Growing in Faith
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” II Peter 1:2-4
The highest honor for anyone to have upon this earth is to be a servant of Jesus Christ. The world’s idea of servanthood is rather demeaning, but when Christ is one’s Master, the role of servant takes on a completely different and exciting honor. John 15:13-16 tells us that those who serve Christ are also privileged to be called His friends. Peter honored Christ in the capacity of an apostle, but in this letter that he wrote, he also called himself a servant. This particular letter was written to believers and not unbelievers. Those who didn’t then nor don’t know Christ now can’t understand his message because they do not have the Holy Spirit to give meaning and insight to his words.
Peter wrote that the divine power of Christ has given believers everything they need to live holy lives for that is what Christ expects. Jesus sets the example. He also promises great and precious things to those who love Him, the greatest promise being His pardon of sin without which we would be doomed to fall under God’s wrath. He also promises the Holy Spirit to us to lead and comfort us. Eternal life in heaven without pain or sorrow and the new nature we receive when we are born again are two more promises. Since sin no longer rules over us, we don’t have to live like the rest of the world. Our lives have meaning and purpose, and we can choose to take the good path that leads to peace and joy. However, how do we appropriate these promises? They are ours for the taking, but there must be a conduit through which we can experience all of these wonderful promises. Would you not say that faith is the pipeline by which we can receive what Christ makes available for us to live lives pleasing to Him?
We’ve all heard of various 12-step programs that help people to overcome addictions to alcohol or other vices that can destroy a person’s life if they do not deal with their addictions. Peter gave believers what we might term a 7-step program for the growth of the Christian from being a babe in Christ to a mature believer. As stated previously, faith is the conduit by which we receive this new way of living to honor Christ as we repent of sin and place faith in Him. Without faith, all the other steps are useless. In I Corinthians 13, we are told that doing all sorts of good and righteous deeds mean nothing if we don’t do these deeds in love. The same principle holds true for faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Once we have faith, then how do we become more faithful? Isn’t the goal of the believer to have great faith, so much that one doesn’t have to worry or doubt about anything?
Peter then began to list those things that help to increase our faith. He first lists virtue, or moral excellence. When we strive to live morally, we have the impetus to gain as much knowledge as possible about Jesus whom we serve. Believers who are not serious about growing their faith are usually not all that interested in studying God’s word and learning as much as they can about the Lord. My philosophy is that if one plans to spend eternity in heaven with the Lord, then would it not make sense to learn as much as one can about Him while one is still on earth? As we gain knowledge of God and His word, we must have temperance, or self-control over our bodies and our minds. It does matter how we live. We are a reflection of Christ whom we serve.
Another thing that helps to increase our faith is patience, probably one of the most difficult attributes to master. In this day of instant everything, we don’t like to wait, even for a little bit. We desire for our prayers to be answered when we want them answered, but all prayers are answered on God’s timetable. He sees the future and knows what is best for His children. Going ahead with plans sometimes circumvents what God had in mind and can lead to disastrous results. When we develop patience, we also help develop godliness. Being godly means being kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and unselfish. If we act in a godly manner to everyone with whom we come in contact, then we are exhibiting brotherly kindness. Technically, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Should we not treat the members of our spiritual family like we would treat our own parents with respect and honor? Did not the Apostle Paul urge us to esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3)?
The seventh step is charity, or love without which none of the other steps are possible. Peter said that if these attributes are in you to the full and overflowing, then your knowledge of Jesus Christ will keep you steady and doing His work to the praise of His glory. There is one other thing about faith–it is like exercising one’s muscles. The more you exercise your faith, the stronger it gets. If we don’t get some type of physical exercise, whether it is a solid workout or perhaps regular walking, our muscles get weak. I have read that one of the reasons that older folks lose their balance is that their muscles, particularly around their joints, become weak due to less movement. I suppose we could relate that to a lack of balance in one’s spiritual life. To keep on a steady course to eternity, we must depend on our faith and use it in all areas of life.