Lesson 2

Start With Faith:

The Basic Ingredient Of A Fruitful Christian Life

2 Peter 1:1-12, esp. 1-5b.

It seems to me that a lot of Christians are constantly searching for something new and novel. Our fast-paced, constantly changing world has one fad following another. With such a frame of reference, we quickly grow bored with things that stay the same.

Many churches and pastors have fallen into the trap of being "faddish" and "trendy." In an effort to attract more people, methods and media of communicating have overshadowed the message itself.

Throughout the years and centuries, the Christian message has always stayed the same. The Bible says the same thing over and over, only in different words. Growth and maturity in the Christian life isn't so much learning something brand new or novel; it is mostly just remembering what you already know. That is the theme of II Peter.

But how does one remember?

The Power of Repetition. Every teacher knows the tendency of pupils to forget. They know that because teachers also tend to forget. (Sometimes I have to listen to a tape of myself to remember how I interpreted a particular passage of Scripture). Teachers teach by repetition because people learn by repetition. (I can still play a piano piece from my 7th grade piano recital - although it's about the only thing I can play - and I can still recite the Lord's Prayer in Greek because of the power of repetition.

The Power of Deep Impression. There is a second "aid" which helps us to remember. Not only do we remember because of frequent repetition, but we also remember because of a deep impression. Sometimes something so profound happens in our life that we cannot forget - that lesson, that truth, that reality, that event has been permanently burned into our memory.

It is important that we remember. If anybody knew the importance of this, it was the Apostle Peter. He had a tendency in his early years to feel overconfident when danger was near and to overlook his Master's words of warning. He rushed ahead when he should have waited; he slept when he should have prayed; he talked when he should have listened. He was a courageous, but careless, Christian. And so, in the maturity and wisdom of old age, having had many years of walking with Christ, Peter's final word (the 61 verses that form II Peter) are intended to arouse Christians by means of causing them to remember what they know.

It is important that you remember, and it is important what you remember.

The opening passage of II Peter is about spiritual growth. It reads like a recipe. Here are the ingredients in this recipe and the order in which those ingredients should be introduced into the recipe, vs. 5-7. Faith - virtue - knowledge - temperance - patience - godliness - kindness - love. By following this "recipe" we end up with -(wala) (v. 8) - a fruitful and productive Christian life. But without them you will be "barren and unfruitful" and verse 9 adds that it will negatively affect your vision present and past. You will be blind and nearsighted regarding the present. "Where there is no vision the people perish." Without vision we are vulnerable to everything that comes at us and we are directionless. Spiritual vision is what keeps us headed in the right direction. Verse 9 also says that without these things we will be unable to clearly see the past. That is, we will forget that Christ has purged (cleansed) us from the old (past) sins.

Where there is no spiritual growth, you see, there is no vision and direction and there really is no assurance of salvation. We will have forgotten that we have been forgiven! This is clear from verse 10 which tells us to make sure that we have been saved.

Thus, the key to vision, the key to assurance of our salvation, the key to a fruitful and productive Christian life is the spiritual growth that comes from adding seven specific ingredients to your faith. Remember the importance of spiritual growth.

This is an important recipe. We need to take our time to understand its ingredients and order.

There are eight ingredients altogether, but the first one is the basic ingredient. Before there can be "virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness or charity" there must be this first ingredient.

The basic ingredient in the recipe for a fruitful, Christian life that has assurance and vision is faith. It is, in the words of verse 5, "your faith". And so, we must start with faith!

"Without faith it is impossible to please (God)" - Hebrews 11:6. We are saved by grace through faith - Ephesians 2:8; we have access to grace through faith - Romans 5:2; justified by faith - Romans 5:1; we are the children of God by faith in Christ - Galatians 3:26; sanctified by faith - Acts 26:18; we obtain righteousness by faith - Philippians 3:9; we stand by faith - II Corinthians 1:24; we walk by faith - II Corithians 5:7; we wait by faith - Galatians 5:5; we live by faith - "The just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk; Romans; Galatians; Hebrews).

Faith is essential to the Christian life. It is the starting point. It is the first basic and primary ingredient to a fruitful Christian life. In fact, verse 1 describes our faith as "precious". It is valuable. It is essential. So we must start with faith.

Where does faith come from? Verse 1 says that we are those who have "obtained faith" which means that we get it from somewhere. Where does faith come from and how do we get it?

The Bible says that Jesus is "the author of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) and so faith comes from God. The text says the same thing - that faith comes to us "through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ." That's the "who". But what about the "how"? How do we obtain faith from God? Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing ... the word of God." And so, as we hear God's word, it produces faith that God can be trusted and that God is to be trusted for salvation.

Verse 1 goes on to describe this faith that we obtain from God through the Word. It is "like" faith. The word means "equal". In other words, in Christ we all stand equal. The righteousness of God is imputed to us and so believers all have an equal standing before God. Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. So, no matter who you are, educated or illiterate, rich or poor, male or female, red, yellow, black, brown or white, as a believer in Christ you have equal standing before God with other believers. There are no second class Christians.

Just how important is our faith? Look at verses 2-4. These verses show us the result of our faith and the riches of our salvation. There are present possessions that become ours through faith. There is "the knowledge of God" (v. 2); there is "grace and peace" that is "multiplied" in our lives (v. 2); there is the call to "glory and virtue" (v. 3). In fact, verse 3 says that we have been given "all things that pertain to life and godliness." Everything that you need to live the life of Christian comes packaged with your salvation. Everything. All things. Everything that you need for an internal transformation ("life") and everything you need for an external manifestation of that internal transformation ("godliness") was given to you by God with your salvation. Colossians 2:10 says that we "are complete in him ." These are the present possessions of those who have been saved by faith in Christ.

Verse 4 goes on to say that we have some "precious promises" for our future. In fact. they are "exceeding great and precious promises." He has taken us out of the corruption of lust in the world and made us share in His divine nature. These present possessions for today and precious promises for tomorrow show us the importance of faith in Christ.

We are going to see that spiritual growth comes from adding to your faith. The Christian growth is not from a passive life. With all diligence we add to our faith. But you cannot add to something that is not there.

And so, it all begins with faith. It doesn't end with faith but it must begin with faith. A faith that comes from God to us through hearing and responding to God's Word, a faith that is precious and that puts us all on equal standing before God. A faith that gives us grace and peace, that promises glory and virtue. A faith that has with it all things that pertain to life and godliness for today and precious promises for tomorrow. We are saved by faith alone. But saving faith is never alone.

My prayer is week has been for some to hear God's word today and then to publicly proclaim their faith in Christ. My prayer has been for you to know the essential nature of faith in Christ. My prayer has been for those who have already believed in Christ, to make the commitment to spiritual growth, to commit to a process in their Christian life that will result in fruitful and productive life with vision and assurance.