ADD TO YOUR FAITH -- VIRTUE
Teaching 1
2 Peter 1:5-11
Expounds upon the importance of adding to your faith certain attributes that we should
develop in order to become overcoming Christians. The Bible says, the purpose of adding
these attributes is so that we will not be useless, unfruitful, blind, short-sighted, and fall back
into former sins. We need these virtues added to our faith in order to make our calling and
election sure, never stumbling.
We are going to study these attributes in detail so that we may know that we have them
operating in our own lives. We are told to diligently add these (meaning = steady, constant
in effort or exertion to accomplish what has been undertaken. Not stopping but keep on
persevering. We must do this attentively, industriously, not idly or negligently.
So it says, “ADD to your faith VIRTUE. In this place in the Bible in the Greek, it does NOT
mean bravery, strength or courage. Its meaning relates to “goodness”.
Virtue then is: a general moral goodness. For example, honesty, integrity, pity, justice,
fairness, kindness, generosity, chastity.
Chastity means abstinence from unlawful sexual activity. Freedom from obscenity in
language or conversation. Decency, modesty, lack of excess or lack of ornateness (in
adornment, getting a balance between nice looking and self consciousness).
Virtue is right action or thinking, and doing what is right because you know you should.
Perhaps we have made a commitment to do something for someone, and later we wished we
hadn’t made that commitment. You wish you could back out of it, but you don’t, because you
have virtue and want to do what is right because you know you should, more than you want
to yield to your own personal desires. Keeping your word, because you gave it, so you
follow through. Choosing right over wrong. Any good quality in a person is a virtue. The
Bible says in Proverbs 31, “She has many virtues” which means she has many good
qualities.
Virtues stem from an attitude of the heart and work its way out into an outward action. We
can in no way attain to virtue in ourselves. With all our efforts, New Years resolutions, white
knuckling or gritting our teeth we still fall flat.
We must see what virtue truly is. Look within ourselves then cry out, “Oh God!!! Help me!
This poor wretched sinner who can do nothing good apart from Thy grace, oh come,
empower me to do Thy will! Enable me to be virtuous and to show forth Thy mighty
workings in my life. That I might be seen to YOUR praise, and honor and glory! That people
might see my good works and glorify YOU who art my life and my portion”!
But remember He has promised in His Word, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will
and to do of his good pleasure” Phil 2:13.
All our goodness, all our good deeds and all our righteousness comes solely from God’s
grace and power working in and through us. He begins the work and we cooperate with that
grace and power to carry out His will! He then gets the glory and we can take no credit in
ourselves. For the Bible says, “our own righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), but we
have been given the “righteousness of Christ”! (Phil 1:11). When His grace and power
comes into us and we cooperate with this grace, we are transformed into new creatures
empowered by the living God inside of our beings, “Christ in you the hope of glory” with new
natures to become more and more conformed into the image of His Dear Son!
So seek to be virtuous in all areas of your life, examine your-selves that you are not found
wanting (or lacking). Pray over the areas that you miss the mark in diligently!
You HAVE THE POWER if you have Christ, He has “already given us the power to become
the sons of God” (John 1:12), and now it is up to us! So we must PRESS towards the mark
of the high calling in Christ Jesus in these areas, 1 Peter 1:15 says, “But just as he who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
and Scripture also says, “and God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into
the eternal kingdom of our lord and savior Christ Jesus.” II Peter 1:11
Teaching 1
2 Peter 1:5-11
Expounds upon the importance of adding to your faith certain attributes that we should
develop in order to become overcoming Christians. The Bible says, the purpose of adding
these attributes is so that we will not be useless, unfruitful, blind, short-sighted, and fall back
into former sins. We need these virtues added to our faith in order to make our calling and
election sure, never stumbling.
We are going to study these attributes in detail so that we may know that we have them
operating in our own lives. We are told to diligently add these (meaning = steady, constant
in effort or exertion to accomplish what has been undertaken. Not stopping but keep on
persevering. We must do this attentively, industriously, not idly or negligently.
So it says, “ADD to your faith VIRTUE. In this place in the Bible in the Greek, it does NOT
mean bravery, strength or courage. Its meaning relates to “goodness”.
Virtue then is: a general moral goodness. For example, honesty, integrity, pity, justice,
fairness, kindness, generosity, chastity.
Chastity means abstinence from unlawful sexual activity. Freedom from obscenity in
language or conversation. Decency, modesty, lack of excess or lack of ornateness (in
adornment, getting a balance between nice looking and self consciousness).
Virtue is right action or thinking, and doing what is right because you know you should.
Perhaps we have made a commitment to do something for someone, and later we wished we
hadn’t made that commitment. You wish you could back out of it, but you don’t, because you
have virtue and want to do what is right because you know you should, more than you want
to yield to your own personal desires. Keeping your word, because you gave it, so you
follow through. Choosing right over wrong. Any good quality in a person is a virtue. The
Bible says in Proverbs 31, “She has many virtues” which means she has many good
qualities.
Virtues stem from an attitude of the heart and work its way out into an outward action. We
can in no way attain to virtue in ourselves. With all our efforts, New Years resolutions, white
knuckling or gritting our teeth we still fall flat.
We must see what virtue truly is. Look within ourselves then cry out, “Oh God!!! Help me!
This poor wretched sinner who can do nothing good apart from Thy grace, oh come,
empower me to do Thy will! Enable me to be virtuous and to show forth Thy mighty
workings in my life. That I might be seen to YOUR praise, and honor and glory! That people
might see my good works and glorify YOU who art my life and my portion”!
But remember He has promised in His Word, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will
and to do of his good pleasure” Phil 2:13.
All our goodness, all our good deeds and all our righteousness comes solely from God’s
grace and power working in and through us. He begins the work and we cooperate with that
grace and power to carry out His will! He then gets the glory and we can take no credit in
ourselves. For the Bible says, “our own righteousness is as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6), but we
have been given the “righteousness of Christ”! (Phil 1:11). When His grace and power
comes into us and we cooperate with this grace, we are transformed into new creatures
empowered by the living God inside of our beings, “Christ in you the hope of glory” with new
natures to become more and more conformed into the image of His Dear Son!
So seek to be virtuous in all areas of your life, examine your-selves that you are not found
wanting (or lacking). Pray over the areas that you miss the mark in diligently!
You HAVE THE POWER if you have Christ, He has “already given us the power to become
the sons of God” (John 1:12), and now it is up to us! So we must PRESS towards the mark
of the high calling in Christ Jesus in these areas, 1 Peter 1:15 says, “But just as he who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
and Scripture also says, “and God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into
the eternal kingdom of our lord and savior Christ Jesus.” II Peter 1:11
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