursuit of them, the apostle sets forth the advantages that redound to all who successfully labour so as to get these things to be and abound in them, 2Pe 1:8-11.
(Note: this is a bit unlike Paul who emphasizes the fact and act of love above all else, seeing it as John as the overpowering virtue of God. Peter seems to see it as more the generation of a chain of obedience, that we strengthen it more and more from the origin in belief to a more natural production by more and more obedience. Love overpowering the flesh at first , that first love, but in need of nurture, the feeding of acts of obedience to that love to keep it growing. Otherwise, the cares of the world, the caring for the fleshly rewards of the world, will stifle it. W.)
These are proposed,
1. More generally, 2Pe 1:8. The having these things make not barren (or slothful) nor unfruitful, where, according to the style of the Holy Ghost, we must understand a great deal more than is expressed; for when it is said concerning Ahaz, the vilest and most provoking of all the kings of Judah, that he did not right in the sight of the Lord (2Ki 16:2), we are to understand as much as if it had been said, He did what was most offensive and abominable, as the following account of his life shows; so, when it is here said that the being and abounding of all Christian graces in us will make us neither inactive nor unfruitful, we are thereby to understand that it will make us very zealous and lively, vigorous and active, in all practical Christianity, and eminently fruitful in the works of righteousness. These will bring much glory to God, by bringing forth much fruit among men, being fruitful in knowledge, or the acknowledging of our Lord Jesus Christ, owning him to be their Lord, and evidencing themselves to be his servants by their abounding in the work that he has given them to do. This is the necessary consequence of adding one grace to another; for, where all Christian graces are in the heart, they improve and strengthen, encourage and cherish, one another; so they all thrive and grow (as the apostle intimates in the beginning of 2Pe 1:8), and wherever grace abounds there will be an abounding in good works. How desirable it is to be in such a case the apostle evidences, 2Pe 1:9. There he sets forth how miserable it is to be without those quickening fructifying graces; for he who has not the aforementioned graces, or, though he pretends or seems to have them, does not exercise and improve them, is blind, that is, as to spiritual and heavenly things, as the next words explain it: He cannot see far off. This present evil world he can see, and dotes upon, but has no discerning at all of the world to come, so as to be affected with the spiritual privileges and heavenly blessings thereof. He who sees the excellences of Christianity must needs be diligent in endeavours after all those graces that are absolutely necessary for obtaining glory, honour, and immortality; but, where these graces are not obtained nor endeavoured after, men are not able to look forward to the things that are but a very little way off in reality, though in appearance, or in their apprehension, they are at a great distance, because they put them far away from them; and how wretched is their condition who are thus blind as to the awfully great things of the other world, who cannot see any thing of the reality and certainty, the greatness and nearness, of the glorious rewards God will bestow on the righteous, and the dreadful punishment he will inflict on the ungodly! But this is not all the misery of those who do not add to their faith virtue, knowledge, &c. They are as unable to look backward as forward, their memories are slippery and unable to retain what is past, as their sight is short and unable to discern what is future; they forget that they have been baptized, and had the means, and been laid under the obligations to holiness of heart and life. By baptism we are engaged in a holy war against sin, and are solemnly bound to fight against the flesh, the world, and the devil. Often call to mind, and seriously meditate on, your solemn engagement to be the Lord's, and your peculiar advantages and encouragements to lay aside all filthiness of flesh and spirit.
2. The apostle proposes two particular advantages that will attend or follow upon diligence in the work of a Christian: stability in grace, and a triumphant entrance into glory. These he brings in by resuming his former exhortation, and laying it down in other words; for what in 2Pe 1:5 is expressed by giving diligence to add to faith virtue, &c., is expressed in 2Pe 1:10 by giving diligence to make our calling and election sure. Here we may observe,
(1.) It is the duty of believers to make their election sure, to clear it up to themselves that they are the chosen of God.
{Matt focuses on our work and we get the hero thing in again. We want to be the hero. Our heroism is yielding to the Spirit and letting HIM produce this good work in us. Philippians 1:6:
Php 1:6 For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ:
(BBE)}
(2.) The way to make sure their eternal election is to make out their effectual calling: none can look into the book of God's eternal counsels and decrees; but, inasmuch as whom God did predestinate those he also called, if we can find we are effectually called, we may conclude we are chosen to salvation.
(3.) It requires a great deal of diligence and labour to make sure our calling and election; there must be a very close examination of ourselves, a very narrow search and strict enquiry, whether we are thoroughly converted, our minds enlightened, our wills renewed, and our whole souls changed as to the bent and inclination thereof; and to come to a fixed certainty in this requires the utmost diligence, and cannot be attained and kept without divine assistance, as we may learn from Ps 139:23; Ro 8:16.
"But, how great soever the labour is, do not think much of it, for great is the advantage you gain by it; for,"
{Again we struggle against our flesh in yielding as Peter and Paul both point out. The victory has always been the first letting go and then following yielding. Our production of the fruit of the Spirit seen here and in Galatians as a result of our using the gift or gifts the Spirit has given us, testifies to us that we are following Him. Both Pete and Paul tell us the wrong way and the right. W.}
[1.]
"By this you will be kept from falling, and that at all times and seasons, even in those hours of temptation that shall be on the earth."
