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Advancing After Obtaining “a Faith”The Watchtower—1980 | May 1
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“Supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge,
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Advancing After Obtaining “a Faith”The Watchtower—1980 | May 1
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Advancing in Knowledge of God and Christ
5. After obtaining a faith, what responsibility do we have, and what is essential in fulfilling it?
5 After having “obtained a faith,” disciples of Jesus Christ come under personal responsibility to conform ever closer to God’s will for them. Accurate knowledge will help us to do this. The apostle Peter stressed the importance of accurate, full or complete knowledge, saying: “May undeserved kindness and peace be increased to you by an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”—2 Pet. 1:2.
6. (a) What is meant by having an “accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus”? (b) How do we come to have such knowledge?
6 Our having an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” means knowing them as persons—their qualities, ways and dealings—and imitating their flawless example. (Compare Jeremiah 22:15, 16; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:5, 6.) By our advancement in learning and in applying the principles of God’s Word, we come to know the Father and his Son better and better. This results in our enjoying undeserved kindness and peace to an ever greater degree.
7. How is “undeserved kindness” increased “by an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus”?
7 It is only by doing what is pleasing to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ that we continue to receive divine help and guidance. Because we are sinful humans, we have no merit on our own. So whatever our Maker does for us is an expression of his undeserved kindness. Nevertheless, our being recipients of divine undeserved kindness depends on our striving to be like our heavenly Father and his Son. When this is true in our case, we can approach Jehovah God with full confidence that he will answer our petitions.
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Advancing After Obtaining “a Faith”The Watchtower—1980 | May 1
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8. How is “peace” increased “by an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus”?
8 When we possess, not just knowledge, but full, rounded-out knowledge of our heavenly Father and his Son, we see clearly what is pleasing in their sight. We remain in union and at peace with them, enjoying an intimacy with them as their friends. Consequently, our progress in coming to know Jehovah God and his Son more fully leads to the enjoyment of increased peace. This is so because of our avoiding to an ever greater degree attitudes, speech and action that are contrary to the example of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
9. What effect does sinning have on our peace with God?
9 On the other hand, by sinning, we would be disrupting our peace with the Most High, as we would be acting against his will. Only God’s forgiveness, based on our sincere repentance and faith in the atoning benefits of Christ’s sacrifice, can bring a restoration of peace.—1 John 2:1, 2.
Let “Divine Power” Move You to Action
10. What can help us to enjoy undeserved kindness and peace in increased measure?
10 Jehovah God and Jesus Christ, of course, want us to enjoy undeserved kindness and peace in increased measure. Therefore, we should cooperate with them by making a determined effort to come to know them better. One way in which we can do this is by reflecting appreciatively on what Jehovah God, by means of his Son, has done in our behalf. The apostle Peter wrote: “His divine power has given us freely all the things that concern life and godly devotion, through the accurate knowledge of the one who called us through glory and virtue. Through these things he has freely given us the precious and very grand promises, that through these you may become sharers in divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world through lust.”—2 Pet. 1:3, 4.
11, 12. (a) Why is “divine power” associated with “accurate knowledge”? (b) How is this illustrated in the case of Christians at Thessalonica?
11 Note that Peter associated “divine power” with “accurate knowledge.” This is most appropriate, for God’s word, or message, regarding his Son, the “good news,” can have a powerful impact on the lives of people.
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Advancing After Obtaining “a Faith”The Watchtower—1980 | May 1
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Just as glory is linked with the Son of God, so is virtue. Jesus Christ was outstandingly virtuous, a man of moral excellence. Even the traitorous Judas Iscariot acknowledged: “I sinned when I betrayed righteous blood.” (Matt. 27:4) So it has been through the “glory and virtue” reflected in the Son that Jehovah has done the calling.
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Advancing After Obtaining “a Faith”The Watchtower—1980 | May 1
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The apostle Peter urged: “Yes, for this very reason, by your contributing in response all earnest effort, supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion, to your godly devotion brotherly affection, to your brotherly affection love.”—2 Pet. 1:5-7.
19 We are not to be satisfied with having mere faith or belief. Rather, in response to or as a consequence of our having received the capacity for faith from our heavenly Father, we should want to develop other fine qualities that give evidence of our having faith. The apostle Peter urged that we ‘contribute all earnest effort,’ exert ourselves diligently with all the strength that we have, to become more like the Son of God.
20. What is meant by adding virtue to our faith?
20 Our adding virtue to faith would mean that we would strive to be persons of moral excellence in imitation of our Exemplar, Christ. Such virtue, or moral excellence, is a positive quality. Its possessor not only refrains from doing injury to his fellowman but also seeks to do good, responding to the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of others. Virtue is really active goodness. Thus the life of a virtuous person is not merely distinguished by negative things, as by his shunning sexual immorality, uncleanness, dishonesty and other practices that are divinely disapproved. In the first century C.E., the Pharisees prided themselves in not being “as the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers.” (Luke 18:11) But they were not virtuous, for they despised the common people and showed no mercy, pity or compassion.—Mark 3:1-6; John 7:47-49.
21. Why is it important to grow in knowledge?
21 Apart from knowledge, virtue as exemplified in Jesus Christ cannot exist. Knowledge is needed to distinguish right from wrong. (Heb. 5:14) It is also essential for evaluating just how positive good is to be expressed in a given situation. (Phil. 1:9, 10) Unlike credulity, solidly based faith is not shaken by knowledge. Hence, our being diligent in applying the Holy Scriptures will strengthen our faith as we continue to grow in knowledge of Jehovah God and his Son.
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