Category: Christian Living

The final characteristic Peter urges us to add to our faith is love. Love is the finest quality of God that we must seek to duplicate in our lives. John, who is often called the apostle of love, wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7) To love as God has loved will take our whole lives to develop. This love will motivate us to add and strengthen the other characteristics.

Great love will strengthen our faith for we will endure many trials for the God whom we love. Our love for God, and the desire to be like Him, will motivate us to perfect moral excellence in our lives. Our knowledge should grow because, since we love God, we would want to know all we can about Him and His will for us. We will gain strength for self-control because we do not want to disappoint God and we know the importance of self-control in developing holiness. Our love for God will cause us to persevere amid trials, fatigue, and persecutions because we know Jesus persevered through His love for us. Love is certainly the motivation behind godliness because as our love grows, our focus centers on God.

Finally, love strengthens our brotherly kindness because, as John said, “…he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” (1 John 4:20).

Love does not depend on the recipient loving us in return. God loved us when we were rebellious against Him, Romans 5:8. Jesus died on the cross while those for whom He died mocked Him and spat upon Him. We will sometimes show great love towards others and receive very little love (perhaps even hatred) in return. When this happens to us, we get a small idea of God’s love for us. If we love others so that we may receive love, we miss the point of love.

Jesus commanded us to love our enemies. As noted before, God loved us, and Jesus died for us, while we were sinners—rebels. Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:44-45. It is a difficult command to love those who abuse us. Jesus forgave His enemies who nailed Him to the cross and, while on the cross, saved the thief that at one time mocked Him. If our Savior showed this love, we must too. If we only love those who love us, what do we do more than others? Matthew 5:47.

We must have sacrificial love. God’s love was so strong that He gave His Son to die for us, John 3:16. Imagine a love that would require you to give your son. Abraham was prepared to offer Isaac at the command of God. His love was such that he would withhold nothing from God. Yet Abraham knew the character of God and expected that God could even raise Isaac from the dead if he wanted, Hebrews 11:17-19. We must sacrifice our time to do the will of God and to strengthen these characteristics in our lives. We must sacrifice our money in order to help the work of the Lord. We must sacrifice some relationships if they will draw us away from God. We must sacrifice ourselves because ultimately our love for God should be greater than our love for self. Moreover, in losing ourselves in God, we will find ourselves.

Finally, we should love souls as God does. We should want all men to be saved and act consistently with that goal. We should teach those who are lost and reach out to those who are erring (James 5:19-20; Jude 22). Whether we are teaching, rebuking, or arguing our case from the word of God, we must speak in love (2 Timothy 2:22-26; Ephesians 4:15).

It is an eternal characteristic for “love never fails.”

In Peter’s list of characteristics, the previous traits have primarily focused on change within the individual and his relationship with God. Brotherly kindness is a characteristic that extends to God’s people. It is an active show of affection towards one’s brethren.

Like the other graces, this one relates to the previous traits. Our faith binds us as brethren and it is natural that brotherly kindness would characterize those whom God has called together into one body. Moral excellence demands that we maintain proper relationships with one another and encourage our brother’s morality. Brotherly kindness helps us temper our knowledge so that we do not use it to hurt our brethren, 1 Corinthians 8.

Self-control is essential in close relationships with our brethren. We must watch our tongues and our actions so that we do not sin against the brethren. Patience strengthens brotherly kindness in longsuffering. We have to be patient with our brother’s spiritual growth and in times of disagreement. Through all of our brotherly relationships, godliness helps us see our brother from God’s perspective—as a soul needing salvation—and realize that we are all one in Christ.

We demonstrate brotherly kindness by proper displays of affection. In some cultures, people welcome each other with kisses on each cheek. Other cultures bow in respect. In our culture, we shake hands with one another to show affection. Romans 12:10 tells us to be “kindly affectionate to one another and honor each other.” Rudeness is unacceptable at any time but especially among those claiming to be one body united under Jesus.

This is not to say that we will always agree with one another. When we disagree, we should go to our brethren and try to work out the problem. If it is a spiritual matter, Jesus has prescribed steps that we must take to resolve the sin, Matthew 18:15-17. If we ignore it, we put his soul in peril and we will have to answer for our negligence, James 5:19-20. If the disagreement is a personal matter, work it out so that malice and bitterness does not develop. Of course, personal matters should never become a cause for division in the Lord’s body. Paul warned, in Galatians 5:13-15, that we must not “bite and devour one another lest we be consumed.” In hurting others, we hurt ourselves.

We show brotherly kindness in kind deeds particularly in a time of need. We are taught by God to love one another, 1 Thessalonians 4:9. Jesus proved His love for us by dying for us; therefore, we ought to be willing to die for our brethren, 1 John 3:16. However, it is unlikely that our love will require the extreme sacrifice. Perhaps we will need to sacrifice some of our possessions to help our brethren, James 2:14-17. We might need to sacrifice our time to show concern for our brethren. In all things, we should not shut our hearts up to our brethren, 1 John 3:17.