When others shall fall into heinous and scandalous sin, those who are thus diligent shall be enabled to walk circumspectly and keep on in the way of their duty; and, when many fall into errors, they shall be preserved sound in the faith, and stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
[2.] Those who are diligent in the work of religion shall have a triumphant entrance into glory; while of those few who get to heaven some are scarcely saved (1Pe 4:18), with a great deal of difficulty, even as by fire (1Co 3:15), those who are growing in grace, and abounding in the work of the Lord, shall have an abundant entrance into the joy of their Lord, even that everlasting kingdom where Christ reigns, and they shall reign with him for ever and ever.
{They will have a crown of glory to lay before him in thanks, but please be careful of your heart that you don't end up in boasting even of any gift he's given or the result. Our hero thing can poke in even as we become the leader we wished to be, the Christian we were meant to be. Satan tempted Christ so he will surely tempt one who follows him closer more and more. W}
8 For if you have these things in good measure, they will make you fertile and full of fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For the man who has not these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having no memory of how he was made clean from his old sins.
10 For this reason, my brothers, take all the more care to make your selection and approval certain; for if you do these things you will never have a fall:
11 For so the way will be open to you into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12 For this reason I will be ready at all times to keep your memory of these things awake, though you have the knowledge of them now and are well based in your present faith.
13 And it seems right to me, as long as I am in this tent of flesh, to keep your minds awake by working on your memory;
14 For I am conscious that in a short time I will have to put off this tent of flesh, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15 And I will take every care so that you may have a clear memory of these things after my death.
I find myself touched by this passage. As a father, I hope to leave my children well prepared on my passing and Peter had this same hope for his Spiritual children.
16 For when we gave you news of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our teaching was not based on stories put together by art, but we were eye-witnesses of his glory.
17 For God the Father gave him honour and glory, when such a voice came to him out of the great glory, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice came from heaven even to our ears, when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 And so the words of the prophets are made more certain; and it is well for you to give attention to them as to a light shining in a dark place, till the dawn comes and the morning star is seen in your hearts;
20 Being conscious in the first place that no man by himself may give a special sense to the words of the prophets.
21 For these words did not ever come through the impulse of men: but the prophets had them from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.
(BBE)
Col 1:12 Giving praise to the Father who has given us a part in the heritage of the saints in light;
13 Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love;
14 In whom we have our salvation, the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the unseen God coming into existence before all living things;
16 For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were made by him and for him;
17 He is before all things, and in him all things have being.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: the starting point of all things, the first to come again from the dead; so that in all things he might have the chief place.
19 For God in full measure was pleased to be in him;
(BBE)
Col 2:1 For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ,
3 In whom are all the secret stores of wisdom and knowledge.
(BBE)
Col 3:1 If then you have a new life with Christ, give your attention to the things of heaven, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2 Keep your mind on the higher things, not on the things of earth.
3 For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God.
4 At the coming of Christ who is our life, you will be seen with him in glory.
5 Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;
6 Because of which the wrath of God comes on those who go against his orders;
7 Among whom you were living in the past, when you did such things.
8 But now it is right for you to put away all these things; wrath, passion, bad feeling, curses, unclean talk;
9 Do not make false statements to one another; because you have put away the old man with all his doings,
10 And have put on the new man, which has become new in knowledge after the image of his maker;
11 Where there is no Greek or Jew, no one with circumcision or without circumcision, no division between nations, no servant or free man: but Christ is all and in all.
(BBE)
Philippians 4:8 For the rest, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things have honour, whatever things are upright, whatever things are holy, whatever things are beautiful, whatever things are of value, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, give thought to these things.
9 The things which came to you by my teaching and preaching, and which you saw in me, these things do, and the God of peace will be with you.
(BBE)
Ro 8:4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law should be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to flesh but according to Spirit.
5 For they that are according to flesh mind the things of the flesh; and they that are according to Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit life and peace.
7 Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; for neither indeed can it be:
8 and they that are in flesh cannot please God.
9 But *ye* are not in flesh but in Spirit, if indeed God's Spirit dwell in you; but if any one has not the Spirit of Christ *he* is not of him:
10 but if Christ be in you, the body is dead on account of sin, but the Spirit life on account of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that has raised up Jesus from among the dead dwell in you, he that has raised up Christ from among the dead shall quicken your mortal bodies also on account of his Spirit which dwells in you.
12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to flesh;
13 for if ye live according to flesh, ye are about to die; but if, by the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live:
14 for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, *these* are sons of God.
(DBY)
In a blog called Final Flesh, it behooves me to point out again that our flesh is refreshed by the Spirit, but not completely healed by it. The sin nature is forgiven and the body and mind can choose the Godly way, but the Adam flesh keeps calling us back. We easily get wrapped up in the idea of warfare and tussling with Satan and we so often lose that battle we forget we can win.
But a quote from Ray Pritchard can help us see the way the inner battle goes and its true author:
"Does God have a blueprint that includes everything in your life from the moment of birth to the moment of your death?...the answer to that question is, yes, But the only part of it you see arrives each morning in the form of twenty-four brand-new hours, freshly delivered by United Angel Service Overnight Express. Please don't miss this point: God wants to teach us to trust Him step by step. He reveals His will one step at a time so that we will trust Him moment by moment."
Let me replay a song I've used here before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2KOCgC8DnU
Charles Swindoll from FLYING CLOSER TO THE FLAME:
"Deep within the recesses of our minds, there is this invisible. albeit hostile, battleground. On one side are my fleshly desires; on the other, the blessed Spirit of God. One is dark; the other light. One is evil; the other righteous. One is full of lethal drives and desires; the other is nothing but wholesome and healthy.
