What it means to be a deliberate Christian

2 Peter 1:5-8

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These verses describe what it means to be deliberately Christian. Being deliberately Christian is the process of purposely adding seven spiritual qualities to what we believe – adding living reality to the body of doctrine we profess to hold.

In order to understand my emphasis here, I need to begin by explaining the precise meaning of the phrase “your faith.” The word “faith” (πίστις pistis) in its noun form is used in two ways in the Bible. The first way that pistis / faith is used is to refer to a body of doctrine or what one believes. When it is used in this way, it is usually preceded in the Greek by a definite article as in “the faith.” The second way that pistis / faith is used is to describe the act of believing. When this is the meaning the writer desired, no definite article was used, and the word simply stands as “faith.”

That brings me to a problem. The English translations of this verse read simply “add to your faith….” Peter, however, used the definite article in the Greek, but it does not appear in the English translations. The literal translation of the phrase is “add to the faith of you virtue….” Peter used the definite article to specifically indicate that the faith he spoke of was the body of doctrine that the Christian professes. Peter’s focus is on making our doctrine - our theology - come alive.

Capturing Peter’s emphasis on being deliberately Christian is critical, but it is a foreign concept in many of our churches. Many, perhaps even most professing believers today live lives of casual Christianity and fail to make what they claim to believe a life-changing reality. The believer’s the faith as what he professes is ineffective without the constant, diligent, and deliberate addition of the seven aspects of Christian living listed in these verses. That is what I term being a deliberate Christian

OK, now let’s look at each of these seven qualities that make our doctrine real.

