Peter Warns All Believers Against False Teachers Within and Exhorts Us to be Steadfast Volume 5

Making our Calling and Election Sure (to ourselves & to the world 🗺) Part 2 2 Peter 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑James Version The Apostle Peter continues onward in his declaration of what we are required to add to our gift of faith from our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ with these first words in 2 Peter 1:6 of adding to knowledge 'temperance' and this English word is translated by the Greek word egkrateia which literally means self-control. The enemy of our souls (the devil) wants to see us being influenced by him and his demons and the remaining human sinners who are still being led by him (Ephesians 2:2). However, we are now living in the light of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World (John 8:12) and He has given us to be the light of the world through Him (Matthew 5:14), therefore, for us to walk in or live in the darkness of being out of control in our speech and our behavior is not according to who we now are 'in Christ', because we have come into union with Him and so ought to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). The impulses that are in our old man 👨and old woman 👩must be put to death daily so that the light of Christ may shine forth through us always, but when we allow those impulses' to flourish then we must recognize that and repent and seek Christ's grace in our time of need, for He is always ready to give us help, as it is written, "For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2:18) (NKJV). Self-control and having it continuously in our lives is not a minor thing, for Peter warned us of this in his first letter when he wrote these words, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." (1 Peter 2:11-12) (NKJV). The soul being our mind and our emotions and our will. We see then how self-control is not a minor thing, but on the contrary a very major thing that we must cultivate and make it active and prevalent in our daily lives. Here is what John Wesley had to say of temperance/self-control, "Bear and forbear; sustain and abstain; deny yourself and take up your cross daily. The more knowledge you have, the more you renounce your own will; indulge yourself the less. 'Knowledge puffeth up,' and the great boasters of knowledge (the Gnostics) were those that 'turned the grace of God into wantonness.' But see that your knowledge be attended with temperance. Christian temperance implies the voluntary abstaining from all pleasure which does not lead to God. It extends to all things inward and outward: the due government of every thought, as well as affection. 'It is using the world,' so to use all outward, and so to restrain all inward things, that they may become a means of what is spiritual; a scaling ladder to ascend to what is above. Intemperance is to abuse the world. He that uses anything below, looking no higher, and getting no farther, is intemperate. He that uses the creature only so as to attain to more of the Creator, is alone temperate, and walks as Christ Himself walked." The Apostle Peter next tells us in 2 Peter 1:6 to add to temperance 'patience' and this English word is translated by the Greek word hupomonē which means cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: - enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting). Our English definition of patience is good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. This is what we must add to our self-control. We can certainly see why they are paired together because self-control requires tolerance of delay and constancy. There is no real self-control without the willingness to wait for something even though it is eagerly desired; for example praying for someone's salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ, yet we never see any evidence that it has come to them by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). There has been no change in their lives whatsoever for years upon years. The devil will whisper to us 'Stop wasting your time ⌚, this person will never be changed.' However, patient continuance and endurance in prayer on our part must be done and we must wait patiently on our Lord knowing that He hears us. I read of George Mueller praying for the salvation of someone for 36 years then he died and went to be with our Lord Jesus never having seen any evidence that person came to Christ, however, it was recorded that this very person received Christ as Lord and Savior 8 years after Mueller was in Heaven with Jesus. Now here is a great example of adding patience to your self-control. I want this patience in all things, but especially in my prayers for the salvation of the souls I have been praying for now for 21 years. Here is what Vincent's Word Studies had to say of patience, "Literally, remaining behind or staying, from μένω, to wait. Not merely endurance of the inevitable, for Christ could have relieved Himself of His sufferings (Hebrews 12:2-3; compare Matthew 26:53); but the heroic, brave patience with which a Christian not only bears but contends. Speaking of Christ's patience, Barrow remarks, 'Neither was it out of a stupid insensibility or stubborn resolution that He did thus behave Himself; for He had a most vigorous sense of all those grievances, and a strong (natural) aversation from under going them;...but from a perfect submission to the Divine Will, and entire command over His passions, an excessive charity toward mankind, this patient and meek behavior did spring.' The same writer defines patience as follows: 'That virtue which qualifieth us to bear all conditions and all events, by God's disposal incident to us, with such apprehensions and persuasions of mind, such dispositions and affections of heart, such external deportment and practices of life as God requireth and good reason directeth (Sermon XLII., 'On Patience')." Now the Apostle tells us to add to patience 'godliness' and this English word is translated by the Greek word eusebeia which means piety, that is, reverence to our God and Father in Heaven; specifically the Gospel scheme; godliness/holiness. We have learned that the Gospel of Grace is meant to bring forth or to produce godliness in all who have ears to hear and so are born again. In the introduction of Peter's first letter (Bible by Olive Tree) to those early Jewish believers and to us who have come to Christ long after them these words are declared, "In writing to Jewish believers struggling in the midst of persecution, Peter encourages them to conduct themselves courageously for the Person and program of Christ. Both their character and conduct must be above reproach. Having been born again to a living hope, they are to imitate the Holy One who has called them." Before we were still dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we have been born again to a living hope, that is, we have been resurrected from spiritual death and made alive to God and His love for us and to us and thus He intends to make us what we are not without Him and that is godly. Godliness/holiness of all of God's adopted children is the goal of the Gospel of Christ, for it is written, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14) (NKJV). If we are to make our election and calling sure to ourselves and to those in the world 🗺who are still not yet 'in Christ' we must be diligent to add the overwhelming desire, direction, and determination to live a life of godliness by the grace of God given to us and by our yielding our will to the Spirit of God and being always in the Word of God feeding on it even more than we feed on food for our tents/houses 🏘/bodies. Amen!!! Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of godliness, "The mystery of godliness-that is, Godlikeness-was made known by the Incarnation. The Son of God became man, that men might through Him be made sons of God. And godliness in the present world is Christ made manifest in the lives of His servants. Toward this imitation of Christ the believer will aspire through his patience. He takes up the dross and bears it after his Master, and thus begins his discipleship, of which the communion with Christ waxes more intimate day by day. Such was the godliness of St. Paul. It was because he had followed the Lord in all that He would have him to do that the Apostle was bold to exhort the Corinthians, 'Be ye imitators of me'; but he adds at once, 'as I am of Christ'. (1 Corinthians 11:1) And when he sends Timothy to recall his teaching to their minds he says, 'He shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ.'" If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...