I Peter 1 ... 5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.The marks of an 'effective and fruitful' follower of Christ, it seems, should be - faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.
Do you desire those things? Not simply to possess in part, but to have them and to be growing in them?
Probably you do desire those qualities - probably you have tried to attain them. Maybe you have tried many times. Maybe you have tried really hard.
So what's the problem? Why can't you seem to get it? Why does it seem that you aren't growing in this fruit?
'Maybe,' religion whispers, 'you just aren't good enough for this Christianity thing.'
'You're a failure!'
'Try harder!' religion shouts! 'You just are trying hard enough.'
'If you were REALLY a good Christian you could do it.'
Perhaps religion has told you to compare yourself with someone else - and has told you 'you should just be like them - see how THEY have it all together.'
Is that you? You've tried and failed, and tried again.
Stop trying. It is true - you cannot do it. You are a failure. Try as hard as you can to be as good as you can - and you will fail again.
Pick yourself up by your bootstraps, dust yourself off and with even more resolve try again! And you will fail.
The problem is not our effort - it is our sight.
Religion teaches us that Jesus saves - and then we must work - and work harder!
But not the gospel...
9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
Peter does not say that if we lack these qualities and are not growing in them we should TRY HARDER - he says that we have become nearsighted, we are blind - because we have forgotten the good news - that Jesus, the perfect has come! He lived out those qualities perfectly for us. He suffered and died for us - in our place because no matter how hard we try to get it right we can't. He has cleansed us from our sins. He has empowered us with His Spirit. he has defeated death and risen victoriously as our King who sits at the right hand of God.
Try harder? This is tough... NO.
Don't try harder.
Remember the gospel.
Remember what He has done for you - and look beyond your failings and imperfections and look to Him.
II Corinthians 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
The first Peter fruit of the growing Christian does not come by our righteous efforts, but by gazing at the glory of HIS righteousness. Sanctification - the process of growing in these Christian fruit comes - and we are transformed from glory to glory into the image of Jesus - not by stupendous effort or disciplined lies - but by beholding His glory.
THAT is Good News.
It is a Beautiful Gospel Truth.
