FAITH, GOODNESS, AND
KNOWLEDGE
2 Peter 1:5: “For this very reason,
make every effort to add to your
faith goodness; and to goodness,
knowledge;”
“For this very reason” – what reason? Do
you remember from your study a few
weeks ago?
Let’s review Verses 3 and 4 to see what
that reason is:
“His divine power has given us
everything we need for life and
godliness…”
“…through our knowledge of Him who
called us by His own glory and goodness.
Through these [His own glory and
goodness] He has given us his very great
and precious promises…”
• “…so that through them you may
participate in the divine nature and
escape the corruption in the world
caused by evil desires.”
• So, there you have it… That’s the reason!
• (In other words, so we may “share in”
and be associated with the God-like
nature of Jesus Christ, which will keep us
from being corrupted in the world by evil
desires!)
WHAT GOOD NEWS!
• Now that we remember why we are
instructed to do this, let’s look at what
we are to do:
• Just as we may build a house, one brick
or stone upon another, we are instructed
to build our character by building one
Christ-like quality upon another so that
we may “participate in the divine nature.”
KNOWLEDGE
GOODNESS
FAITH
• The deeper our relationship with God
grows, the more we receive the grace,
peace, and everything else we need to
walk through this life with godliness (a
conduct that seeks to please God).
• And the more we believe and trust in the
wonderful promises in God’s Word, the
more we develop a Christ-like character
that keeps us from giving in to evil
desires that lead to corruption.
So, it is to our very great benefit to read
and meditate upon God’s Word (gain
Biblical truth) so we can develop a close
relationship with Him (have the
knowledge of God).
So let’s look at tonight’s verse again:
2 Peter 1:5: “For this very reason, make
every effort to add to your faith goodness;
and to goodness, knowledge;”
FAITH
• We first receive that precious gift of faith
when we come to know and believe that
He is who He says He is (we believe His
promises).
• Hebrews 11:1: “Faith is being sure of
what we hope for and certain of what we
do not see.”
• Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is
impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to Him must believe
that He exists and that He rewards those
who earnestly seek Him.”
Faith is the foundation upon which we
build. Through faith, we can know the
answers to these questions:
Does God exist?
Is God trustworthy?
Does He even care about me?
Is the Bible truly His Word?
Is every word in the Bible true?
Is Jesus the Son of God, the Savior of
the world, and the only way to God?
Did Jesus really die on the cross for me,
personally, so that my sins may be
forgiven and I may have a personal
relationship with Him?
When we are able to answer yes to these
questions and fully believe them, then
we have faith.
This faith is a wonderful gift from God:
• “For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith — and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by
works, so that no one can boast”
(Ephesians 2:8-9).
Salvation comes to us through faith in
Jesus and is given to us by the grace of God!
Peter told us how to begin living by faith:
“Repent and be baptized, everyone of
you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The
promise is for you and your children and
for all who are far off – for all whom the
Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).
Once we have received the faith to believe
these things, we have to choose – God’s
way or our way?
So you must ask yourself these questions:
1.Have I accepted this gift of faith from
God and, by His grace, do I believe that
He sent His son to die for me?
2.Am I ready to choose God’s way for my
life?”
GOODNESS
• Peter says that once we turn from our
way to God’s way (repentance), it is at
that point that we can start building our
character to be like Jesus so we won’t be
“corrupted with the evil desires of the
world.”
First we need to add goodness to our
faith. (Some translations call goodness
“virtue,” and it means “excellence of
character, or striving for moral excellence
or right conduct.)
So we begin with faith (confidence and
trust in God and in Jesus Christ our Lord)
and then add the quality of goodness - or
striving for excellence in our faith-based
relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
When faith is joined by goodness, our
faith will be vibrant and our service to
God will be full of good works.
The place to start developing goodness is
by guarding what we think. Paul says in
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
– if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
– think about such things.”
The moment we believe in God, His Holy
Spirit comes to dwell in us. The Holy
Spirit convicts (or convinces) us of
wrongdoing in our lives, guides us into
right doing, and gives us the power to
want and to do whatever is right in God’s
sight.
Philippians 2:13: Phil 2:13, “For it is God
who works in you to will and to act
according to His good purpose.”
• Goodness is one of the fruits of the Spirit
listed in Galatians 5:22-23, because it is
produced in abundance (a large quantity)
in our lives when we allow God’s Holy
Spirit to lead us rather than following our
own way.
