April 1, 2007

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Christian Virtues: How to Obtain Them?

 

Introduction: 2 Peter 1:3-11

 

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love.”

 

Purpose: Most studies of the Christian virtues present the meaning of each attribute, but rarely are we told how to obtain them. We could do an in-depth word study and in the end still not possess one of the traits. Just knowing the meaning of the words does not ensure that we will have that trait.

 

Peter does say a few things about how to obtain them in his letter.  In this context, he says, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add. . .” (1:5.) The word, add, or supply comes from a word which signifies leading a choir or keeping in tune as you sing. There are eight parts, or an octave, of Christian virtues that compliment and blend together to make the whole song. At the end of this letter, Peter says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (3:18.) Peter indicates in both passages the part that we have in adding or supplying these traits. Other writers help us to see how these attributes are obtained.

 

1—How does faith come? Beginning with the first virtue, we will ask concerning each trait, How does it come about?  How do we obtain it? We recall Paul’s words to the Romans, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17.) Earlier, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5.) Apparently, there is nothing wrong with asking for a greater faith, which indicates a desire on our part to have a greater faith. Jesus is called “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Heb. 12:2.) He is the very source of our faith and the target of faith. We trust in Him.

 

Some disciples asked Jesus, “What shall we do that we might work the works of God?  Jesus replied, This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:28-29.) God, by providing the evidences of his existence and the Lord’s life, produces faith in us. Our believing in Him is called the work of God (something that God accomplishes).

 

We should add that hearing alone will not always produce faith.  Immediately following Paul’s seemingly clear statement about how faith is produced, he added, “Have they not heard?”  Many did not believe; why? It was not because they had not heard; it was because they were disobedient and unwilling to believe.  William James, a philosopher, wrote an essay titled, “The Will to Believe.”  He is right; just as the apostle Peter indicated, we must give all diligence and grow in these traits.

 

2—How does virtue or moral excellence come about? This is probably the most difficult of the eight items to clearly define. Some translate the word moral excellence, manliness, courage, noble character, goodness and resolution. The variety of words indicates some difficulty in specifically defining it.  I think that it helpful to notice something occurring just above this list. Peter wrote that Christians might be partakers of divine nature from the great and precious promises of God. (1:4.) This attribute is probably more directly linked to divine nature than the others. We do not normally associate faith as an attribute of God, but moral excellence we do. We can be more like God, having escaped the corruption that is in the world. How then does moral excellence come about? How is it obtained? It is obtained by being renewed in our minds. (Eph. 4:23-24.)  We put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

 

We could also think of this word as being conviction or strength that comes from faith.  Faith produces convictions. People who waver in their faith cannot be courageous or filled with conviction.  Often people speak of having the conviction of your faith.

3—How does knowledge come about? Paul wrote, “When you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.”  (Eph. 3:4.) However, Christianity is never about just knowing a series of facts. Specific facts from the Bible are necessary and helpful. But biblical knowledge is more about knowing God. It is about the knowledge of the Holy One.  Therefore, knowledge is both academic and experiential.

 

The Old Testament prophet Hosea wrote that God’s people were destroyed due to a lack of knowledge. (4:6.) Also in the New Testament, the great stumbling stone is ignorance of the ways and will of God.

 

One important matter about spiritual knowledge is it cannot be obtained without faith being present first. Jesus explained why he taught using parables. He said, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (those who will not see or hear) it is not given.”  (Matt. 13:11.) A non-believer can know only some external information about holy things. The wise man wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7.)

 

Some false teachers at the end of the first century and in the second century, known as Gnostics, taught that the knowledge of God was reserved only for the initiated. They claimed to possess it. Gnostics believed that matter was evil; the body is evil. They believed the doctrine of dualism; the separation of spirit (good) and body (evil). Knowledge was the only way to be free from evil. But they spoke of esoteric knowledge, or truth understood only by their inner circle of the initiated ones.  To combat this heresy, the apostle John wrote about what Christians know and how they may know it. He wrote, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3.)

 

4—How do we obtain temperance? The word temperance has given way to a clearer word, self-control. We have not yet made reference to an important text in Galatians that is similar to Second Peter. Paul wrote, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23.) Paul listed nine traits in his fruit of the Spirit description. Temperance or self-control is one of them. Paul is telling us how these nine traits come about; they are a result of the Spirit of God working in us. They are produced as fruit, as a result of having the Spirit of God within. The fruit of the Spirit is presented in contrast with the work of the flesh. Seventeen things are named as a work of the sinful flesh of man.

 

If temperance is self-control, then is it not the individual who controls himself? No, all Christian traits come from God and the Spirit of God. All the controls of the human life are found inside the heart; they are not external and therefore external laws cannot control the heart. Paul reasoned with Felix about righteousness, temperance and the judgment to come. (Acts 24:25.) This is an interesting matter that Paul talked about self-control to a ruler who lived much as he pleased. But the three things named are connected and carefully chosen by Paul.

 

5—How do we obtain patience? The Bible is specific in saying that tribulations work patience. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work that you may be prefect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4.) “. . . but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope; and hope makes not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 5:3-5.)

 

James urged his readers who were being mistreated by rich landowners to have patience until the Lord comes. He said, You have heard of the patience of Job. (James 5:11.) He reminded them of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord and suffered affliction with patience. Peter’s audience who was suffering persecution was encouraged to follow the example of Jesus who suffered for us. (1 Peter 2:19-23.)

 

Jesus spoke to a generation of Christians who would suffer just forty years afterwards in the overthrow of Jerusalem. Their homes would be burned and they would lose their jobs and income. But if they listened to Jesus about how to escape, they could save their lives. Jesus said to them, “In your patience, you possess your souls (lives).” (Luke 21:19.)

 

However, patience is not automatically achieved through troubles or burdens of live. Patience is not passive submissiveness to troubles. Job complained and defended himself against his three friends. He cursed the day he was born. He asked for an audience with God to see why those things befell him. Patience is the strength and willingness to bear up under burdens (even unfair ones) with a stedfast faith in God. Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” (Job 13:15.) That is patience. It is waiting on God to take care of the injustice or to give us a new world.

 

6—How do we obtain godliness? Earlier in the text, Peter wrote that we can become partakers of divine nature by the exceeding great and precious promises of God. He also wrote of the knowledge of God and Jesus our Savior. (vs. 2, 3) Godliness comes from seeking to be like God, imitating him in life and thought; behaving as he would behave. Paul wrote that the grace of God that brings salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.

 

All of these traits are to be added or supplied in one’s faith. Faith is the foundation upon which we grow in God’s grace and likeness. If we believe in Him and trust Him, we will become more like Him. The song says, “O, to be like thee, blessed Redeemer, pure as thou art.” We should remember that becoming like God is a work of the Holy Spirit within us. We are born again by the Spirit of God and are empowered by that same Spirit. (John 3:3-5.)

 

7—Brotherly kindness? How do we possess love for one another? John wrote often about love. He said that we should love one another because God so loved us. (1 John 4:11.) It is easier to love those who love you. God started the process; he loved us first. Now we seek to love him. (1 John 4:19.) Our love for one another is based upon what we have learned about the love of God for all mankind. Everything is wrong when a brother, like Cain, kills his brother, Abel. We are our brother’s keeper. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbor as ourself. (Matt. 22:36-40.) If you do not love your brother whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen? That is a good question.

 

8—How do we possess love for all? This is the highest octave of all. This is love for all men, brothers and non-believers. This is agape love; the one that is most like God’s love. It is love for enemies and all mankind because man is made in the image of God. This love overcomes all obstacles to love.