Peter's Building Blocks series Archives

Peter’s Building Blocks: Brotherly Kindness

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 2 Peter 1:5-7

Brotherly kindness,
Brotherly affection.
The Greek is philadelphia.

It is the distinctive way
The church loves and cares
For one another.

Matthew Henry says we recognize
We are children of the same Father
Servants of the same master
Members of the same family
Travelers to the same country
Heirs to the same inheritance

But it is a righteous love
A love that cannot bear sin in the body
Because of the pain and consequences it brings.

John says you cannot say you love God
And not love your fellow believers.
(1 John 4:20-21)

He also affirms that love
For our brothers and sisters
is evidence, confirmation,
Assurance that we are saved.
(1 John 3:14)

The proof we love other believers…
Showing brotherly kindness.

Peter’s Building Blocks: Godliness

By Paula Wiseman

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 2 Peter 1:5-6

Godliness
In English, it means piety or devotion to God.
Devotion to keeping His standards.
Devotion to worshiping Him.

For the Greeks, it was eusebeia.
It meant performing all the rituals the pagan gods required.
So for the early Christians living in a Greek culture
It came to mean living the kind of life that pleases God.

We are dead to self.
We do whatever the Father gives us to do.
We honor Him with our goals,
Our attitudes, our daily activities.

It is a recognition that following Christ
Is all of life.
It is not just for Sundays and holidays.

The thing is, Peter says in v. 3
“His divine power has given to us all things
That pertain to life and godliness.”
We. Already. Have. It.

What excuse do we have for not living it?

Peter’s Building Blocks: Perseverance

By Paula Wiseman

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 2 Peter 1:5-6

Perseverance.
Endurance.
Patience.
Steadfastness.

In hard times.
Lean times.
Times of aggravation and oppression.
Times of suffering and uncertainty.

It is hupomone.
It is looking beyond the present.
It is knowing the sufferings of this world are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18).

It is resisting temptation.
Standing strong in the face of opposition or threats.
It is not backing down or slinking away.

Perseverance is clinging to God’s sovereignty and His justice.
It is following Christ’s example.

“[W]ho 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.” Hebrews 12:2

Bottom line: Persevere
Keep doing what you’re doing (1 Cor. 4:12).
He will give you the strength (Phil 4:13).
Don’t grow weary (Heb. 12:3).
It is worth it (1 Timothy 4:10).

Peter’s Building Blocks: Self-Control

By Paula Wiseman

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 2 Peter 1:5-6

Faith, then virtue and knowledge
Then self-control.
The Greek is egkrateia.

It means gaining mastery over our sinful desires.
It is saying “no” to the self.
And … it is hard.

Culture celebrates indulgence.
“You deserve it. You’ve earned it.
Shouldn’t you be happy?”

Mountains of debt.
Prevalent obesity.
Widespread immorality.
Self-control is clearly not our strong suit.

But believers have help.
Self-control is a Fruit of the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit can give us the discipline we don’t have.

We have the freedom to serve God.
We can obey His instructions.
We can escape temptation.
We can exercise self-control.

If I have saving faith.
Then I should pursue moral excellence
I should diligently increase my knowledge of Christ, His words, and His character.
So then I should exercise the necessary discipline and self-control needed
To conform to His image.

Peter’s Building Blocks: Knowledge

By Paula Wiseman

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 2 Peter 1:5

Saving faith forms the solid foundation
The next block is virtue, moral excellence
Then we add knowledge.

The Greek is gnosis.
But it’s not secret, special revelation
It’s not Gnostic.
It’s not only for an initiated, select few.

It is knowledge of divine truth.
It is having a mind filled
With the truth of Scripture.

Paul tells us to study, (2 Timothy 2:15)
To handle the Word of God accurately and confidently.
He also agrees knowledge follows virtue (Romans 15:14).

But Jesus promised we’d have help.
The Holy Spirit teaches us. (John 14:26)
And Paul modeled how we pray for each other to gain knowledge. (Colossians 1:9)
(Do we pray for that?)

Adding knowledge requires study,
Meditation,
Discernment
Application.

In a word, it requires diligence.

If we don’t give it any effort, Peter says,
We’re useless and unfruitful.
Shortsighted, to the point of blindness.
We’ve forgotten we were cleansed from our old sins. (2 Peter 1:8-9)

Paul says we have been given
“The mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16)
We have the blocks.
What will we build with them?

Peter’s Building Blocks: Virtue

By Paula Wiseman

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 2 Peter 1:5

In verses 3 and 4, Peter summarizes what Christ has done
What we have gained.

Because of that, he says,
Give all diligence, make every effort
To add to your faith,
To build on its foundation,
(Not as a requirement, but as a response.)

Add Virtue.

The Greek is arete.
It is moral superiority.
But not the sanctimonious kind.

It is excellence in meeting the standards God has set.
It is Christ-likeness in our daily lives,
In every situation that we face.

It is our speech. It is our decisions.
It is our responses to good and bad.
It is our thoughts. It is purity.
It is uncompromising.

It is a high standard, requiring hard work, no doubt.
But it is a Holy Spirit thing.
He enables us to do it.
We yield to Him instead of our own nature.

It is countercultural.
Culture has moral relativism, situation ethics,
Following the heart, looking out for number one.

Peter says, “You have Christ. Act like it!”
The first block is moral excellence.
The first block is Virtue.