You already have all you need
The good news is that you already have been given everything you need to grow into the fullness of Christ. We have already seen the Bible’s teaching that immaturity is the result of resisting God’s word. God gives us over to sinful desires ONLY after we have refused the love of the truth. Those who Jesus said are on the outside cannot know the kingdom truths because they did not seek to understand the word. But to those who do want to seek, do want to apply, and do want to build themselves upon the most holy faith God has given, the promise of 2 Peter 1:2-11 should be a great encouragement. It’s a long passage, and is packed with encouraging promises.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Notice what identifies those who are multiplied with grace and peace. It is knowledge. Not just knowledge of information, but knowledge of God. Knowledge of the word is the foundation of understanding. You can have knowledge without understanding, but you cannot have understanding without knowledge of God through his word.
Only when we apply ourselves to the word do we see the promises beginning to flow. It should be a great encouragement for every believer to see that we have been given ALL things that pertain to life and godliness. It is by God’s divine nature we have been given these things. These are not things we have earned, created, or established by our own efforts. This is the completed work of God, given to us by grace, so we can live a full and victorious Christian life.
Once again, we see the precept upon precept concept taught. God isn’t telling us to instantly become a super Christian, nor are we commanded to make all these things part of our life without having the mercy of God during our growth. We are taught to add one thing upon the other. First, have knowledge of God and of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Through the knowledge of the word, we are called into glory and virtue. The word ‘by’ in verse 3 is the word ‘dia’, which means ‘by means of’. In other words, by the means of God’s glory and virtue, we have been called into this life of godliness. It is not your glory, but God’s. It is not your virtue, but God’s. Virtue means, moral excellence. This is the place where the Christian walk begins. God redeems us out of corruption, places us into his glory and we are morally excellent because we have the righteousness of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21). We are then called to walk on the path God has placed us upon by our faith in Christ.
Once we have been called through God’s divine power and placed into the Christian life, we then have a new calling. We have already been given the promises and have the right to become a partaker of God’s divine nature, and this becomes our foundation of strength by which we escape the corruption of lust, and begin to apply God’s word to our lives.
It is for this reason we give all diligence to begin adding to the attributes of Christ to our faith. We can only do these things after we have been called by God’s glory and virtue. Only then do we have the power to add anything of the Spirit to our lives. We must first be a partaker of Christ before we can live the Christian life. Until we are born into the Spirit, we cannot receive the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). Once we have this gift of eternal life, we have all we need to begin, and fulfill, the life of godliness.
At this point we have our first warning. We must give all diligence. Diligence means to strive earnestly to accomplish something. It is to wrestle against the odds to complete a task. It is not a Christian sitting in a pew, listening idly and hoping something happens. It is a Christian who hears the word, digs in deeper, and seeks to know how to make these things a part of his or her own life. It is a Christian who refuses to settle for the status quo, will not just go through the motions, but determines to apply these things, even if they must sacrifice everything to receive it. This is the person who will see God move in their life.
Notice, we are not asked to add faith to our lives, nor grow our faith. Faith is part of God’s gift of grace. Faith is given, and then we walk in faith by believing God and putting our trust in his word. It is through faith that we apply the word to our lives. Through great diligence, the Christian striving for the promises will begin the process of adding precept upon precept. They have their God given faith, and they do not despise the birthright they have been given. Instead, they strive to add virtue to their faith. But don’t we already have virtue as stated in verse 3? In some ways, yes. We are partakers of God’s virtue, but we then seek to make this a part of our own life. In the past, we have lived in the flesh and obeyed its sinful desires, but now we are establishing our lives in the moral excellence of God. We root out the things that corrupt so we can add God’s virtue to our faith and have our life established in that same moral excellence.
Upon that precept, we are then commanded to add knowledge to our life of moral excellence. But wait, didn’t verse 3 also say we were called into this faith by knowledge of Christ? Yes. Now we are called to diligently study the word so we can have the knowledge to live the Christian life. Knowledge of the cross is the light that leads us to Christ. Now knowledge becomes the light to walk in His ways. This is where the average Christian stops growing. It takes time and effort to study the word. Sometimes the word offends, and we are called to wrestle with the word. As we struggle through the resistance of our own ways, the word begins to grow in our hearts and minds. This opens the door for the remaining precepts we are called to add. Self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love are all part of our daily struggles in life. As the word increases, we must decrease. Only then can we give up our selfish ways to fulfill these things in our Christian walk.
After these things are fulfilled, we get to the real promises! Do you realize that if you surrender your life in obedience, you don’t have to worry about accomplishing anything for God? Fruit is a natural by product of the obedient Christian life. You will never be barren nor unfruitful. Nor will you ever stumble again. These things are promises to you. The word ‘stumble’ is the Greek word ‘pote’. It means to fall back into your former ways. It doesn’t mean you won’t have times of struggling, or blow it from time to time. It does mean that you won’t fall back into your former ways when your flesh ruled your life, and you loved the things that have no eternal significance.
