This is the fourth message in the mini-series on Maturing in Christ. The first message was based on Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Specifically, we are to help fellow believers deal with their burden of sin. The second message introduced us to 2 Peter 1:3 where we are told that “His [God’s] 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.” Last week we considered verse 5 of 2 Peter 1: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with moral excellence.” We saw that a practical application of faith is “the capacity to believe and fully trust in the work that Jesus Christ did, so that we can be reconciled to the Father.”

Maturing in Christ requires that we abide in Him. John 15:5 says “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” The virtues which Peter lists in verses 5-7 mean nothing to the person who is not abiding in Christ.

So, who was Peter? He was a man, a sinner like each of us; he was a fisherman by trade; he was one of the first disciples called by Jesus; he had an up and down track record. Peter was called to leave everything and follow Jesus, and he did. He walked on water; he confessed Jesus as Messiah; he was with Jesus at His transfiguration; he baulked when Jesus washed his feet; he slept in the Garden when Jesus had asked him to stay awake and pray. While trying to protect Jesus, Peter cut off ear of the servant of the high priest; he denied knowing Jesus three times during His trial. After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, Peter les a fishing expedition as described in John 21. After having caught nothing all night, Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat, and they caught 153 large fish. At this point John recognized Jesus, and Peter put on his outer garments and began to swim to shore. Jesus had prepared a charcoal fire; He cooked some fish and fed His disciples. Peter was guilt ridden from having denied Jesus three times, so Jesus restored him by asking him three times if he loved Him. The first two times that Jesus asked him, John used the Greek word agape (unconditional love), to which Peter replied that he loved Jesus using the Greek word phileo (as a friend). The third time, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him phileo (as a friend), to which again Peter again said he loved Jesus phileo. Jesus then said to Peter “follow Me”. At this time, Peter could not bring himself to say that he loved Jesus unconditionally, but later he proved that he did just that.

When Peter wrote this second letter, he was an old man, nearing death, having abided in Jesus faithfully for some 30 to 35 years. At the outset of this letter, he identified himself as a bondservant of Christ. A bondservant is one who surrenders wholly to another’s will, and thus devoted to another in disregard to his own interest. Peter serves as an excellent example of a bondservant.

The list of virtues in verses 5-7 are all related to the head of the list, faith. This list includes moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. In contrast to the list of virtues given by Peter, there is an almost inexhaustible list of evils of which man is capable. Some are found in Matthew 15:19, Romans 1:29-31, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and Galatians 5:19-21. The sermon last week delved deeply into moral excellence, so today we begin with knowledge.

I. Knowledge

In verses 5 and 6, Peter used the Greek word, gnosis for knowledge. Knowledge is the possession of information of what is known. Gnosis describes the comprehension or intellectual grasp of something, a personal practical understanding of something. In verses 2, 3, and 8 he used the word epignosis, which relates to a fuller understanding of something, more from a theoretical perspective. So epignosis is more related to theological knowledge whereas gnosis is more related to the practical application of knowledge. A knowledge of the doctrine of God, the doctrine of man, the doctrine of sin and salvation, etc. would be examples of Epignosis. A knowledge of how to live a moral life pleasing to God would be an example of Gnosis.

Gnosticism is a heretical sect which developed from Christianity claiming that spirit is good, but matter is evil. The Gnostics believed that things done by the body did not affect the spirit. Thus, they tolerated all forms of evil. They also believed that only those who possessed a special, secret, higher understanding were the truly enlightened. However, their knowledge was only from a human standpoint. Various cults exist today, claiming a special knowledge: faith healers, those claiming other extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, etc. Their knowledge is also based on a human understanding only. Human knowledge allows people to go to church, not feel bad about sin, not obey God, and still be called religious.  Other words from the root gnosis are Agnostic, with A meaning against knowledge, and Ignorance, meaning without knowledge.

Peter was preparing his readers for false prophets who would arise from within the church. In 2 Peter 2:1-3a, he said, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words.” Peter goes on to say that God did not spare angels when they sinned, and that God did not spare the world when He destroyed it in a flood. 2 Peter 2:9 says, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”

Gnosis is used 29 times in the New Testament, being found 16 times in 1^st and 2^nd Corinthians. In that church there was division and gross immorality. Paul was cautioning them to wake up, remember the truths of Christ, take to heart the words I have written you, and grow in your knowledge of God. Some examples of how Paul used Gnosis are as follows.

• 1 Corinthians 1:5 – In speech. Our words reflect a comprehension of the knowledge (Gnosis) of Christ as we communicate divine truth.
• 2 Corinthians 10:5 – We can destroy arguments against the knowledge (Gnosis) of God.
• Philippians 3:8 – Paul counted everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing (Gnosis) Christ.

