MEMORY VERSE:“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, though the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.” 2 Peter 1:3
BIBLE PASSAGE: 2 Peter 1:3-7
INTRODUCTION
There are two root words in Greek translated virtue. The first is “dunamis” as in Luke 6:19; 8:46 meaning ‘miraculous power’. The second is “arete” meaning ‘moral excellence’ or ‘goodness’. In the context of the later, “virtue” is a right inner disposition: a disposition is a tendency to act in certain ways. It is not an impulse but a settled habit of mind. Virtues are general character traits that provide inner sanctions on our motives, intentions, and outward conduct.
OUTLINE
1.HOW TO ACHIEVE VIRTUE
2. DESIRE TO EXCEL
1.HOW TO ACHIEVE VIRTUE
Our God is excellent in all ways Psalm 76:4, Matthew 5:48. He expects His children to be like Him Genesis 17:1, 1 Peter 1:15-16. Hence, the main aim of a christian should be to walk to please God. Virtue is attainable only if we follow the divine guidelines Philippians 4:8.
2 Peter 1:5-7 tells us how to attain virtue. It is like a ladder; the attaining of one will lead to the next, and so on. The sequence begins with faith and ends with love. Without faith, nobody can have virtue. Faith supplies moral excellence as taught in the Bible Hebrews 11:6. After we have attained some knowledge, we add self-control, or self- discipline 1 Corinthians 9:25-27. This is the opposite of the excesses prevalent in the world. Perseverance means to view the unfolding of time from God’s perspective rather from the human eyes 2 Peter 3:8-9; Hebrews 12:2’ Matthew 6:33. Godliness means that we have a very practical awareness of God in every aspect of our life 1 Timothy 6:6, 2 Peter 1:3. Kindness is described here as “Philadelphia”, the kind of love that we have for brothers and sisters. The most magnificent virtue of all: Christian love. This love is “agape” and results in self-sacrificing action for another 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, John 3:16; 1 John 3:16.
2. DESIRE TO EXCEL
The desire to excel comes with the recognition of excellence, and a consciousness of falling short of it. The goal is to be like Jesus Christ because He is the glory of God revealed Hebrews 1:3, John 17:3; Romans 3:23. This desire to excel also involves a willingness to give up lesser things to achieve a greater goal Matthew 19:16-26 and a willingness to work hard towards perfection Luke 10:17-20, Matthew 17:15-21. We must be willing to be taught, not only by those who are in a higher position, but anyone regardless of position or age 1 Corinthians 1:19-29.
CONCLUSION
Now we see that if we indeed have these virtues as an integral part of our being, and if they continue to increase as we apply them, then we leas a useful, fruitful life for Christ.