"Because that conflict is carried out in the invisible realm, we seldom think of it in such objective terms, but the contrast could not be more antithetical. If it were not for the restraining presence of the Spirit, you and I would be the personification of wickedness. No sin would be too extreme. No act of disobedience too rebellious. The darkness of our souls would be blacker than a thousand caverns at midnight. Unrestrained, the flesh knows no bounds within the dark sphere of iniquity."
Now think back to our discussion of the Noah world, of the Flood. Imagine the world of Cain, a thriving urban metropolis, using up every available resource in the area to fulfill every lust and desire, Cain's family on the throne, driving in their chauffeured chariots, plucking any young person of any age for any sexual pursuit, killing anyone who didn't agree with them. Worshiping no god but their own desires, telling themselves that all they had was today, live in it. take whatever you want. there is no god, no law. Evil unrelenting. Then recall these passages of the end times.
Mt 24:36 But of that day and hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father only.
37 And as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
38 Because as in those days before the overflowing of the waters, they were feasting and taking wives and getting married, till the day when Noah went into the ark,
39 And they had no care till the waters came and took them all away; so will be the coming of the Son of man.
(BBE)
2 Thessalonians 2:6 And now it is clear to you what is keeping back his revelation till the time comes for him to be seen.
7 For the secret of evil is even now at work: but there is one who is keeping back the evil till he is taken out of the way.
8 And then will come the revelation of that evil one, whom the Lord Jesus will put to death with the breath of his mouth, and give to destruction by the revelation of his coming;
(BBE)
Paul and, here Peter, always contrast the way of the flesh with the way of the Spirit, wanting the believer aware because they saw a nearing time when the Spirit would be withdrawn, when the vile acts of men would pale in comparison, when the Holocaust would seem like a tiny event with only a few thousand slaughtered, World War II just a pale shadow of the nuclear death and the openings for poisons and diseases. They saw it with such terror that they knew Christ's followers had to be aware of it, had to keep the flesh at bay by strengthening the Spirit's depths in their life.
So as we study the fruit from Pete's point of view and you see that contrast yet again, don't be surprised and also focus, see if you are producing that fruit and open your heart to the Spirit. look for those signs in leadership and follow such men and women. Realize that any liar in charge anywhere is following the "father of lies". The end times are all around us, which will be even clearer with the signs we'll study soon.
1Peter 1:21 Who through him have faith in God who took him up again from the dead into glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 And as you have made your souls clean, being ruled by what is true, and loving one another without deceit, see that your love is warm and from the heart:
23 Because you have had a new birth, not from the seed of man, but from eternal seed, through the word of a living and unchanging God.
24 For it is said, All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass becomes dry and the flower dead:
25 But the word of the Lord is eternal. And this is the word of the good news which was given to you.
(BBE)
As we begin again, one reason I present this separately; we often hear from critics that the Apostles, especially Peter and Paul, had disagreements, Which they sometimes did. But I want you to see the basic message of Christ is consistent from one to the other. (I pursued this in James: the Brother of Jesus also.) Disagreements then seem to have been about the stress placed on the daily working of the Church and on spreading the word to the Gentiles,
And, of course, the rules which should apply to the Gentiles:
Acts 21:24 Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the Law.
25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written them our decision that they must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
{In this case, James and the council were doing the adding. Not intended as the Judasizers to make salvation less, but to help the newly delivered walk away from idols, from the unhealthy practice of drinking blood (Bruce Lee, who passed away very young, had adapted the pagan practice of drinking raw bull's blood for strength and manliness.) and eating dangerously prepared food; blood not drained from strangled food carries a lot of disease, another reason God ordered them to eat food thoroughly cooked. Modern medicine finally has caught up with those rules. The refraining from sexual immorality is an obvious statement kept by Christian's today and certainly STD's make that another health practice, one Paul also agreed with in his letters and made mention of last time in the sins of the flesh.}
2 Peter 1:3 Because by his power he has given us everything necessary for life and righteousness, through the knowledge of him who has been our guide by his glory and virtue;
(Knowing Jesus provides us with everything necessary for life and living in righteousness. Underlined everything. We find ourselves at a loss sometimes when we hear this, wondering if we really have everything. Recall the life mentioned here is the eternal one, the righteousness is not our own but Jesus'. No matter our circumstance, and it may get very ugly for all of us in this world, the Christian has the hope of tomorrow.)
4 And through this he has given us the hope of great rewards highly to be valued; so that by them we might have our part in God's being, and be made free from the destruction which is in the world through the desires of the flesh.
5 So, for this very cause, take every care; joining virtue to faith, and knowledge to virtue,
6 And self-control to knowledge, and a quiet mind to self-control, and fear of God to a quiet mind,
7 And love of the brothers to fear of God, and to love of the brothers, love itself.
Pete give us our step by step pruning instructions, This gives us a detailed way to prune adding that dimension to Paul's list of the fruits produced. and when we want details, Matt Henry:
Verse 5-8.
In these words the apostle comes to the chief thing intended in this epistle--to excite and engage them to advance in grace and holiness, they having already obtained precious faith, and been made partakers of the divine nature. This is a very good beginning, but it is not to be rested in, as if we were already perfect. The apostle had prayed that grace and peace might be multiplied to them, and now he exhorts them to press forward for the obtaining of more grace. We should, as we have opportunity, exhort those we pray for, and excite them to the use of all proper means to obtain what we desire God to bestow upon them; and those who will make any progress in religion must be very diligent and industrious in their endeavours. Without giving all diligence, there is no gaining any ground in the work of holiness; those who are slothful in the business of religion will make nothing of it; we must strive if we will enter in at the strait gate, Luke 13:24.
