Adding Knowledge

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER OF PETER

ADDING KNOWLEDGE

2 Peter 1:5-9

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

NIV

Alright, it looks like we are still going to have to make every effort or be diligent to add to our faith goodness, which we looked at and now we need to see how we have to add to that goodness or virtue, that high moral standard, knowledge. There is no other way to translate the Greek word other than knowledge, the act of knowing. However, what is at the center of Peter’s point is what that knowledge should be about. Because we are partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption of the world, we have to believe this knowledge has nothing to do with knowing about the world, but rather about the divine nature that resides within us. It is associated with our faith, which again is a gift from God. Therefore, if our faith is from God, and the only example of pure virtue is God, or we could say Jesus or the divine nature within us. How do we learn or add this knowledge about our divine nature? It can only be learned through the word of God, with the inspiration, or guidance from the Holy Spirit. We can listen to all we want to the words of men, and that is not saying we shouldn’t, but all men do not speak the truth. This even applies to godly men, as they are still men and thus fallible. We know this because we are fallible and we are also considered godly men, or people. That being godly is not to say we are holy and pure, although we are in the sight of God because we are in Christ, the meaning of godly is the opposite of being ungodly. That is we are either believers or non-believers, saved by grace or condemned by sin. Being godly simply means we are believers, it does not imply that we are perfectly holy, without sin. Nevertheless, let us consider the fact that even godly men do not always speak the truth. We know this by having listened to men who profess to be holy but speak of the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness to God. We also know there are ungodly men dressed in godly clothes, wolves in sheep’s clothing, with the purpose of destroying the flock. This is also why the Spirit brings his gift of discernment with him, so we can know the difference between those who speak the truth and those who just appear to speak the truth, but in actuality speak enticing words, lies to deceive the elect. Paul warned the Colossians about this very thing. Enticing words, the philosophies of the world, fine-sounding arguments, but in reality all lies, with just a smidgen of what sounds like the truth so to entice us to listen. But we know that we are better off listening to that still small voice within, the Spirit speaking into our being, discernment regarding the words we hear from the voice of men. Those who we know speak the truth, we should hear, those who speak lies, we should close up our ears, our hearts, our minds, to not to be deceived. This applies even more to those who write words. There is a multitude of writings available and many are from those who profess some affiliation with the community of faith. Again, we have to rely on the Spirit to discern which writings are helpful in adding knowledge about the divine nature, and which are not helpful, but they only attempt to persuade us to their point of view. Having His divine nature within us, applying ourselves diligently to virtuous attitudes and behaviors, we now open our hearts to the Spirits calling to the knowledge of how this divine nature works within us, as we gain knowledge of Christ.