1. Virtue – (ἀρετή aretē) moral excellence in thought, attitude, and action
   The first step in changing our faith into effective Christianity is the diligent and deliberate pursuit of moral excellence. Two things need to be said about moral excellence in this regard.
   First, this Christian standard of moral excellence governs every moral, sexual, ethical, and personal decision we make. Moral excellence based on the highest standards of God’s Word must be our diligent pursuit, and it should control every aspect of our public and private lives.
   Second, our failure here in the matter of Christian virtue robs us of any effective validity and vitality in the other aspects of a true and growing faith. If we fail in this aspect of our Christian lives, we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32, especially verse 30) so that nothing else we do or say will have any spiritual power, and our testimony before the church and the world will be false.
   Without the pursuit of virtue, our faith will have no spiritual life no matter how orthodox of Bible-based it may be.
2. Knowledge – (γνῶσις gnōsis) understanding, comprehension
   In the notes for this verse in his Study Bible, Dr. John MacArthur describes knowledge in the following way:
   “This means understanding, correct insight, truth properly comprehended and applied.”
   In this particular context, we must seek to understand how the principles of our faith – what we believe – apply to our pursuit of moral excellence. In that way, knowledge added to our faith supports moral excellence. In other words, we must deliberately and diligently seek to understand how our Christian doctrine and theology apply to every aspect of our lives.
3. Self-control – (ἐγκράτεια egkrateia) mastery of one’s desires and passions
   The central element of the concept of self-control or temperance (KJV) is the issue of self-discipline. Paul often illustrated this idea of self-control by referring to athletics. Just as a runner or a boxer keeps his body disciplined to overcome the pain, fatigue, and opposition of athletic competition; so the Christian must discipline his thoughts and emotions to overcome the rigors of his life of faith (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
   Self-discipline for the deliberate Christian is a matter of denying some things and taking for himself and consuming other things. The most straightforward application of this principle is in the kinds of things that occupy our leisure time. To be deliberately Christian, we should seek to replace the idle amusements that occupy much of our time and thought with thoughts and projects that seek to fulfill our Savior’s will and bring Him glory.
   Of course, we all need to rest our minds and bodies. That’s not my point. Amusements and recreations have their place, but by their very nature, those same leisure pursuits grow and occupy more and more of our time and attention crowding out the things of God. The function of godly self-discipline is to draw us from the excesses of leisure to the rigors of God’s work.
4. Perseverance – (ὑπομονή hypomonē) steadfastness, endurance in spite of people and circumstances
   In addition to self-control, the deliberate Christian seeks to remain steadfast in the faith he professes. The reality and vitality of the faith we profess is demonstrated in the constancy of our Christian life – especially in our growth and walk with Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, our lives are often influenced and characterized by change rather than steadfastness. The changes in our society, in morality, in ethics, and even in our churches are often beyond our control, but God’s Word and His standards never change.
   In our constant search for “new and better,” however, we adopt the idea that change is not only inevitable but it must be good, and we begin to desire change in our service for the Lord. That acceptance of change also influences our expression and practice of devotion to Him and to His Word. This problem of change makes its presence known in the believer’s – in our – readiness to abandon one avenue of pursuit and service in favor of another even in our Christian lives and walk.
   This desire and acceptance of “change for change’s sake” spills over into our relationship and responsibility to the Lord, to our Service for Him, and to His people. When circumstances of a relationship change, we change our attitude toward that relationship. The deliberate Christian recognizes the influence of change, and the quality of perseverance or endurance carries him through these changes without wavering from his faith, principles, goals, attitudes, and service.
   Paul equated the Christian life to a long-distance race (1 Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 4:7), and the writer of Hebrews used the same illustration (Hebrews 12:1). In this race of the Christian life, we face many obstacles and enemies who seek to divert us from the goal of pleasing Jesus our Savior and accomplishing His will. By deliberately seeking to be steadfast in our faith, we hold steady in our service, growth, and love for the Lord.
5. Godliness – (εὐσέβεια eusebeia) – reverence, respect, devotion, and piety toward God; deliberately seeking to please God in every thought, word, and deed
   Godliness must govern the temperance and perseverance that is required in our responses to the problems and events of our lives. Godliness is not a passive state of mind but an active manager and director of the Christian’s life in all of its aspects.
   One item in the definition of godliness – εὐσέβεια – that stands out is embodied in the word “piety.” This word is rarely used in Christian conversation anymore. In fact, the prideful way in which some Christians display and enforce their legalistic and judgmental morality has given the word a negative connotation, but the dictionary definition of the word piety is this: “reverence for God, devout fulfillment of religious obligations.”
   At the heart of the Greek word translated “godliness” is the root word σέβω / sebō – which means “to revere, to worship.” Godliness is a state of constant reverence and worship of God.
   The additive quality that Peter has in mind is a constant consciousness of God and an unceasing devotion to Him. That devotion manifests itself in constantly seeking to please the Lord in everything all the time.
6. Brotherly kindness – (φιλαδελφία philadelphia) love as brothers; kindness, love, and loyalty as in a family
   The Greek word philadelphia is a compound of two words – philos, friend; and adlephos, brother. Their meaning together is simple and straightforward.
   My understanding of this word and concept is somewhat anecdotal. As children, my brother and I were fairly typical in our “brotherly” relationship. As the older brother, I often resented my brother’s intrusions, and he no doubt saw my “advantages” with some resentment. Actually, we fought as brothers. Having grown older, however, we have become true friends, and the competitions and contentions of our childhood are far behind us. Now we are both brother and friends – philadelphos.
   That relation ship is characterized by strong personal loyalty, mutual defense and accommodation, a willingness to be inconvenienced for the sake of the other, and a true delight in each others company and conversation. This is what all believers should know and cultivate in the family of the true church.
7. Love – (ἀγάπη agapē) love as God loves us; unselfish, giving, sacrificial love
   This quality of the beliver's life as described by the word, agapē / love, is often misunderstood because it is usually thought of as an emotion. Love can be emotional and naturally stirs emotions, but as it is used in the Bible, true love is not an emotion. None of the other elements in this list are emotions, but they each describe a quality of character and behavior that proceeds from the will. All seven of these qualities including love are choices of the will – or more precisely they are reflected in the choices we make.
   In practical terms, love is choosing to do what is best for the one who is loved regardless of the personal cost or consequences of that choice. Love is expressed in selflessness and sacrifice for another’s wellbeing. Love is the truest form of humility.