Then the greatest promise of all is given. An entrance will be supplied to you ABUNDANTLY into the everlasting kingdom of Christ. It’s God’s desire to give you his kingdom, and the Lord wants nothing less for you than for you to see the doors of heaven swing wide open to welcome you in. This is a promise given to every Christian and is within the grasp of every believer. The only way you can miss this promise is to neglect these things God has already provided to you. Those who lack, do so because they have closed their eyes, forgot the cleansing of the Lord, and love the world and their lives in the flesh. Those who neglect what God provides will see it slip away from their grasp and will become an example of those who had what little they had taken away.
This isn’t promised to a special elite class of people, this was written to the church and intended to be instructions to the congregations. It is to the average church member – the everyday, common believer – which we all are, whether we realize it or not.
The good news is that we are not dependent on someone with a special anointing to impart a secret spiritual gift. We are not dependent on special revelation from someone who claims to have secret knowledge. Nor are we dependent on being a member of a spirit filled church. Anybody in any church can have these things, for they are promises given to every believer who obeys the word.
I once had someone tell me that God will never allow you to grow beyond the level of your leaders. Thank God that isn’t true, nor is any such thing remotely implied in the scriptures. If it were true, each time a pastor fell or stagnated, the congregation would be doomed. According to Psalm 119, God, through his word, makes us wiser than those who oppose us, gives us more understanding than our teachers, and even gives us a better understanding than the wisdom of leaders of the past. And it is all dependent upon one thing – we keep his precepts.
Teachers, preachers, prophets, or any other church leader cannot give you wisdom. Only the Lord gives wisdom and out of his mouth come knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2). Once again, this promise is only given to those who obey the word of God. It is given by God, not by any leader. Look at 1 John 2:20, 26-27”
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
…
26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
I often say this, but I’ll say it again here. I can’t teach anyone how to understand God. I can teach biblical principles that lead to understanding. I can share my knowledge which is based on my own understanding. But only God can open the eyes and enlighten the heart. Hearing is not enough; it has to be mixed with faith. Hebrews 4:2 says that many heard the word, but it didn’t profit them because it wasn’t mixed with faith. By faith, we receive the word and submit our hearts to God. Then we have the promise that God anoints us by His Spirit to understand the word and the deeper spiritual truths He has hidden for us to discover.
This promise wasn’t written to the leaders of the church. It was written to the new Christian, or who John called, “My little children.” You are not dependent on any anointed person or leader. You have the power to know, understand, and live by the word of God without the need of a teacher. It is the Holy Spirit that anoints each person and gives each person the ability to understand the word. And He will do so to everyone who heeds the word.
God does indeed call teachers, preachers, evangelists, and other leaders, but it is not to make dependents, but rather to equip the saints and teach them how to draw close to Christ so they can fulfill their own ministry while edifying each other (See Ephesians 4:11-16). The role of these leaders is not to be the source of knowledge or anointing, but to bring the church into constant remembrance, and to teach the young Christian how to walk with God. The goal of every leader should be to make others independent in their own walk.
I say independent, but it should also be clarified what is meant by independent. The Bible teaches that we are dependent upon each other for encouragement, fellowship, corporate worship, and meeting the needs of one another. But we are not dependent upon others for understanding the word and our fellowship with Christ. Each believer benefits from one another and God uses spiritual gifts to edify all, but not to make one person’s spiritual walk dependent upon another person. We are corporately united in Christ, but independent in our walk with Christ. Jesus taught that our prayer life should be our time alone with God without anyone around (Matthew 6:6), and the Bible teaches that our individual service to God is to be borne by us alone. Look at Galatians 6:3-5
3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
5 For each one shall bear his own load.
When God called the Apostle Paul, he testified that he did not go and confer with flesh and blood, nor did he go to those who were apostles before him, but separated himself for three years to seek the Lord (Galatians 1:16-18). He later added that those who were considered to be pillars in the church added nothing to him (Galatians 2:6). Not only did he discount the need to gain knowledge from the others, but he made it clear that he also was nothing (2 Corinthians 12:11). He makes the point in Galatians 2:6 when he says that God shows favoritism to no man. God deals with each individual and we are all accountable to the word.
We are dependent upon God alone, but interdependent with other believers as individual parts in the body of Christ. Each person has unique spiritual gifts that are necessary to complete the body of Christ. Each person is necessary for the edifying of the body, but there is not one individual by which other members are dependent upon. God’s grace is given to each person, and we edify each other as a whole. Not dependent, but interdependent.
