Growing in Christ Part 9

2 Peter 1:5-7, “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.”

Each time I read Peter’s edifying counsel on how we as believers ought to continually grow and mature in Christ, I get a flash, an image of a house being steadily built. I see the foundation which is faith perfectly laid out before me, and a man with a stack of bricks beside him, trowel in hand, and plenty of mortar for the job methodically going about the task of laying the bricks one at a time.

Unless you’re buying a house from some disreputable outfit whose only interest is turning a profit, chances are you will be methodical when it comes to the sort of materials you use, as well as making sure everything is built according to the blueprints.

It is not something you do just to get done, nor is it something you rush in any form or fashion because it is a far wiser thing to take an extra breath and make sure you’re doing it as you ought than having to tear down what you built and begin anew.

One realizes upon undertaking the task of building a home that they are building something permanent. Because it is something they will likely occupy all their lives most people take great care that it’s done right and that the home is built with a sense of permanence.

When it comes to building up their spiritual homes, it would seem that nowadays people would rather just wing it and play it by ear than take the time to study out the instructions and be diligent in making sure it is done right.

The Word of God is the blueprint for our spiritual house. Absent the knowledge of the Word of God, absence the adherence to the instructions found therein, whatever spiritual house we attempt to build, it will not be up to specifications, nor will it suffice when the Inspector comes to see what we have built.

Now that we’ve added to our faith virtue, and we strive to live by the moral standard to which the children of God are expected to live, Peter continues his spiritual advice and encourages us to add to our virtue knowledge.

The first and most obvious question is knowledge of what exactly?

What knowledge is Peter referring to?

There are different kinds of knowledge, and there are different sources of knowledge, but knowing Peter to be a simple, practical man lacking formal education we come to understand the knowledge he speaks of here is not book knowledge, or knowledge of some discipline or another, but knowledge of God, the Word of God, the kingdom of God, and the will of God.

When Peter admonished us to add to our virtue knowledge, it was not knowledge of how to fish or what bait to use since this was his profession; it was knowledge of the singularly priceless truth of Christ Jesus and His sacrifice on behalf of mankind.

No other knowledge is worth pursuing or using as one of the bricks in our spiritual house than the knowledge of Christ.

Even Paul the Apostle whose earthly knowledge exceeded that of Peter, who was educated and well versed in ways Peter was not, had the singular desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.

Upon beginning to acquire knowledge of Jesus, upon beginning to grow in Him, we come to the realization that there is always more of Him to discover, always more of Him to understand in a deeper fashion, and this keeps the fire of our desire for more of Him burning bright.

It is only those who have never known the beauty of Jesus, those who thought they had met Him but never truly did that insist other pursuits are just as fulfilling and just as nourishing to the human soul.

Once of you’ve met Jesus, truly met Him, you will understand that there is nothing in the universe that comes close to equaling the knowledge of Him in all His glory.

With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.