Virtue Ladder- Part 1

There was once a farmer who went to town to purchase seeds for his farm. As he was returning home one of the squash seeds he had purchased fell from his pocket onto the ground. It happened that within a few feet was another seed of a different type. The place where the two seeds lay was rather fertile, and miraculously they took root.

After about a week the squash seed showed signs of growth. The second seed showed none. After two weeks the squash began to sprout leaves. The second seed showed none. After seven weeks the squash began to show fruit. The second seed still showed no progress. Four more weeks came and gone.

The squash plant reached the end of its life bearing much fruit in that time, but the other seed finally began to slowly grow. Many years later, the squash was all but forgotten, but the other tiny seed, an acorn, had grown into a mighty oak tree.

So many people want their faith to be like the squash. They want to experience it all right now... Spiritual training -- like Epaphras understood, requires hard work and patience -- as anything worthwhile does.

(From a sermon by Steve Smith, "Pursuing Godly Living" 2/15/2009)

Where there is life there is growth. As we continue our series “You Shall Never Fall” we remember that we as believers have been given everything we need for life and godliness. We have been made alive through faith in Christ. In 1 Peter 1:5-7 we see that we must not be content with just having saving faith, but we must make the effort to grow. It will take our entire life, but we can learn to climb the virtue ladder.

Spiritual Life Starts With Faith

2 Peter 1:5 (KJV)

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith...

Galatians 5:6 KJV

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Faith Comes From Scriptures

Romans 10:17 KJV

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith Brings Life

Ephesians 2:1 KJV

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Philippians 2:12–13 KJV

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Where There is Life There Is Growth - Add to Your Faith

2 Peter 1:5 (KJV)

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith ...

Where there is life, there must be growth. The new birth is not the end; it is the beginning. God gives His children all that they need to live godly lives, but His children must apply themselves and be diligent to use the “means of grace” He has provided. Spiritual growth is not automatic. It requires cooperation with God and the application of spiritual diligence and discipline. “Work out your own salvation … For it is God which worketh in you” (Phil. 2:12–13).11 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 437–438). Victor Books.

Giving

“Giving” is pareispherō, (παρεισφερω,) made up of pherō (φερω) “to bring,” eis, (εἰς,) “into,” and para, (παρα,) “alongside,” thus, “to bring in alongside, to contribute besides” to something. The r.v. translates, “adding on your own part.” Strachan says that the words “and besides this” emphasize the fact of the gifts spoken of in verse four as having their logical outcome in character, and quotes Bunyan as saying, “The soul of religion is the practical part.”11 Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 12, p. 22). Eerdmans.

All diligence

“Diligence” is spoudē. (σπουδη.) The verb is spoudazō (σπουδαζω) which means “to make haste, be eager, give diligence, to do one’s best, to take care, to exert one’s self.”

Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 12, pp. 22–23). Eerdmans.

That brings us to still another basic idea here. Peter bids his people to bend every energy, to make every effort, to do this. That is to say, in the Christian life, the supreme human effort must co-operate with the grace of God. As Paul has it: ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:12–13). It is true that everything comes from faith; but a faith which does not lead to new life is not faith at all, as Paul would heartily have agreed. Faith is not only commitment to the promises of Christ; it is also commitment to his demands.11 Barclay, W. (2003). The Letters of James and Peter (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, p. 345). Westminster John Knox Press.

Add

Peter says that we must make every effort to equip ourselves with a series of fine qualities. The word he uses for to equip is epichorēgein, which he uses again in verse 11 when he speaks of us being richly gifted with the right of entry into the eternal kingdom.

This is one of the many Greek words that have a pictorial background. The verb epichorēgein comes from the noun chorēgos, which literally means the leader of a chorus. Perhaps the greatest gift that Greece, and especially Athens, gave to the world was the plays and dramatic works of men like Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, which are still among its most cherished possessions. All these plays needed large choruses and were, therefore, very expensive to produce. In the great days of Athens, there were public-spirited citizens who voluntarily took on the duty, at their own expense, of collecting, maintaining, training and equipping such choruses. It was at the major religious festivals that these plays were produced. For instance, at the city Dionysia, three tragedies, five comedies and five wild and riotous choruses were produced. Men had to be found to provide the choruses for them all, a duty which could cost as much as 3,000 drachmae. The men who undertook these duties out of their own pocket and out of love for their city were called chorēgoi, and chorēgein was the verb used for undertaking such a duty. The word has a certain lavishness in it. It never means to equip in any miserly way; it means lavishly to pour out everything that is necessary for a fine performance. The word epichorēgein went out into a larger world, and it grew to mean not only to equip a chorus but to be responsible for any kind of equipment. It can mean to equip an army with all necessary provisions; it can mean to equip the soul with all the necessary virtues for life. But behind it there is always this idea of a lavish generosity in the action.

