Sermon Tone Analysis

2 Peter 1:6–7 (NKJV)

6 (add) to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

Please take a look at the chart of the back of your notes.

We have been following this process - called Progressive Sanctification - which is the continual change process by which we grow from being immature believers to living as mature believers.

So far, we have covered the Foundation (Faith, Virtue, and Knowledge), followed by the Hard Work section in the middle, made up of Self-Control and Perseverance.

(make sure you go back and watch those lessons if you missed them)

Today, we will study that last section, labeled “The Payoff!”:

Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Love

These last three elements are the results of the Christian that has laid a solid foundation and then put in the hard work.

This is the mountain top that we all want in our lives…TRANSFORMATION!

We want to be more godly, more affectionate, and more loving…but we often lack those things because we have not been willing to implement the first things first.

1. Godliness

2 Peter 1:6 (NKJV)

6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

Godliness: Habitually responding in Christ-like character.

Godliness then is living the way Christ would live.

In the original Greek understanding, this word meant “to worship well”

It describes a person that is living in right relationship with God

We could also use “reverence” or “piety”

When a Christian has learned to live out their faith in God, chooses to live according to the virtues of God, hungers after the knowledge of God, learns to give control to the Spirit of God and perseveres by clinging to God, he or she will begin to develop the habits of godliness.

Godliness is a distinctive character - it sets the believer apart from the world - it makes us different.

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV 1900)

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Coach Peter has already directed us to be thinking about godliness up in verse three.

2 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)

3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

Peter has also stated that we somehow partake of God’s nature:

2 Peter 1:4 (NKJV)

4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

We cannot become God…but we can become LIKE God in many ways

Some of God’s attributes are for Him alone:

Incommunicable Attributes: ex: Omnipresence, Omnipotence, Self-Existence

Communicable Attributes: ex: Knowledge, Wisdom, Holiness

Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Self-Existence for example are classified as “incommunicable attributes”.

But we can imitate God’s character…we can live according to His values…we can become students of His Word which will transform our minds to become like Christ.

Knowledge, Wisdom, and Holiness are all examples of “communicable attributes”

The fruit of the Spirit is an excellent example of God’s attributes being a part of our lives.

We need to think about what godliness is NOT so that we have an awareness of “false godliness”.

[read 2 tim 3:1-4]

2 Timothy 3:5 (NKJV)

5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.

And from such people turn away!

It is important to observe that these are religious people!

They have a form of godliness, but it isn’t authentic godliness…they deny its power

μόρφωσις morphōsis 2× pr. a shaping, moulding; in NT external form, appearance

You might be familiar with “metamorphasis” - which means a transformation…but this word “morphosis” is not a transformation…it is only an outward form…it’s only skin deep.

This Greek word is used only twice in the NT - Here and in Romans 2:20

[This passage is talking about hypocrites…they teach one thing but they do the opposite]

So these types of people might sound good at first..might even have some Bible knowledge and are able to “talk the talk”…but a closer examination of their lives will show that they are only loving themselves…they are not “walking the walk”.

So we need to be careful and watch out for false godliness in other’s lives…and we need to watch out for it creeping into our lives.

In the New Testament, the book that uses the word “godliness” or “godly” the most times is 1 Timothy (10x), so that will be our outline for studying this word, godliness.

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

Edification: to build up another person

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

2. is to prayed for (1 Tim.

2:2)

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

2. is to prayed for (1 Tim.

2:2)

3. leads to modesty (1 Tim.

2:10)

This word for godliness is slightly different than all the other times in 1 Timothy.

Whereas all the other times the Greek word means piety or devotion to God, this word translated godliness means to worship God.

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

2. is to prayed for (1 Tim.

2:2)

3. leads to modesty (1 Tim.

2:10)

4. is personified in Jesus Christ (1 Tim.

3:16)

Many believe that this paragraph was part of a hymn sung by the early church believers.

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

2. is to prayed for (1 Tim.

2:2)

3. leads to modesty (1 Tim.

2:10)

4. is personified in Jesus Christ (1 Tim.

3:16)

5. takes exercise (1 Tim.

4:7)

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

2. is to prayed for (1 Tim.

2:2)

3. leads to modesty (1 Tim.

2:10)

4. is personified in Jesus Christ (1 Tim.

3:16)

5. takes exercise (1 Tim.

4:7)

6. is profitable for all things, both in time and in eternity (1 Tim.

4:8)

Godliness:

1. is the edification of others (1 Tim.

1:4)

2. is to prayed for (1 Tim.

2:2)

3. leads to modesty (1 Tim.

2:10)

4. is personified in Jesus Christ (1 Tim.

3:16)

5. takes exercise (1 Tim.

4:7)

6. is profitable for all things, both in time and in eternity (1 Tim.

4:8)

7. is to be the standard by which teachers are to be measured (1 Tim.