If we do not have love for the brethren, we have no love for God, 1 John 3:10. If we do love our brethren, it is to be an “unfeigned” or genuine love, 1 Peter 1:22. And that love should be shown in brotherly kindness.

In previous posts, we have studied how one builds the Christian character on the foundation of faith in God. One adds excellent morals, knowledge of God’s word, the ability to control oneself in the boundaries of God’s laws, and the perseverance to endure until the end. These characteristics depend on one another for optimal growth. To these gifts, we must add godliness. Certainly, if we add all of the characteristics of 2 Peter 1, we will be like Christ. However, godliness, in this context, does not mean to be like God but rather to direct our attention towards God or to have reverence.

Directing our focus to God directs and strengthens the other characteristics. Faith must be directed heavenward, Hebrews 11:6. Moral excellence for its own sake may bring praise from men but one would probably discard it at the first ethical conflict. A person with moral excellence based on reverence will choose to do right even when it is not in his personal best interest to do so. Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up but love edifies.” Knowledge by itself is valuable, but better is a desire to know the will of God and to know about God Himself. Self-control is admirable in any person but God wants us to exercise self-control because of our desire to please Him. Perseverance truly finds its strength in godliness for by looking to God and the home He has prepared for us, we can endure many trials throughout life.

How does one develop godliness? It begins with keeping God in our daily lives. When we rise for the day, we should begin with prayer. When we bed down for the night, we should pray to the Father. Throughout the day, we should pray to Him. His word must speak to us during the day. We can read a passage and meditate on it throughout the day. We should also look for ways to show Christ living in us to others. Our speech, manner, and honesty will either demonstrate godliness or betray it.

When we make decisions, we should decide in a way that pleases God. Our business, social, and personal life should reflect one who is trying to be like Jesus. Just as the moon does not generate light but reflects the light from the sun, so should the Christian look to God for guidance and “let his light shine before men.” When Moses was in the presence of God at Mt. Sinai, his face shone. The people were frightened and asked Moses to wear a veil when he spoke to them. Though our face will not shine like Moses, it ought to be evident to all people that we have an intimate relationship with God. Like the apostles, people should know that we have been with Jesus, Acts 4:13.

A life directed towards God will progress towards Him. When we take our eyes away from God, it is easy to get distracted with the allurements of the world. As the Hebrew writer said, we can drift away from that salvation. When our focus is heavenward, our earthly ties become weaker. It is this attitude that characterized many men and women of faith who, leaving their homelands on earth, confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims traveling to their heavenly city to a God who is not ashamed of them (Hebrews 11:13-16). Let us fix our eyes on God and journey to that heavenly city, following the way paved by His Son.

One of the great challenges of the Chrsitian life is understanding that it is a marathon, not a sprint. There are moments where we can attain spiritual heights that we wish would last our lifetime. However, the ebb and flow of life means that not only will those spiritual heights not last, but may be followed by great spiritual challenges. After His baptism and the heavenly proclamation of a Father’s pride for His beloved Son, Jesus went to the trial of the wilderness to be tested by Satan for 40 days. After the glorious defeat of Baal’s prophets by the mighty hand of God, Elijah was on the run wondering if he was the only one who remained faithful among God’s people. When you are soaring spiritually, enjoy the feel of peace and joy but do not be disappointed when a great challenge converges onto your path. Likewise, when you are in the depths of struggle and despair, know that you will be able to stand on the higher ground of spiritual delight again.

Various translations render this word perseverance, patience, and steadfastness. It is the ability to not give up despite the obstacles in your path or the voice within that calls for you to quit. I’m not surprised that this characteristic is listed after self-control since changes in our lives based on the knowledge of God’s word require us to be patient with ourselves as we break bad habits or try to develop consistent good behaviors like daily prayer and study. We must be patient with ourselves as we grow spiritually. It will take a lifetime for us to develop all of these characteristics and it may take much time before we see the maturity in our own lives. More often, though, others will see great progress in our lives faster than we will see it in ourselves.

You will also need this perseverance to remain holy when your friends are indulging in sexual immorality, partying, and following the passions of this world. It may be tough when they appear to be having fun and you feel you are needlessly denying yourself pleasure. If those who claim to be Christians and doing these things it can be tougher not to join in. It takes perseverance to trust God (to “wait on the Lord” as the Psalmist says) and His way knowing that if you follow His guidance you will be much happier and avoid needless guilt, shame, and often physical consequences associated with these destructive behaviors. I have lost count of the number of people who I’ve talked with who had carried the burden of a life given to sin into adulthood and created avoidable difficulties in their marriages and sense of spiritual wholeness. God is merciful and will forgive but as the old proverb teaches, you can choose your actions but you cannot choose your consequences. Let patience develop within you and choose actions that avoid a sinful life that you may enjoy the positive consequences of your actions. 1 Peter 4:1-11 should be a passage that will encourage you to remain holy when tempted by so many people living a foolish life.

