The importance of character • 2 Peter 1:1-11
By Becky Brown
Being assured from our last two lessons of the eternal security of the believer, we will spend the final six lessons looking at the development of scriptural characteristics. A recent visiting pastor at our church pinpointed the growth of a believer with this phrase: “We become like what we behold.” I have heard it expressed this way, “We become like that which we worship.” Those challenges present obvious questions that beg our answer. Who are you looking at? Who do you worship?
My favorite bible commentator Warren Wendall Wiersbe pins my heart to the wall with his depth of knowledge of God’s Word combined with his unique teaching gift of wordplay. He said we are concerned with our “profession” of faith in Jesus. That is a good thing. However, we should be equally concerned about our “progression” in the faith. Our profession was the new birth and new beginning, the start of new life. Growth progression is the vitally confirming evidence of new life in Christ.
Our true spiritual character is who we are when we are all by ourselves with zero on-lookers, Jesus as our only audience. A seed is planted inside the earth. It begins its growth in the darkness of the soil. Soon the well-watered seed gives its nutrients away and, with time, bursts through toward the sun, strong and green. We begin our growth when we meet Jesus and die to ourselves like a seed. As with His resurrection, we are raised to new life and begin to grow.
Our scripture reference this week is 2 Peter 1:1-11. We find our first character clue in verse one. Peter declares first that he is a bond servant of Jesus Christ. A servant serves his time and then is offered the opportunity to go free. He has served because he was REQUIRED to remain. The bond servant determines to remain and continue working for the master, serving because he WANTS to. Peter then says he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. First we serve as a bond servant, then we serve others as an apostle sent out with a message. Isn’t it beautiful to be taught these truths from the fisherman who thrice denied Jesus! What grace! Peter became a powerful preacher of the gospel. There’s hope for us!
Peter is writing to folks who were “like-faith” participants. Righteousness is our right standing with God through Jesus. Such standing provides grace and peace that can only come from the Lord. We do not save ourselves. Neither do we grow on our own initiative. God’s divine power is given to us. He has given us all we need to grow toward being more like Jesus. We have the privilege of partaking in His divine nature. In Colossians 1:27, Paul says that we have Christ IN us as our hope of glory. The Holy Spirit resides as our in-house Counselor and daily Guide.
We enter into the life-long journey of spiritual character building by denying ourselves and taking up the cross daily and following Jesus. Our first task is to allow the Holy Spirit to squash our own evil desires and begin to transform us from the inside out. We must be consistently diligent and diligently consistent. Faith blooms from a noun to a verb with each daily step. Sanctification is a process all the way to the feet of Jesus.
Peter gives us seven things to concentrate on and put into practice as we grow in Christ.
Moral Excellence: displaying personal virtue, goodness, uprightness, modesty, purity.
Knowledge: spending time in God’s Word learning everything you can.
Self-control: facing your weaknesses and allowing God to shake you and shape you.
Endurance: persevering under pressure, patience, constancy, waiting with holy hope.
Godliness: becoming a devoted devotee, reverence, respect, none of me and all of Thee.
Brotherly Love: developing relationships that lead others to Jesus.
Love: finding deeper love for Jesus as your gratitude quotient explodes with growth.
Seven thoughts on Peter’s practice points: Seek after God. Study the Word. Squash ME. Stick to the task. Soak in Who He is. Share relational brotherly love. Sink deeply into the love of Jesus so that you can sync with others and draw them toward your growth Source.
If you are where God wants you to be today, doing what He wants you to today, you will be where He wants you to be tomorrow.
Brown leads LittleBrownLight Ministries.
