Be Careful with Lists: The Rock Speaks Vol. 2 (3)

2 Peter 1:5–15

 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, [6] and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, [7] and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. [10] Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. [11] For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[12] Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. [13] I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, [14] since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. [15] And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. (ESV)

Oh the plans I have made! They have been elaborate, typed, color coded, calendarized, with reminders and even Bible verses! Most of them are failed diet and exercise plans... but I have made them to do everything from increasing knowledge to trying to be a better husband!

The Bible records some amazing lists, especially godly attributes. You find them in the prophets, in proverbs, in Paul's letter, and here now in Peter's 2nd letter.

Here is this list:

faith
virtue
knowledge
self-control
steadfastness
godliness
brotherly affection
love

awesome list!

Here are the instructions:

if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

Sounds easy... put this on your refrigerator and get going!

Not so fast, my brothers!

Don't detach this list from the message and the mission.... everything above is TRUE... but make sure you don't lost the context!

FOR THIS VERY REASON... it is important to find out what 'this" is. And it all points back to the powerful, jam packed, theologically loaded, mission, process, and purpose statement we looked at in the previous post.

And this is going to get repetitive, but Peter is really simply saying, 'never stop growing!'.

I say it like this... never stop working (knowing that any improvement is by grace and I will always NEED grace).

The reformers would say,  semper reformanda "Always be reforming"

But we must be CAREFUL AND WISE!


R. Scott Clark balances us here a bit in an article entitled, Always Abusing Semper Reformanda

There is much truth in the slogan the church reformed, always reforming, but it was never intended to become a license for corrupting the Reformed faith. We should understand and use it as a reminder of our proclivity to wander from that theology, piety, and practice taught in Scripture and confessed by the church. Certainly, our confessions are reformable. We Protestants are bound to God’s Word as the charter and objective rule of Christian faith and practice. Should someone discover an error in our theology, piety, or practice, we are bound by our own confessions and church orders to hear an argument from God’s Word. Should that argument prevail, we must change our understanding or our practice. But we should not, under cover of this late-seventeenth-century slogan, subvert what Scripture teaches for a continuing, never-ending Reformation that leads us away from the heart and soul of what we confess.Ÿ

Our natural bent is to take the gospel message of grace by faith and create a man made religion, often with 'to do lists' of Christian credentials. Man made religion is nothing but two ditches off on the side of the road of the gospel.

And we often steer right into them.

THE DITCH OF LEGALISM

       On the right side of this road is legalism- our diabolical self comes in and says- 'Oh you are cleaning up so well'- and you start feeling really good about yourself – and you start looking around at others- and in your desire to help them you package your rules and rituals and begin to try and help others. Before long, we find ourselves as self righteous Pharisees- looking down at sinners and trying to be everyone’s Holy Spirit.

I know the Pharisee well- I play him a lot. Our culture helps me play him very well. We have become the biggest opinionated and judgmental civilization in the history of man. We have talking heads on TV espousing one view after another and call it entertainment. We crave it! I used to be a Fox News junkie. The problem is that I began to love my arguments over loving people. The less I watch of any news, the more clear I begin to see.

The worst part of my Pharisee legalistic self is my gossip and criticism of others. I am not loving- I am condemning. I point out the 10% bad and refuse to see the 90% good. 

THE DITCH OF LICENSE

So I finally get out of the legalistic path and drink grace and liberty. Ahh! Christian freedom. It is glorious! Christ’s death frees us from the ceremonial and civil law. There is a better law- the moral law, written on my heart- the Sermon on the Mount puts it into my motives and mind- it is a beautiful thing! 

But just beyond Christian liberty is license. It is a ditch as derailing as legalism. Paul wrote in Romans “How can we who died to sin, still live in it?” In this state, everything goes; all truth is relative, I do what I think and I feel- there is no suspicion of my motives or actions. I do what is right in my own eyes and put it 'under the blood'.
I walk into a situation, run to sin, eviscerate my conscience and say “I am forgiven”. Before long, I am powerless, hardened, and my God is my comfort. The irony of the ditch of license is that we love people even less than the Pharisee! We hide away in our blankets of personal freedom and comfort and tune out the cries of the broken. I am cold to the hungry.I never think about protecting the marginalized. I don’t care about the eternal destination of others. I am afraid of confrontation. If I stand for truth, it will indict me. So I walk around and tell people all is fine when I know we are growing colder and darker by the second. Loving someone means sometimes saying 'no' - and that includes to myself.

THE PATH OF LIFE 

Out of that ditch I find this beautiful path- a balanced and tense walk with my Savior as He directs me by His Spirit and through His word in a new life- in this life I learn to love and lean on Christ- I become an admirer of people- I seek my way less and edify others more- I pour myself into relationships, especially my wife and children. I laugh- I cry- I get weary- I long for heaven- God picks me up at the right time- I fall in ditches- He cleans me off and starts me straight again- 1 step forward- 2 steps back- 3 steps- 5 back and when I lose hope- He allows the dust to settle and I look back and God’s kingdom has been built- in spite of me. To His praise and glory!

So Peter is completely right in his list.... they are the fruits of gospel living!

if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.


So how can I keep on the road and out of the ditches and still keep moving forward?

My color coded, refrigerator ready, LIST: 

• Devotion to the Word and Prayer
• Unflinching commitment to consistent worship
• Continuous Education
• Private fasting- hobby/TV/delicacies- it is good to restrict these at times
• Prudent feasting- when the right moment presents itself- permission of the King
• Small group accountability
• Loving my wife well
• Pushing work down my priority list
• Crying out for God’s spirit 

I am powerless to do any of this- I need to abide in the vine of Christ.

A final note: Be patient- God’s sanctification takes TIME. It is measured in decades, not in days. 

Want a final encouragement? Read again what Peter is writing to us! These are his words of departure, he knows we get distracted and fall down... we NEED reminding! My spiritual attention deficit disorder is REAL!

[12] Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. [13] I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, [14] since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. [15] And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

I had to stop writing.... could not type for the tears....

If you have been following this blog, you know that I have tried to immerse myself in the man, Peter.

The warrior- He had the MAN'S MAN LIST- tough, stoic, dependable, dangerous, adventurous, competitive, gritty, impressive, persistent, consistent, focused, rough, intense, and relentless.

His devotion to Jesus ran him into the ground and ran him into the teeth of Roman rule.

As they were nailing him to the cross... he had a better list:

faith- 
virtue- 
knowledge-
self-control-
steadfastness-
godliness-
brotherly affection-

love- 

and much, much more!