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Supplication of Character
My intention with my content and my conviction is to present that which is vital not from my perspective, not from my point of view or circumstance, but from a biblical, God-centered, Christ-like viewpoint. Because my eyes and my heart are skewed by this world and the mortal sinful flesh I inhabit.
So, as we did in the first part of “The Every Effort” we will search the bible, God’s Word, to see what we are to do, how we are to live, and how we ought to act.
Previously we looked at 2 Peter 1:5-8, and it gave us a unique challenge; to supplement our faith with six attributes. We discussed how our faith, first and foremost, is the basis of these attributes. Without that foundation of faith, these six attributes are meaningless and unfruitful.
Today, I will attempt to give you reasons, primarily biblical, to develop these attributes. I will do my best to give context where needed and ultimately share what the Lord has called us to supplement our faith with.
Virtue
As we see a resurgence of self-improvement philosophies, namely Stoicism and its offshoots, virtue is an area of focus that is at the forefront. While I am not here to argue the points those philosophies put forth, I am here to give you my take, rather a biblical take, on virtue.
For the lay of the layman such as myself, it is required to define some of the words, especially as they are translations of Hebrew or, in this case, greek. Also note, we are taking these words from 2 Peter 1:5-8.
As it appears, the word used in Greek is,
ἀρετήν (aretēn)
Varying in definitions, but all boil down to excellence. We see further examples of the excellence required of the men of God.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Yet, I am left asking after these examples. What is excellence, and to whom? Luckily, the bible was written by those far wiser and inspired than me, answering only a few verses back from our original. In it we see how our excellence is to be measured and by what our excellence, our virtue, is to be weighed against.
2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.
We are called to the standard of excellence, the virtue, of God.
Knowledge
Second, we have the supplication of knowledge. A call to know God and His word. To know the role has for you. It has been said that knowledge is power, but I say knowledge reveals powerlessness. In this state, we become susceptible to a further revelation, truth.
This is why the pursuit of knowledge is so enticing to the point of madness, we seek to find the truth, but once found we realize it wasn’t the truth we were looking for. Quite the paradox, for what is truthful must be true unless it isn’t true for us. It seems we have become hypocrites to our own processes.
The God we serve is the God of truth, we are to find his truth and not ours. Remember that how you do anything is how you do everything.
We are supplementing our faith, and if we lack any knowledge of the bible, of God and his authority, essence, and majesty, Jesus and the salvation he brought, and the death he defeated, we strip away what God has given us. We are saved by grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8), but faith without works is dead (James 2:14) and that work is knowledge and wisdom, something that even Solomon, even before his gifts and in his ignorance, knew was of the utmost importance.
We are called to the truth of God.
Self-Control
In a world where we have best-selling books on how to stop scrolling on our phones, entire generations growing up having spent more time in front of a screen than with their parents, self-control is not something that even seems to be part of the conversation.
We have mistaken, rather distorted, personal freedom and permissibility with overindulgence. And this isn't something new, it’s a problem now and was a problem for the church in Corinth in the apostle Paul’s day.
Relational division, all kinds of immorality, and sin tainted the church. A divide that Paul was all too familiar with. The letters to the Corinthian church are not only a pleading to outwardly display virtue but to seek the truth that was, is, and will be true.
Though primarily for ourselves, it also serves as a living and glaring visual testimony to others that our temperance is an extension of our faith.
1 Corinthians 9:22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
All things
All people
All means
Every effort
I leave you with Paul’s words in the closing of the ninth chapter,
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
We are called to control that which is corrupted.
Steadfastness
Interesting fact, this was the word that our high school student body came up with to represent us for our graduation. The year prior it was “Be Legendary.” So, needless to say, I wasn’t a fan of our seemingly inferior adjective.
The Bible frequently mentions the believers as being like that of a tree or sometimes the branches of a vine (John 15:5-6) and it is a fitting comparison. Steadfastness is to remain, and reside in Christ alone, like a tree planted by the water with deep roots, constantly refreshed, unmoving, and unshaken.
We come back to the Corinthians in,
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Like a tree we are to be immovable in our convictions, rooted with knowledge, tempering ourselves with self-control so our excellence, our virtue, showers God with praise.
We are called to be firmly rooted.
Godliness
As I got to this section in my research I simply wrote ‘hardest to exemplify’ and got stuck on what it means to have godliness. So, as per usual I gravitated towards understanding the basics first.
εὐσέβειαν (eusebeian)
As soon as those definitions and synonyms were revealed I understood, perhaps only in part, what it meant to have godliness. Reverence.
It was relational. Real, true, vital, and spiritual relation with God. It is holding faith, and being utterly dependent on Him.
Perhaps godliness is simply the acknowledgment, not acceptance, of the sinner we are and the peace experience, and tranquility we exude when we realize that we are saved regardless. The moment we realize how truly insignificant we are to the Holiest of the Holy, yet He has still prepared a place for us. To know that God stands atop and we are below, but still are not forgotten.
There is truly no one better to describe what godliness is than Paul (again),
1 Timothy 1:12-17 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
We are called to glorify.
I will conclude with this, and yes I am aware I missed Brotherly Affection and love, but I think that the greatest commands deserve their own page. We are called to the excellence of God, to the truth of God, to control what is corrupted, to be firmly rooted, and to glorify. Seems easy, right? I think the point is that we will never be able to live up to any of these things, but God, in all his wisdom and power made it so that we have a way. Now, that in no way nullifies these supplementary actions, but elevates our need for our perfect God.
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