Add to Your Faith-Goodness

(Click on underlined words for references...by the way I don't make any money from clicks, just adding for your own study)

2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

For review in yesterday’s blog we saw that the beginning of faith is salvation, but that we are called to grow past that basic belief into mature Christians which is a step by step process of obedience by grace. As we saw yesterday, one of the first steps of Christian growth is doing what is right in the eyes of God, which we know from reading the Bible, rather than doing what I think is right. (if you did not read yesterday’s post, click here)

So how do we add goodness to our faith? What is goodness?

In this verse, the word interpreted as goodness is the Greek word, ἀρετήν As you can see in that link, this word can also be translated as moral excellence or virtue. So, the first step in maturity after faith is adding moral excellence to our life. Dealing with sin is not a surprising first step for anyone I am sure. Sin, as the opposite of virtue cannot be a part of our lifestyle if we want to mature in our faith, and yet for many people this is where the growth stops.

First of all, when a Christian sins, we can confess that sin and God is faithful and just to forgive that sin. 1 John 1:9 But, we should not continue in sin that grace may abound. (Romans 6:1)

So, how do we grow in our faith so that we are not in bondage to a lifestyle of sin?

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul makes a statement about people living in sin…he gives a long list of their sinful life then says, in verse 5, “…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Having the appearance of godliness but denying it’s power, this is a captivating concept because we read later in the same book, in chapter 3, the opposite of that, the man who is fully equipped for all good works.

Also, we see in 2 Peter 1: 3-4 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

So, when a person tries to add godliness to her life by looking good, by her own strength, that is denying the power of God’s righteousness in us, and results in a very sinful life, even if it is hidden from the world. (again read the full passage here )

Looking righteous, or holy, or good to other people is not adding goodness to our faith.

God has given us the power for godliness, through the knowledge of Him (Bible) and in partaking of the promises (leg: call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved;) then we are partakers of the divine nature as the book of Ezekiel says, “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

In the end it always circles back around to this, God gives us power to overcome everything in our lives, when we are being filled the knowledge of His Word and promises and empowered by His Spirit. In Jesus we are over-comers, and in Revelation we are told that the one who overcomes is the one who is given the reward. That overcoming…that victory…that reward is all tied to living this life through the power of God which we are connected to through His Spirit in reading and obeying His Word.

If we look holy on the outside, while our insides rot with sin, we are not living up to the God-empowered life He has called us to and are disqualified regarding the faith as 2 Timothy said.

Those disqualified people talked about in 2 Timothy, were forever studying but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Just reading the Bible without the power of the Holy Spirit will not make the inside change.

Your spiritual walk starts with salvation, putting your faith in Jesus Christ, then as you are transformed into the image of Christ daily through reading God’s Word, confessing sins and surrendering to the power of the Holy Spirit in your life to make you an over-comer, you are growing in maturity and faith, and made equipped for every good work.

In conclusion, let's make every effort to add to our faith goodness….and tomorrow, we will look at adding to your goodness, knowledge.

Do you have any questions, ideas or thoughts you would like to share? Click on the conversation cafe and let's talk about it there. You can also share any prayer requests on your heart.

#Christiangrowth #faith #virtue #moralexcellence #goodness #2Peter15 #2Timothy2