I. Here we cannot but observe how the believer's way is marked out step by step.
1. He must get virtue, by which some understand justice; and then the knowledge, temperance, and patience that follow, being joined with it, the apostle may be supposed to put them upon pressing after the four cardinal virtues, or the four elements that go to the making up of every virtue or virtuous action. But seeing it is a faithful saying, and constantly to be asserted, that those who have faith be careful to maintain good works Tit 3:8, by virtue here we may understand strength and courage, without which the believer cannot stand up for good works, by abounding and excelling in them. The righteous must be bold as a lion (Pr 28:1); a cowardly Christian, who is afraid to profess the doctrines or practise the duties of the gospel, must expect that Christ will be ashamed of him another day.
"Let not your hearts fail you in the evil day, but show yourselves valiant in standing against all opposition, and resisting every enemy, world, flesh, devil, yea, and death too."
We have need of virtue while we live, and it will be of excellent use when we come to die.
2. The believer must add knowledge to his virtue, prudence to his courage; there is a knowledge of God's name which must go before our faith (Ps 9:10), and we cannot approve of the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God, till we know it; but there are proper circumstances for duty, which must be known and observed; we must use the appointed means, and observe the accepted time. Christian prudence regards the persons we have to do with and the place and company we are in. Every believer must labour after the knowledge and wisdom that are profitable to direct, both as to the proper method and order wherein all Christian duties are to be performed and as to the way and manner of performing them.
3. We must add temperance to our knowledge. We must be sober and moderate in our love to, and use of, the good things of this life; and, if we have a right understanding and knowledge of outward comforts, we shall see that their worth and usefulness are vastly inferior to those of spiritual mercies. Bodily exercises and bodily privileges profit but little, and therefore are to be esteemed and used accordingly; the gospel teaches sobriety as well as honesty, Tit 2:12. We must be moderate in desiring and using the good things of natural life, such as meat, drink, clothes, sleep, recreations, and credit; an inordinate desire after these is inconsistent with an earnest desire after God and Christ; and those who take more of these than is due can render to neither God nor man what is due to them.
4. Add to temperance patience, which must have its perfect work, or we cannot be perfect and entire, wanting nothing (Jas 1:4), for we are born to trouble, and must through many tribulations enter into the kingdom of heaven; and it is this tribulation (Ro 5:3) which worketh patience, that is, requires the exercise and occasions the increase of this grace, whereby we bear all calamities and crosses with silence and submission, without murmuring against God or complaining of him, but justifying him who lays all affliction upon us, owning that our sufferings are less than our sins deserve, and believing they are no more than we ourselves need.
5. To patience we must add godliness, and this is the very thing which is produced by patience, for that works experience, Ro 5:4.
(Paul's step by step comes into play in Henry's mind. W)
Romans 5:1 For which reason, because we have righteousness through faith, let us be at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
2 Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting;
4 And waiting gives experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
(BBE)
When Christians bear afflictions patiently, they get an experimental knowledge of the loving-kindness of their heavenly Father, which he will not take from his children, even when he visits their iniquity with the rod and their transgression with stripes (Ps 89:32-33), and hereby they are brought to the child-like fear and reverential love wherein true godliness consists: to this,
6. We must add brotherly-kindness, a tender affection to all our fellow-Christians, who are children of the same Father, servants of the same Master, members of the same family, travellers to the same country, and heirs of the same inheritance, and therefore are to be loved with a pure heart fervently, with a love of complacency, as those who are peculiarly near and dear to us, in whom we take particular delight, Ps 16:3.
7. Charity, or a love of good-will to all mankind, must be added to the love of delight which we have for those who are the children of God. God has made of one blood all nations, and all the children of men are partakers of the same human nature, are all capable of the same mercies, and liable to the same afflictions, and therefore, though upon a spiritual account Christians are distinguished and dignified above those who are without Christ, yet are they to sympathize with others in their calamities, and relieve their necessities, and promote their welfare both in body and soul, as they have opportunity: thus must all believers in Christ evidence that they are the children of God, who is good to all, but is especially good to Israel.
{And Matt focuses on the Mission, to reach others no matter who or where, with our hearts for them, not against them in their nations. Everything leads to making us better to serve Him. W.}
II. All the aforementioned graces must be had, or we shall not be thoroughly furnished for all good works--for the duties of the first and second table, for active and passive obedience, and for those services wherein we are to imitate God as well as for those wherein we only obey him--and therefore to engage us to an industrious and unwearied pursuit of them, the apostle sets forth the advantages that redound to all who successfully labour so as to get these things to be and abound in them, 2Pe 1:8-11.
(Note: this is a bit unlike Paul who emphasizes the fact and act of love above all else, seeing it as John as the overpowering virtue of God. Peter seems to see it as more the generation of a chain of obedience, that we strengthen it more and more from the origin in belief to a more natural production by more and more obedience. Love overpowering the flesh at first , that first love, but in need of nurture, the feeding of acts of obedience to that love to keep it growing. Otherwise, the cares of the world, the caring for the fleshly rewards of the world, will stifle it. W.)
