2 Peter 1:7-8, “…and in your
godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if
these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless
nor unfruitful in the true (subjective) knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
My third book that may or may
not be published is called Growing in Christ and it is based on the entire
first chapter of 2 Peter. Largely it talks the “qualities” that build upon one
another until there is a sufficient base to support true selfless,
unconditional love. If you read 2 Peter you will see that the very first thing
we must have, the very first thing that must increase is faith. (v5)
Today through Jim Spivey, who
through his friend Kathy Escobar’s blog, who through Janet Hagberg & Robert
Guelich’s book Critical Journey showed me a completely independent confirmation
of what I have been writing. What Hagberg and Guelich call stages of faith, I
in my book call crisis of faith. Please look at the link for the Stages ofFaith Chart. Compare it to 2 Peter 1 and you will see very much that the
qualities of moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, and perseverance that
Peter writes about are very much pillars of faith in Stages 1 -3.
The spiritual movement of
perseverance to godliness is very much the "wall" Kathy speaks of, and this wall
is very much the very thing Christ spoke of when He said, “… the kingdom of
heaven suffers violence, and the violent men take it by force.” (Matt 11:12) To
clear the wall there is a violent action within between self and spirit. But
over the wall the believer comes in contact with the kingdom of God and Christ
inside him. As you read Kathy’s chart this quality of godliness gained by breaking
through the wall is very much Stage 4.
And then Peter says godliness
supplies, contributes to, is a foundation for brotherly kindness. Stage 5… “the
journey outward.”
Finally that we would have
sufficient qualities to supply the love Peter writes about. Agape love, the of
Christ… Stage 6.
I stand amazed at the
murmuration, the clarification, the explanation, and the truth in it all.
Father help me to keep growing in Christ.
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