So Peter urges his people to equip their lives with every virtue, and that must not be simply equipping to a necessary minimum, but lavishly and with generosity. The very word is an encouragement to be content with nothing less than the loveliest and the most splendid life.1

1 Barclay, W. (2003). The Letters of James and Peter (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, pp. 344–345). Westminster John Knox Press.

James 2:20 KJV

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

The Steps of the Virtue Ladder

Add To Faith Virtue

This virtue, Vincent says, is in the form, “not of moral excellence, but of the energy which Christians are to exhibit, as God exerts His energy upon them. As God calls us by His own virtue (v. 3), so Christians are to exhibit virtue or energy in the exercise of their faith, translating it into vigorous action.”11 Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (Vol. 12, p. 24). Eerdmans.

1:5 excellence of character The idea of knowing about God is preceded by the principle of living a life of integrity, making the point that the disciplines of a faithful life lead to further understanding of God11 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (2 Pe 1:5). Lexham Press.

Faith must lead not to the retreat and seclusion of the cloister and the hermit’s cell, but to a life effective in the service of God and other people; and it must produce the courage always to show whose life it is and whom it serves11 Barclay, W. (2003). The Letters of James and Peter (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, p. 348). Westminster John Knox Press.

A Christian is supposed to glorify God because he has God’s nature within; so, when he does this, he shows “excellence” because he is fulfilling his purpose in life. True virtue in the Christian life is not “polishing” human qualities, no matter how fine they may be, but producing divine qualities that make the person more like Jesus Christ.11 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 438). Victor Books.

Add To Virtue Knowledge.

2 Peter 1:5 (KJV)

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

Faith helps us develop virtue, and virtue helps us develop knowledge (2 Peter 1:5). The word translated “knowledge” in 2 Peter 1:2–3 means “full knowledge” or “knowledge that is growing.” The word used here suggests practical knowledge or discernment. It refers to the ability to handle life successfully. It is the opposite of being “so heavenly minded as to be of no earthly good!” This kind of knowledge does not come automatically. It comes from obedience to the will of God (John 7:17). In the Christian life, you must not separate the heart and the mind, character and knowledge.11 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 438). Victor Books.

To courage must he added knowledge. The word is gnōsis. In ethical Greek language, there are two words which have a similar meaning with a very significant difference. Sophia is wisdom, in the sense of ‘knowledge of things both human and divine, and of their causes’. It is knowledge of first causes and of deep and ultimate things. Gnōsis is practical knowledge; it is the ability to apply to particular situations the ultimate knowledge which sophia gives. Gnōsis is that knowledge which enables people to decide to take the right course and to act honourably and efficiently in the day-today circumstances of life. So, to faith must be added courage and effectiveness; to courage and effectiveness must be added the practical wisdom to deal with life.11 Barclay, W. (2003). The Letters of James and Peter (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, p. 348). Westminster John Knox Press.

Conclusion:

One night, a mother fixed a special meal for her family: turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, and apple pie for dessert. It was everyone’s favorite meal, especially when it came at a time other than Thanksgiving. The aroma filled the house, and as the children came in from playing they could hardly wait for dinner to begin. The last child appeared only a few minutes before dinner time and sat through the meal without eating, even though he especially loved those foods. Why? Because he had filled up on peanut butter at a friend’s house. In settling for something good, he had lost his appetite for the best.

The same applies to our spiritual appetites. Some people don’t have much of an appetite for spiritual truth because they have satisfied themselves with lesser things.13131

1 Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 355). Baker Books.

Remember the promise that started our thinking in this sermon series:

2 Peter 1:10 (KJV)

...for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

We have been given everything we need for life and Godliness. By faith we have been made partakers of the divine nature. Where there is life there is growth. This growth takes effort on our part. We are to make every effort to add to our faith. We must add virtue - an energy of excellent moral character. We must dd to that excellent moral character knowledge. Next week we will finish climbing the virtue ladder.

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