These are proposed,
1. More generally, 2Pe 1:8. The having these things make not barren (or slothful) nor unfruitful, where, according to the style of the Holy Ghost, we must understand a great deal more than is expressed; for when it is said concerning Ahaz, the vilest and most provoking of all the kings of Judah, that he did not right in the sight of the Lord (2Ki 16:2), we are to understand as much as if it had been said, He did what was most offensive and abominable, as the following account of his life shows; so, when it is here said that the being and abounding of all Christian graces in us will make us neither inactive nor unfruitful, we are thereby to understand that it will make us very zealous and lively, vigorous and active, in all practical Christianity, and eminently fruitful in the works of righteousness. These will bring much glory to God, by bringing forth much fruit among men, being fruitful in knowledge, or the acknowledging of our Lord Jesus Christ, owning him to be their Lord, and evidencing themselves to be his servants by their abounding in the work that he has given them to do. This is the necessary consequence of adding one grace to another; for, where all Christian graces are in the heart, they improve and strengthen, encourage and cherish, one another; so they all thrive and grow (as the apostle intimates in the beginning of 2Pe 1:8), and wherever grace abounds there will be an abounding in good works. How desirable it is to be in such a case the apostle evidences, 2Pe 1:9. There he sets forth how miserable it is to be without those quickening fructifying graces; for he who has not the aforementioned graces, or, though he pretends or seems to have them, does not exercise and improve them, is blind, that is, as to spiritual and heavenly things, as the next words explain it: He cannot see far off. This present evil world he can see, and dotes upon, but has no discerning at all of the world to come, so as to be affected with the spiritual privileges and heavenly blessings thereof. He who sees the excellences of Christianity must needs be diligent in endeavours after all those graces that are absolutely necessary for obtaining glory, honour, and immortality; but, where these graces are not obtained nor endeavoured after, men are not able to look forward to the things that are but a very little way off in reality, though in appearance, or in their apprehension, they are at a great distance, because they put them far away from them; and how wretched is their condition who are thus blind as to the awfully great things of the other world, who cannot see any thing of the reality and certainty, the greatness and nearness, of the glorious rewards God will bestow on the righteous, and the dreadful punishment he will inflict on the ungodly! But this is not all the misery of those who do not add to their faith virtue, knowledge, &c. They are as unable to look backward as forward, their memories are slippery and unable to retain what is past, as their sight is short and unable to discern what is future; they forget that they have been baptized, and had the means, and been laid under the obligations to holiness of heart and life. By baptism we are engaged in a holy war against sin, and are solemnly bound to fight against the flesh, the world, and the devil. Often call to mind, and seriously meditate on, your solemn engagement to be the Lord's, and your peculiar advantages and encouragements to lay aside all filthiness of flesh and spirit.
2. The apostle proposes two particular advantages that will attend or follow upon diligence in the work of a Christian: stability in grace, and a triumphant entrance into glory. These he brings in by resuming his former exhortation, and laying it down in other words; for what in 2Pe 1:5 is expressed by giving diligence to add to faith virtue, &c., is expressed in 2Pe 1:10 by giving diligence to make our calling and election sure. Here we may observe,
(1.) It is the duty of believers to make their election sure, to clear it up to themselves that they are the chosen of God.
{Matt focuses on our work and we get the hero thing in again. We want to be the hero. Our heroism is yielding to the Spirit and letting HIM produce this good work in us. Philippians 1:6:
Php 1:6 For I am certain of this very thing, that he by whom the good work was started in you will make it complete till the day of Jesus Christ:
(BBE)}
(2.) The way to make sure their eternal election is to make out their effectual calling: none can look into the book of God's eternal counsels and decrees; but, inasmuch as whom God did predestinate those he also called, if we can find we are effectually called, we may conclude we are chosen to salvation.
(3.) It requires a great deal of diligence and labour to make sure our calling and election; there must be a very close examination of ourselves, a very narrow search and strict enquiry, whether we are thoroughly converted, our minds enlightened, our wills renewed, and our whole souls changed as to the bent and inclination thereof; and to come to a fixed certainty in this requires the utmost diligence, and cannot be attained and kept without divine assistance, as we may learn from Ps 139:23; Ro 8:16.
"But, how great soever the labour is, do not think much of it, for great is the advantage you gain by it; for,"
{Again we struggle against our flesh in yielding as Peter and Paul both point out. The victory has always been the first letting go and then following yielding. Our production of the fruit of the Spirit seen here and in Galatians as a result of our using the gift or gifts the Spirit has given us, testifies to us that we are following Him. Both Pete and Paul tell us the wrong way and the right. W.}
[1.]
"By this you will be kept from falling, and that at all times and seasons, even in those hours of temptation that shall be on the earth."
When others shall fall into heinous and scandalous sin, those who are thus diligent shall be enabled to walk circumspectly and keep on in the way of their duty; and, when many fall into errors, they shall be preserved sound in the faith, and stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
[2.] Those who are diligent in the work of religion shall have a triumphant entrance into glory; while of those few who get to heaven some are scarcely saved (1Pe 4:18), with a great deal of difficulty, even as by fire (1Co 3:15), those who are growing in grace, and abounding in the work of the Lord, shall have an abundant entrance into the joy of their Lord, even that everlasting kingdom where Christ reigns, and they shall reign with him for ever and ever.
{They will have a crown of glory to lay before him in thanks, but please be careful of your heart that you don't end up in boasting even of any gift he's given or the result. Our hero thing can poke in even as we become the leader we wished to be, the Christian we were meant to be. Satan tempted Christ so he will surely tempt one who follows him closer more and more. W}
8 For if you have these things in good measure, they will make you fertile and full of fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For the man who has not these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having no memory of how he was made clean from his old sins.
10 For this reason, my brothers, take all the more care to make your selection and approval certain; for if you do these things you will never have a fall:
11 For so the way will be open to you into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12 For this reason I will be ready at all times to keep your memory of these things awake, though you have the knowledge of them now and are well based in your present faith.