We must have the perseverance to continue faithful until death, especially if persecution for your faith might result in death. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, Peter acknowledges that Christians will have to endure trials and persecutions. However, he describes this as a blessed condition because one is sharing in the suffering of Christ. We will strengthen our patience by enduring trials and overcoming temptation according to James. As with trusting God’s path to avoid immorality, we can endure persecution if we will entrust our lives to God’s loving care. This trust gave Paul confidence as his life was about to come to a violent end. Those who patiently trust God can endure suffering and persecution for they know a crown of life awaits.

When developing patience, understand that you do not have to develop it alone. We have a family of God for support in our time weakness and to encourage us to remain faithful when tempted and tested. Perhaps our perseverance would improve greatly if we made ourselves accountable to a fellow brother or sister in Christ to overcome a particular weakness or strengthen a virtue. Faithful brethren should rally one another in the face of the enemy and watch for those who are growing fainthearted. Build relationships with those who will help you develop perseverance.

Above all, perseverance helps us to endure when we fall. It doesn’t matter if you fall a thousand times as long as you get up each time you fall. Many years ago I read a thought that over time has helped me greatly in developing patience with myself. Essentially the author said that our great frustration is that we can’t live always like we can live sometimes. I used to beat myself up when I couldn’t live every days with the zeal, service, and passion that I enjoyed on certain days. Then I realized that no one is able to always live every day like they do on some special days. However, I can still live one day at a time to the best that I can for that day and look forward to those special days when it seems like everything is in perfect order. Perseverance helps me keep that focus.

Perseverance or steadfastness is necessary because sometimes we must hold on when there appears no reason to do so because we trust in God to make everything work out for the good, Romans 8:28. It reminds me of the encouragement of Rudyard Kipling in his poem “If” to hold on, sometimes, only for the sake of holding on:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

Those who wait on the Lord and persevere will enjoy a better life on this earth and a joyful eternity with God.

BONUS: My pump up video when I feel like giving up:  Warhawk Matt Scott

If you have ever been to a circus, I am sure you were amazed at the lion tamers. A man or a woman stands in a cage surrounded by several lions. The lions respond to the trainers commands and perform tricks for the audience. The lions have incredible strength and could tear the trainer to pieces. However, the trainer has brought the power of the lion under control and directs his actions as he desires.

Christians must perform similar feats in living a godly life. We have desires that we must master. We have the ability to destroy others, but must restrain ourselves. We might be lazy or procrastinate regarding something we should be doing and must motivate ourselves to be diligent servants. We must train and control these desires, like the lion tamer controls the wild animals, and bring them under the control of a spirit dedicated to Jesus.

Christians must control their tongues. The tongue is truly like a wild beast that can destroy others and our own soul. In James 3:1-12, James warns that although it is small, the tongue can curse men and God and we cannot tame it. We must try to control it to the best of our ability. We must not curse others or speak evil of them. Our tongue must be used for edification and blessing. We train our tongue by resisting the temptation to gossip, curse, lie, and insult others. We try to find good things to say about others. We seek words that will encourage our brethren as they journey towards heaven. When we must offer a rebuke, we do so with humility, meekness, and love, considering their soul’s welfare.

We must also control our desires. The Devil will use our desires to draw us away from God, James 1:14. It is not wrong to have desires, but it is wrong to have them directed at things God has forbidden. For example, physical desire for my spouse is permitted; coveting my neighbor’s wife is not. Our desires can seem as strong, but we can be stronger. God will give us the strength to endure temptation. We may have to get ourselves out of the situation or call someone to help us through the tough time. However, we can endure and we must overcome evil desire.

A Christian must also control his temper. James wrote, “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” In some situations, such as in business, it is acceptable, perhaps even expected, that a person will lose his temper. However, even if the world accepts such behavior, the Christian, who is not of the world, should keep his temper under control. He may get angry, but he must express his anger in an approved and dignified manner that does not demean or injure others. It is not the anger that is wrong; it is the improper expression of anger. Though it might lash out like a wild beast, the Christian must bring his temper under the control of his spirit.

Finally, we must consider positive self-control; we might call this self-direction. Self-control is not concerned only with restraint but with action. God commands us to do many things that may seem difficult or potentially embarrassing. However, we must overcome our fears and anxieties and do what God has commanded us to do. We might be scared to call a sick brother or sister, fearful that we might say the wrong thing or not know what to say. We must overcome that fear and choose to do what we know God wants us to do. Self-control will allow us to limit activities that take us away from Bible study, prayer, edifying our family and loved ones, and direct our efforts towards these godly pursuits. Self-control will encourage us to study or pray when we really do not feel like it. Like a dreaded workout, we often find after starting what we tried to avoid, we are happy and thankful that we did it.

Add self-control to your faith, and see your faith grow.