Escapism in the Bible.

Christians are accused of using the gospel as a form of "Escapism".

There is "escapism" in the Bible but not the kind usually thought; not escape from problems, difficulties, or struggles - we embrace these.¹

God offers escape from the "corruption" it says is in the world through lust; the same term is used elsewhere as "wear and tear" of use.^{2, 3}

[God] 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. - 2^nd Peter 1:4 (NIV)

There is a "wear and tear" of just living in this world - sweet children become fodder for COPS, 40 year marriages break apart, once vibrant strong believers loose their first love of Christ.⁴ It doesn't have to be this way, God offers escape by using his promises that, when embraced, change our hearts, douses the fires, and lifts the burdens.

- fritz

¹ Romans 5:3
² Colossians 2:22
³ Patrikin Blog: Christian Roses
⁴ Revelation 2:4

Faith Additives - Charity

"...add to your faith...charity" - 2^nd Peter 1:5b,7b(KJV)

Peter tells believers their faith still needs something to be successful. ¹ He ends the list with "charity", the Greek word "agape" (ah-gah-peh), meaning a selfless love expressed to those around us.

There is an old poem:

To dwell above with the ones we love...
Oh, that shall be glory!
But to dwell below with the ones we know...
Well, that's a different story!

Love is not a feeling for someone gone or far away, it's kindness done to a bad neighbor, to the co-worker who just threw us under the bus (you know what I mean), and to the teen with a bad attitude".

Not automatic but something to be added, if we can't make our faith work enough to be kind to these people our faith isn't really working at all.

¹Faith Additives

-fritz

Faith Additives - Brotherly Kindness

"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;...for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" - 2^nd Peter 1:5-7a,10b(KJV)

Faith needs additives¹ to remain healthy. "Brotherly kindness" is listed as essential to avoid fruitlessness, barrenness, and falling.

Judge Judy, on her popular daytime television show, told a plaintiff suing her own sister for something done to her husband, "In ten years you probably won't have this husband, but you'll still have your sister, be kind to her!"

You don't choose your physical family and you don't choose your brother's in Christ, either. You won't get away with cheating them² and they will be with you for eternity; be kind to them!<sup>3

1</sup>Faith Additives
²A Good Healthy Fear of God
³Galatians 6:10

- fritz

Faith Additives - Godliness

"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;...for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" - 2^nd Peter 1:5-6,10b(KJV)

An essential additive for longevity in Christ is "godliness". It literally means "devoutness" and "piety". It is the same word the apostle Paul used when he wrote, "Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness" (1^st Timothy 4:7 ESV).

"I'm not religious, I'm a Christian", has been said by many to mean faith in Christ is not a dead religion but a living relationship - that concept is true, but being irreligious or irreverent is a pitfall.

“Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” - 1^st Timothy 4:8 (New Living Translation)

Like physical training (exercise), godliness (piety) doesn't happen naturally; it requires choice, repetition, and effort. Choosing to go to church regularly, choosing to pray and read the Bible daily, choosing to show godly respect publicly as well as privately exercises our faith. Like exercise, the more it is done the easier it becomes and the stronger we grow.

Adding godliness to how we live will keep us from being unfruitful and barren, and will keep us from falling.

- fritz

Faith Additives - Patience

"...Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge And to knowledge temperance to temperance patience;...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 1:5-6b, 8, 10b (KJV)

Faith needs additives¹ to encourage growth and Peter lists seven (7) with the promise if they are present the believer will never fall, nor be barren and unfruitful.

Peter uses a word meaning "cheerful endurance" as a required addtive to self control. Sometimes we endure because we must, but cheerfulness in that endurance is always a choice;

Endurance with a bad attitude isn't patience, it's just being stuck, and
bears little fruit. Those who add cheerful endurance to self control will see difficulties turn out to be a blessing for themselves and those around.

- fritz

Faith Additives - Temperance

"...Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge And to knowledge temperance;...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 1:5-6a, 8, 10b (KJV)

Faith needs additives¹ to encourage growth and Peter lists seven (7) with the promise if they are present the believer will never fall, nor be barren and unfruitful.

Temperance (Self control) is the balancing character for seeking experiential knowledge. We are to exercise self control in our consumption, recreation, and relationships.

"A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out" - Proverbs 25:28 (Message Bible)

We need to heed godly warnings² . Hot-headed self-centered boors are unattractive even if they do believe in Jesus!

Instead of praying for God to help us loose weight, have more friends, or be a better witness, maybe we ought to ask God to help us develop self control³ .

"...It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities"- Proverbs 16:32b (Good News Bible)

¹ Faith Additives
² Spiritual Teenagers
³ Asking The Wrong Questions

-fritz

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 - Virtue

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;...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)

Peter tells believers their faith, as much like his and as good as it was, needs additives¹ , and first on the list is "Virtue".

The word Peter used literally meant "excellence", having with it the notion of living up to full potential. It was applied by ancient Greeks to things like a job well done or something in tip-top shape.²

Those who have faith in Christ should strive for excellence in what they do. It is our calling³ , it is what we are to think about⁴ , and it is seen in Jesus⁵

Adding excellence to how we live will keep us from being unfruitful and barren, and will keep us from falling.

Today's focus: "How can I add excellence to what I am doing right now?"

¹ - "Faith Additives..."
² - Wikipedia
³ - 2^nd Peter 1:3
⁴ - Philippians 4:8
⁵ - 1^st Peter 2:9 "praises" (KJV/NIV) uses the same Greek word.



- 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