13 And it seems right to me, as long as I am in this tent of flesh, to keep your minds awake by working on your memory;
14 For I am conscious that in a short time I will have to put off this tent of flesh, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15 And I will take every care so that you may have a clear memory of these things after my death.
I find myself touched by this passage. As a father, I hope to leave my children well prepared on my passing and Peter had this same hope for his Spiritual children.
16 For when we gave you news of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our teaching was not based on stories put together by art, but we were eye-witnesses of his glory.
17 For God the Father gave him honour and glory, when such a voice came to him out of the great glory, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice came from heaven even to our ears, when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 And so the words of the prophets are made more certain; and it is well for you to give attention to them as to a light shining in a dark place, till the dawn comes and the morning star is seen in your hearts;
20 Being conscious in the first place that no man by himself may give a special sense to the words of the prophets.
21 For these words did not ever come through the impulse of men: but the prophets had them from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.
(BBE)
The "extra" 2 Peter Fruits:
The order of the Fruits in Second Peter differs from the one in Galatians 5, because they not listed as comprehensive or in a sequential order like in Galatians where each one is a stage that begets the next one. Rather, in Second Peter, they are arranged in rhetorical "sorites," a type of argument that uses syllogisms to build to the climax of the most important one, love. Each end is a "bookend" that holds the others; faith is what we all start with. It is the foundation. Then others build to the pre-eminent, essential significance of what love is, the quintessential fruit of the Christian life.
- Righteousness, in this context, refers to God being Righteous, thus He is ethical and fair in His dealings with us so we can be fair with others. Also, in Peter, the word used to refer to people who are righteous means virtuous and of good character. Faith is impartial in its acceptance; it sees no race, creed, culture, time, place, or person, for we are purely justified by His will and purpose, which He vicariously placed upon us (Rom. 3:22-23; 4:6; 1 Pet. 2:24; 4:18; 2 Pet. 2:5, 21; 3:13).
- Knowledge means the fundamental saving knowledge we need in order to know whom Christ is before He can be our Savior (Matt. 11:27). This refers to what is true and real and that God can only be known through Christ; the more we know His precepts, the more we can grow. It denounces what is esoteric, manipulating, or counterfeit. Peter uses this word as a baseline of truth to attack false doctrine. The Christian message, if it is real in our lives, will affect our attitudes, disposition, and lifestyles (Luke 11:42; 18:10-14; John 1:18; 14:1-6; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Pet. 1:2-3, 8; 2:20).
- Godliness a synopsis of character that shows our attitude and moral fiber means living out our disposition with respect and reverence to Christ in all aspects of our life. This is about how we are to others, how we treat one another, either good or bad. We are called to virtue; this refers to being pious and living a good, reverent life toward God and others because of what Christ has done in us. It is a response from our worship of Christ with an authentic desire to know Him in a greater way. It creates our desire to be pious, which means to rearrange our priorities, mindsets, and character to line up with God's character and be able to see the importance of virtue, therefore becoming equipped to use it to value others. We rearrange our priorities, mindsets, and character to line up with God's character, so to see the importance of virtue and then be equipped to use it to value others. Godliness is a collection of personality traits within our personality that show our attitude, moral fiber, and how we treat one another-good or bad-which is what Character is. This results from being pious and living a good, reverent life toward God and others because of what Christ has done in us (Psalm 15; Micah 6:8; Matt. 7:12; Luke 6:31; Eph. 5:1; Col. 3:15-17; 1 Tim. 3:16; 4:8; 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:5; 2 Pet. 1:3, 6; 3 John 11; Rev 14:6).
- Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). Christ is what we hope for; Christ is what is to be seen! Peter tells us that, a faith as precious, Received a faith, a faith of equal standing... Faith is the promise of God that gives us the hope and confidence so we can receive, act on, obey, and trust God's promises, because God is sovereign and trustworthy. Real faith is subjective to each person's experience, and is to be true and valuable. Each person grows at a different rate and depth. It also refers to the body of believers (as in Church) who share in a common belief and practice; there are no different castes or classes for those in Christ! The theme is that there is one faith through Christ, and all are on an equal playing field before Christ. There may be varying levels of growth and maturity, but all are equally accepted (John 20:29; Jude 3; 1 John 3:1-3). We can trust God for the future because we can see what He has done in the past-from creation, to testimonies, to His infallible Word (Rom. 10:17; Gal. 3:1-14; Heb. 2:4; 11: 1-6; 12:2; James 1:2-4; 2:14-26).
- Virtue, in some translations, is Goodness, and refers to moral excellence, the engagement of love, and doing the right thing. Virtue is the application of being good from both the conscious will to do what is right and from personal responsibility. It encompasses integrity, honesty, compassion, and endearment, quintessential qualities of biblical Character (that is right standards, strength, courage, modesty, and purity all done in excellence). We acquire Virtue by our faith, our obedience to Christ, being persistent in Him, and clothing ourselves in Him. This is what results when we truly repent; we represent the nobility that we have in Christ (Amos 5:15; Psalm 103:17; 131; Prov. 8:13; 25:22; Matthew 7:12; 19:16; Luke 6:27, 35; Rom. 12:17; 2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 5:8-9; Col. 3:12-17; Phil. 2:14-18; 4:8; 1Timothy 4:12; 5:22; Tit.1: 15; Heb.10: 5-10; 1 Pet. 3:11; 2 Pet. 1:3-8; 2:9).
