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The Development of Self-Control
Self-control follows moral excellence and knowledge in Peter’s list of qualities in 2 Peter 1:6 that we need to add to our faith. This means that through the strength of moral virtue and the light of the knowledge of God’s word, the Christian is enabled to govern the appetites and passions and keep them under… Continue reading
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Empowering Knowledge
Francis Bacon once said that “Knowledge is power.” It is all-important in every area of life. Ignorance is weakness. The statement, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” is of course not always true. It often does. Ignorance can get you into real trouble. “If only I had known…” is repeated all too often. Knowledge… Continue reading
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The Pursuit of Moral Excellence
The apostle Peter exhorts believers to “supplement your faith with virtue” (2 Pet. 1:5). Virtue translates the Greek aretē, which is found in three other passages in the New Testament (Phil. 4:8; 1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 1:3). It may also be defined by terms such as goodness, moral courage, or moral excellence. Virtue means… Continue reading
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Add to Your Faith
In 2 Peter 1:5-8, Peter exhorts believers to add or “supply” certain graces or qualities to their faith. This means that faith is the beginning—not the end—of what it means to be a Christian. The things that we add to faith result in growth and development of character. This text reminds us that what we… Continue reading
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Devoted to the Apostles’ Doctrine
The earliest disciples of Jesus Christ understood the importance of a faith established on teaching. Following the events of Pentecost, those first believers devoted themselves to the “apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42), a clear fulfillment of the Lord’s commission to the apostles: “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). The apostles’ teaching,… Continue reading
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Faith and Our Living Hope
Peter wrote in his first epistle of our being “born again to a living hope” (1 Pet. 1:3-12). This living hope shall issue in “an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (v. 4). Three times the apostle makes reference to the final salvation of our… Continue reading
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God’s Righteous Judgment (2 Thess. 1:5-10)
Paul begins 2 Thessalonians with a word of thanks to God about the Thessalonian saints. He is thankful that they have evidenced a growth of faith and of love toward one another. He expresses his admiration of their perseverance and faith, even in the midst of persecutions. Paul states that their faithful endurance is itself… Continue reading
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Light in a Time of Darkness
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2). The prophet spoke these words in a time he characterized as “the gloom of anguish.” It was a time of foreign invasions, accompanied by distress, despair, and death.… Continue reading
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Loving the Difficult
“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). One of the greatest… Continue reading
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One Thing You Lack
What is the essence of Christianity? If we boil it down and reduce it to its bare essentials, what does it really mean? Jesus once singled out the commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” as the great commandment. All… Continue reading
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Our Citizenship
Throughout his public ministry, Jesus announced news of the imminent coming of the “kingdom of heaven.” Jesus, as well as John the Baptist, declared that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). The apostles of Christ were told they would be given the “keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 16:19). The… Continue reading
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Our Victory
“Victory is not something that depends upon chance; it is entirely in the hands of God and, through Him, also in our hands. Anyone who has failed in this struggle was simply lacking in a will to conquer. The kindness of our Leader has never failed anyone. If you but listen to His call and… Continue reading
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