• Galatians 5:16-26:
• So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the
Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
sinful nature. They are in conflict with each
other, so that you do not do what you want.
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not
under law.
• The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:
sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that
those who live like this will not inherit the
kingdom of God.
• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law. Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the sinful nature with its passions and
desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us
keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not
become conceited, provoking and
envying each other.”
• God does not force anyone to choose His way of
living. Each person has to choose and make the
effort to live an upright life.
• Titus 2:11-14: For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us
to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives
in this present age, while we wait for the blessed
hope — the glorious appearing of our great God
and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us
to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for
Himself a people that are His very own, eager to
do what is good.”
So, ask yourself these questions:
1. How much goodness (excellence of
character) do I exhibit in my life?
2. What steps can I take to add more
goodness to my character?
KNOWLEDGE
The third quality we are to add is
knowledge.
• When Peter says to add knowledge to our
faith and our goodness, the knowledge he
is talking about here means “to ‘know’
(absolutely) in a great variety of
applications and with many implications.”
In other words, he is telling us to seek out
much information that will give us
correct insight (gain Biblical truth) in
order to thoroughly know who God is
and how all that He is affects every area
of our lives. When we do that, it cannot
help but create an intimate relationship
with Him.
This knowledge pertains to understanding the
will of God and the way of salvation through
Jesus Christ.
Jesus Himself established the value of
knowledge as a part of Godly character when
He said in John 8:32:
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.”
He is saying that unless we understand the truth
with our minds, it cannot begin to set us free.
• The more settled we are in our minds
about who God is and what His
wonderful qualities are, the more we will
seek to know His will for our lives.
• Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear [awe and
reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of
knowledge.”
• When we first come to understand that
God is really God, and that He loved us
enough to send His Son to die for us,
then an awe and a reverence for Him
begin to rise up within our spirits, and
knowledge is born within us. We have
the beginning of a relationship with Him.
• Then, Peter says, we are to add
knowledge (information and insight) to
the knowledge (relationship) we already
have.
• In fact, To be pleasing to the Lord, we
must have a knowledge of His will.
• Colossians 1:9-12: For this reason, since the
day we heard about you, we have not stopped
praying for you and asking God to fill you with
the knowledge of his will through all spiritual
wisdom and understanding. And we pray this
in order that you may live a life worthy of the
Lord and may please him in every way:
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in
the knowledge of God, being strengthened
with all power according to his glorious might
so that you may have great endurance and
patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you to share in the
inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of
light.”
We don’t gain full knowledge of God
(information and insight) the moment we
believe and receive His Holy Spirit. It is a
growth process, obtained only through
seeking, praying, and studying and
meditating upon His Word, the Bible.
But it is more than knowing facts and
memorizing Scripture, and it is more than doing
the right thing and avoiding the wrong.
Knowledge must first lead to a deeper
relationship with our Lord…
Then it must lead to improved conduct for
ourselves…
And it also must include valuing other people –
even our enemies – and working toward the
peace and well being of everyone we touch in
our lives.
In other words, it must include love.
• Paul says in Philippians 1:9-11, “And this
is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth
of insight, so that you may be able to
discern [understand] what is best and
may be pure and blameless until the day
of Christ, filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus
Christ — to the glory and praise of God.”
In our desire to obtain knowledge, certain
attitudes are necessary:
1.
A heart that longs and searches for knowledge
Proverbs 2:3-6: And if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look
for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden
treasure, then you will understand the fear of
the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the
Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come
knowledge and understanding.
I Peter 2:2: Like newborn babies, crave pure
spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in
your salvation, now that you have tasted that
the Lord is good.
2.
A mind that values knowledge more
highly than gold
Proverbs 8:10-11: Choose my
instruction instead of silver, knowledge
rather than choice gold, for wisdom is
more precious than rubies, and nothing
you desire can compare with her.
3. A love for instruction
Proverbs 12:1: Whoever loves discipline
loves knowledge, but he who hates
correction is stupid.
A person with these attitudes will:
• Make daily Bible reading a priority in
their life
• Utilize every opportunity to study the
Word of God alone, and with others
So, the questions you must ask yourself
now are:
1.
Do I really know God (have a relationship
with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ)?
2.
Am I hungry to know Him better?
3.
Do I demonstrate that gaining knowledge
of God's Word is a priority in my life?