- Perseverance is having confidence in God so we trust Him in difficult situations and still see His grace and love. We exercise it when we continue in our state of grace so we live it out in our lives and walk with Christ to the end for our eternal reward! Perseverance occurs in our journey of faith, allowing it to be lived it out in our personal lives. We can do this by being encouraging with Christ-like temperament. Whatever we face and/or go through, our Lord is there and we are in His arms. When we realize this fact, we can persevere through anything because our Lord, King, and Creator of the universe is there to carry us through (2 Chron. 32:1-8; Esther 7; Luke 16:22-31; 18:9; Acts 19:8-10; 26:19-23; Rom. 15:14-16; Phil. 1:6; 12-14, 25; 2 Tim. 2:25; Hebrews 12:1-3).
- Brotherly kindness, sometimes translated as affection, means love for a brother or friend (in the Greek, Philadelphia). It is a call to treat others as family because we are all in God's family. This means to have kind affection toward one another, as in be devoted, to look out and look after each other, and to give preference to one another, because there are no inferior or superior people in the Kingdom of God, just those with different calls, abilities, and opportunities! This type of Kindness is the proof of authenticity that creates an environment of trust and encouragement, so that people will want to be with us, join our church, and belong as a Christian (Rom. 12:10; Heb. 13:1).
- Love is the turning of our backs to our self-concerns, and facing God and our neighbors. It will enable us to appreciate others in the Lord. Love desires to seek and apply what God has to say. When you have the wrong idea and definition of love, it will adversely impose on all areas of your life. Understanding what love is not is as important as understanding what love is not. God's love must be our model for life. It must flow into us from Christ, and in return flow out from us to those around us (John 13:1; 15:13; 1 Cor. 13; Col. 3:12-17; 1 Thess. 4:9-10; 5:8-13; 1 John)!
In addition there is:
- Humility, which is how we are to come to the Lord and display His temperament as He walked the earth. This minimizes arrogance and removes pride. It is the understanding of our fallen nature and weaknesses that causes us to think we are better than we are, and that causes us to strive to lift ourselves above others and God. It is admitting that others, and most importantly God, are responsible for our achievements. Humbleness will enable us to be a teachable person who is willing to have a good attitude of submission and servant-hood, a person who confesses sin and remembers how Christ served us! Humility is not self-hatred or having a "poor me" attitude(1 Kings 8:58; Psalm 25; Luke 22:27; Col. 1:18; Phil. 2:8; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:3-5).
- Compassion will allow us to feel the pain and plight of others, to see from their perspective and situation in life. It will enable us to convey a deep feeling of love and concern that moves us to meet their distresses, struggles, and needs. True Compassion is a result of the poured out life that has been devoted to God and attached to His interests. It will also make us more confident of our Lord and His working within and through us. This all flows from our understanding of who God is, and our obedience, trust in, and gratitude for what He has done for us. Our lives must be motivated by who we are in Christ, and nothing else (Job 29:13; Isa. 40:11; Mark 1:41; Luke 10:25-37; 19:4; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:12-16; 1 Peter 3:8)!
- Forgiveness, we are called to forgive freely, as Christ has forgiven us. We must be willing to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. We must be willing to bear the cost, just as our LORD did. Forgiveness demands a substitution. So, how could we ever back away from forgiving each other? If we do, it is a bigger insult to our LORD than for the non-Christian to turn his or her back on His Grace-because we know better. Remember, knowledge brings responsibility. Forgiveness is absolutely crucial for any relationship to continue, and critical in resolving any conflict! Remember how much you have been forgiven; do not fail to show it to others! Remember, God does not treat us the way we tend to treat others (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25; 1 Corinthians 13:5; Colossians 3:12-14).
We are called to Put on this, a call to take on the character of Jesus and put it on us, while we put off the vices that hinder us.
Don't worry that we cannot do this on our own; He imparts to us the power and ability to do so though His work and the Spirit!
It is something we do not force to come about; rather it happens naturally as we learn and grow in Christ, then His character envelopes us as we take on the new identity of a person not only saved by grace but empowered and shaped by Him. If we just live our lives with the attitude of how things affect "me" and not "others," then we are living "with" the devil, and not "with" God! It is essential as Christians to demonstrate His love in how we relate to both for God and then to others (Romans 13:11-14; Ephesians 4:1-6, 22-24; Philippians 2:1-6).
Don't worry that we cannot do this on our own; He imparts to us the power and ability to do so though His work and the Spirit!
It is something we do not force to come about; rather it happens naturally as we learn and grow in Christ, then His character envelopes us as we take on the new identity of a person not only saved by grace but empowered and shaped by Him. If we just live our lives with the attitude of how things affect "me" and not "others," then we are living "with" the devil, and not "with" God! It is essential as Christians to demonstrate His love in how we relate to both for God and then to others (Romans 13:11-14; Ephesians 4:1-6, 22-24; Philippians 2:1-6).
How is this done?
Simply put by Paul, we achieve this by allowing the Word of Christ and His presence to dwell in us, and learn His instruction, so the peace of Christ rules our hearts and minds, translating into actions. It is all about our spiritual growth impacting us so it impacts others positively and in love (Col. 1:15; 2:3; 3:1-11)!
13 Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love;
14 In whom we have our salvation, the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the unseen God coming into existence before all living things;
16 For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were made by him and for him;
17 He is before all things, and in him all things have being.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: the starting point of all things, the first to come again from the dead; so that in all things he might have the chief place.