Your walk with Christ is the method God uses to edify the whole body. When one member suffers, all members suffer with them (See 1 Corinthians 12). That means when someone struggles spiritually or fails to grow, they also fail to take their place in the body of Christ. This affects everyone. When one member rejoices, the body rejoices with them. Each member who learns to rejoice in their salvation and walk with God, edifies the entire body. This interdependence is not so one member can be exalted over others, but that we are all fulfilling our calling so each member can share in the joy. You are not dependent on an individual to grow into the fullness of Christ, but you are called the help those around you grow into the place where they also know how to walk in fellowship with Christ.
There is indeed a spiritual calling of leadership in the church through pastors and elders. Church leaders are called to lead the congregation for the purpose of unifying the body in its fulfillment of Ephesians 4:11–16. Even authority within the church must be focused on leading people to spiritual maturity, not self-glorification. Jesus said leadership is through service, not lording over others. Leadership is a calling of God, and each leader serves as a part of the body. Christ is still the head and we are members of one another. The head of every man is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). Anyone who tries to put themselves as the head has usurped authority from Christ and will be held accountable.
Those appointed in a position of leadership or authority must realize that they are not called because God loves them more. The members should realize that God didn’t call leaders because they have a secret relationship with God or an inside track to the Holy Spirit. God has appointed each member of the body based on His own will, not ours. He appoints roles and gives spiritual gifts based on His own grace, not our achievements. We are all members with specific gifts and callings, but at the foot of the cross, we stand upon level ground. To usurp undo glory and power displeases the Lord and we will all give an account (See Romans 13). For members to resist or reject the authority God established in the church and in the secular culture is to resist God, and we will give an account. The church has been given its structure for the purpose of uniting the body under Christ, but this provides neither the power to lord over the members, nor the excuse of laymen to skirt the responsibility of diligently studying the word. Members cannot neglect this command of God and place knowing the word only upon church leadership.
God has given the body, including the local congregation, every spiritual gift it needs to function as a healthy church. That equipping begins with you as the individual Christian. To you he has given all things that pertain to life and godliness, so you can fulfill God’s call in your life, and take your place as a healthy part of the body. Your spiritual gift means nothing unless you are walking in the word of God. But when you are taking heed how you hear and are obeying the word, more will be measured to you and you will experience the promise of a fruitful life that cannot fail. For God is able to make you stand. Once you take your place in obedience, you will be made fruitful in your place in the body and the work of God will reign in the church.
Spiritual maturity is not merely knowledge, nor is it found in understanding the word. While these things are necessary for maturity, they are not the measure of maturity. Spiritual maturity is proven by a heart of obedience. Consider children. What makes us think of a child as being mature? Some children are mature beyond their years, while others remain immature well into adulthood. Some never mature, but remain childish their entire lives.
What indicates maturity? A child can have knowledge of right and wrong, yet still choose foolishness. They do so because they are selfish and rebellious. When I began to mature, I quit looking over my shoulder to see if I was being watched; I just did what was right because I understood the value of doing the right thing. I started going to work, even when I didn’t feel like going. I would rather go off and do something entertaining, but knew I had to deny my desires in order to fulfill my responsibilities. In marriage, I had to sacrifice a lot of my old ways so I could build a new life with my wife.
In the same way, spiritual maturity is not the result of hearing the word, but doing the word. We must hear to obey, but hearing alone is not enough. I can have a deep knowledge of the word and great understanding of how the word fits into my life, but if I decide to rebel against the commandment to fulfill my sinful desires, I am not mature in the faith. I am still a child, trying to hide from God and skirt my responsibilities. When I neglect the calling of my ministry, I’m still a selfish child, acting upon my own whims.
When I catch myself neglecting what is important so I can do what pleases me in the moment, it reminds me of my own need to put away childish things so I can spiritually become a man. Often times, it is not the behavior that we normally categorize as sin that reflects our immaturity. It is the behavior of neglecting what is right in order to do what has little value. Or allowing trivial things to crowd our lives so that there is little or no time for the meaningful disciplines of life. Like an immature young adult who can’t hold down a job because he or she won’t let go of childhood, the Christian can fall in the same trap on a spiritual level.
We don’t discipline our lives to make God accept us. We discipline our lives because we are growing into maturity and recognize the value of choosing God’s ways. We put away childish things because we recognize the value of maturity, knowing that the greater treasure is not in this life of the flesh, but our new life in the spirit. We pass from childhood where playing is the only important part of life and into spiritual adulthood, where seeing eternal fruit is the only thing of lasting value. And that begins with knowing the word, and ends with fitting it into our lives.
Take heed what you hear, for to the one who hears and does, more will be given and will have in abundance. God will be glorified and you will be fruitful, fulfilled, and will be given all the promises laid before you. Study to show yourself approved, and be a doer, and not a hearer only.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Discipleship
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eddiesnipes
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