Faith Additives - Knowledge

"...Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;...For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ...if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" - 2nd Peter 1:5, 8, 10b (KJV)

Peter tells believers their faith needs additives¹ and he lists seven (7) with the promise that if these are present the believer will never fall, nor be barren and unfruitful.

Second on his list is "Knowledge". Wikipedia tells us the original word "...indicates direct spiritual experiential knowledge"²

Believers should actively look for ways to experience all God has for them. Only guessing, but I think the instruction to add "knowledge" to "Virtue (excellence)" indicates desiring excellence motivates the desire to experience God more.

Actively seeking to experience all God has for us will keep us from being unfruitful and barren, and will keep us from falling.

Today's focus: "What can I do today to help me experience God more than yesterday?"

¹ "Faith Additives..."
² http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosis (emphasis mine)

-fritz

Faith Additives...

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ...for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" - 2^nd Peter 1:5-8, 10b (KJV)

They tell me all major brands use the same raw gasoline, the only difference is the additives. With the additives your car is to last longer and run better and cleaner.

Peter tells believers they, too, have the same raw faith as his own but they need some additives to run well and grow in Christ.

He lists seven (7): Virtue ("excellence"); knowledge (experience); Temperance (self control); Patience (cheerful endurance); Godliness (piety); Brotherly kindness (fraternal affection); and Charity (benevolent affection).

It's time to give purposeful thought to spiritual maturity!

- Fritz