19 For God in full measure was pleased to be in him;
(BBE)
Col 2:1 For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 So that their hearts may be comforted, and that being joined together in love, they may come to the full wealth of the certain knowledge of the secret of God, even Christ,
3 In whom are all the secret stores of wisdom and knowledge.
(BBE)
Col 3:1 If then you have a new life with Christ, give your attention to the things of heaven, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
2 Keep your mind on the higher things, not on the things of earth.
3 For your life on earth is done, and you have a secret life with Christ in God.
4 At the coming of Christ who is our life, you will be seen with him in glory.
5 Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;
6 Because of which the wrath of God comes on those who go against his orders;
7 Among whom you were living in the past, when you did such things.
8 But now it is right for you to put away all these things; wrath, passion, bad feeling, curses, unclean talk;
9 Do not make false statements to one another; because you have put away the old man with all his doings,
10 And have put on the new man, which has become new in knowledge after the image of his maker;
11 Where there is no Greek or Jew, no one with circumcision or without circumcision, no division between nations, no servant or free man: but Christ is all and in all.
(BBE)
Take a close look at each of the fruits listed. Which ones are you exhibiting well? Which ones do you lack? What are you going to do about the ones in which you are weak? We are called not to be ineffective or unproductive; this means we are being called to be productive and useful in the Kingdom as well as the community. If not, we are in disobedience and ignoring of His love and gifts for us. Why would a Christian not want to be productive for the Kingdom (Phil. 4:8-9)?
Philippians 4:8 For the rest, my brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things have honour, whatever things are upright, whatever things are holy, whatever things are beautiful, whatever things are of value, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, give thought to these things.
9 The things which came to you by my teaching and preaching, and which you saw in me, these things do, and the God of peace will be with you.
(BBE)
And again one specific reason to know what those fruit is:
(2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly put forward wrong teachings for your destruction, even turning away from the Lord who gave himself for them; whose destruction will come quickly, and they themselves will be the cause of it.
2 And a great number will go with them in their evil ways, through whom the true way will have a bad name.
3 And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.
4 For if God did not have pity for the angels who did evil, but sent them down into hell, to be kept in chains of eternal night till they were judged;
5 And did not have mercy on the world which then was, but only kept safe Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when he let loose the waters over the world of the evil-doers;
6 And sent destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, burning them up with fire as an example to those whose way of life might in the future be unpleasing to him;
7 And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers
8 (Because the soul of that upright man living among them was pained from day to day by seeing and hearing their crimes):
9 The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing, and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging;
10 But specially those who go after the unclean desires of the flesh, and make sport of authority. Ready to take chances, uncontrolled, they have no fear of saying evil of those in high places:
11 Though the angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not make use of violent language against them before the Lord.
12 But these men, like beasts without reason, whose natural use is to be taken and put to death, crying out against things of which they have no knowledge, will undergo that same destruction which they are designing for others;
13 For the evil which overtakes them is the reward of their evil-doing: such men take their pleasure in the delights of the flesh even in the daytime; they are like the marks of a disease, like poisoned wounds among you, feasting together with you in joy;
14 Having eyes full of evil desire, never having enough of sin; turning feeble souls out of the true way; they are children of cursing, whose hearts are well used to bitter envy;
15 Turning out of the true way, they have gone wandering in error, after the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was pleased to take payment for wrongdoing;
16 But his wrongdoing was pointed out to him: an ass, talking with a man's voice, put a stop to the error of the prophet.
17 These are fountains without water, and mists before a driving storm; for whom the eternal night is kept in store.
18 For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error;
19 Saying that they will be free, while they themselves are the servants of destruction; because whatever gets the better of a man makes a servant of him.
20 For if, after they have got free from the unclean things of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again taken in the net and overcome, their last condition is worse than their first.
21 For it would have been better for them to have had no knowledge of the way of righteousness, than to go back again from the holy law which was given to them, after having knowledge of it.
22 They are an example of that true saying, The dog has gone back to the food it had put out, and the pig which had been washed to its rolling in the dirty earth.
The false prophet draws us to the desires of the flesh even the desires of religion over the Lord. Knowing our fruit and knowing the fruit to look for in others preserves us against the day of misleading.
Mt 24:23 Then if any man says to you, See, here is the Christ, or, Here; do not put faith in him;
24 For there will come up false Christs, and false prophets, who will do great signs and wonders; so that if possible even the saints might be tricked.
25 See, I have made it clear to you before it comes about.
(BBE)
And two testify:
Mr 13:21 And then if any man says to you, See, here is Christ; or, See, there; have no faith in it:
22 Because there will be false Christs and false prophets, and they will give signs and wonders in the hope of turning even the saints from the true way.
23 But take care; see, I have made all things clear to you before the time.
(BBE)
And so next post we will discuss the offices provided by the Holt Spirit for the work of the mission. offices which those who are most false often strive to obtain.
The false prophet draws us to the desires of the flesh even the desires of religion over the Lord. Knowing our fruit and knowing the fruit to look for in others preserves us against the day of misleading.
Mt 24:23 Then if any man says to you, See, here is the Christ, or, Here; do not put faith in him;
24 For there will come up false Christs, and false prophets, who will do great signs and wonders; so that if possible even the saints might be tricked.
25 See, I have made it clear to you before it comes about.
(BBE)
And two testify:
Mr 13:21 And then if any man says to you, See, here is Christ; or, See, there; have no faith in it:
22 Because there will be false Christs and false prophets, and they will give signs and wonders in the hope of turning even the saints from the true way.
23 But take care; see, I have made all things clear to you before the time.
(BBE)
And so next post we will discuss the offices provided by the Holt Spirit for the work of the mission. offices which those who are most false often strive to obtain.