God has allowed Paul to have epignosis, a full understanding of divine truths. So how do we attain such knowledge? Only as God supplies the knowledge. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:10, “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” He adds in verse 14 that “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them.” In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul wrote, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In 1 Corinthians 2:16, referring to believers he said, “But we have the mind of Christ.” The knowledge, which Paul and Peter are describing is a practical knowledge of things which are known, and this allows us to have a true knowledge (Epignosis) by the Holy Spirit so we can comprehend the depths of God and walk in faith. We understand moral right and wrong which can give us a clear biblical understanding of God’s truth and, thus, live by faith zealously for Christ.  We cooperate with the Holy Spirit when we:

1. Read and study the bible.
2. Teach what we learn.
3. Meditate on what we read and let what we read infiltrate our prayer life.
4. Fellowship in the body and grow in knowledge.
5. Submit to God.

II. Self-control

Self-control literally means having the power to rule over oneself. In the New Testament, it refers primarily to the inner power to control one’s own desires and appetites, and in context of having true spiritual knowledge (epignosis). Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato made self-control the basis and foundation of all virtues. These men lived hundreds of years before Christ and it is likely that Peter’s readers had some understanding of self-control, at least from a worldly perspective.

Self-control is used only three times in the New Testament: here, in Acts 24, and in Galatians 5. Acts 24 tells of Paul’s interrogation by Felix after being falsely accuse by the Jews of teaching against their religion and desecrating the temple. Felix was alarmed and he sent Paul away when he spoke concerning self-control. Felix understood the self-control to which Paul was speaking, for he had exercised no self-control when he fell to the temptation of Drusilla and coerced her away from her husband. How often do we, like Felix, hear the truth, reject the call to repent and harden our hearts because we don’t like what we hear?

The third use of self-control in the New Testament is in Galatians 5. In verse 16, Paul says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Paul lists characteristics of a person not walking by the Spirit: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Then he lists characteristics of the person who walks by the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.” Unbelievers do not have the Holy Spirit, so they cannot walk by the Spirit. Both Paul and Peter were writing to believers telling them to have self-control, crucify the flesh with its passions and desires, and live for Christ.

James warns “14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) Peter echoes a similar thought in 1 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” Joseph was a man with great self-control, for because of his desired to honor God he resisted the temptations by Potiphar’s wife. On the other hand, David, at times, was a man of little self-control, for he failed badly in the matter of Bathsheba. The temptation was not external, as in the case of Joseph, but was borne from within his own sinful desires. Solomon was a king who also often lacked self-control but, who guided by the Holy Spirit wrote: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Defenseless! Sinclair Furguson summed up temptation very well with his explanation of the 5 stages of temptation:  Attraction, deception, preoccupation, conception and subjugation which means (defeat with no freedom). When desire, temptation and opportunity meet, watch out!

By way of application:

1. God provides self-control, not our will power.
2. Be obedient to Christ.
3. Submit to God.

III. Perseverance:

Perseverance is hypomonē in the Greek and literally means abiding under, subjecting oneself to something which demands the submission of one's will to something against which one naturally would rebel. It depicts perseverance even against your own will while abiding under the strength of another. Hypomonē is also translated as endurance and as steadfastness. Hebrews 12:1-3 describes the perseverance of Jesus as, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus was fully God but also fully man. In His humanity, He did not want to drink the cup of God’s wrath (Luke 22:42) but, in His divinity, He persevered for the joy set before Him.

The joy that motivated Christ is that of bearing our sin, so that we can be reconciled to God, escape eternal punishment in hell, and worship and glorify God for all eternity. The work of Christ is captured in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” He endured the cross NOT because you have the right moral excellence in the flesh, knowledge of the world, enough self-control to make you “good” in the sight of man, or perseverance in your own strength.  NO, he endured the cross, despised the shame, and is seated triumphantly at the right hand of the throne of God, for you and me for all eternity. Christian perseverance is despising the sorrows of this world for the sake of glorifying God.

IV. Steadfastness

James 1:2-4 puts steadfastness in perspective when he wrote: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” We count it all joy through our trials because it tests our faith and produces steadfastness. When our steadfastness has its full effect it results in our sanctification, and this is the process of maturing in Christ. Our trials are not unknown to God and by his marvelous act of grace He will bring us to glory. We will then glorify him forever, through Jesus Christ, who endured the cross and bore our sins, becoming sin for us so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.

Why do believers desire to add these virtues of knowledge, self-control, and perseverance to their faith? 1 Peter 1:8-9 sums it up best: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Let us all abide in Christ so that we become more like Christ, and it can be said of us, we are Maturing in Christ.

Selah:

1. If your sanctification is limited by a lack of knowledge of how to live pleasing to God, how can you acquire the missing knowledge?
2. Are you lacking self-control in some area of your life? If so, what should you do?
3. How does abiding in Christ relate to your maturity?
4. If you are struggling with sin, what should you do to help persevere toward maturity in Christ?