Judges 7. Gideon, part 33: The divine nature and supplying virtue.

Title: Judges 7. Gideon, part 33: The divine nature and supplying virtue.      

 

 

2PE 1:8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing [such a life is living and dynamic], they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

"are increasing": pleonazo = are superabounding. Every believer is given more than enough grace to supply more than enough virtue in his life.

 

If you fully believe who you are as a divine nature then you will be diligent in supplying Christ's characteristics and you will superabound in Christ's characteristics and so you will be fruitful in the full knowledge of Him. Superabound means to have more than enough of something. Phrases like, "I only have so much love to give," or, "my forgiveness has a limit," or "my patience is wearing thin," don't apply to the new creature as they didn't apply to Christ. From our divine nature, we have more than enough faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly love, and agape love.

 

2PE 1:8

For if these things are your natural and rightful possession, and are in superabundance, they so constitute you that you are not idle nor unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [expanded translation]

 

2PE 1:9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.

 

"short-sighted" - muopa,zw[muopazo: muo = to shut; ops = the eye] = short sighted, seeing only what is near. Unable to discern spiritual things, only worldly things.

 

This is where we get our word myopic. The root mu signifies a sound made with closed lips, for example in the words "mutter," "mute." So we combine closed with eyes and get short-sighted. This does not contradict the previous word "blind" since Peter is not talking about physical blindness but spiritual. The believer who lacks these qualities of Christ cannot see past the nose on his face. He discerns only worldly things and spiritual things elude him. In the church, in the home, and on the job he looks at all things from a natural world viewpoint and were sight really counts in order to see and do God's will, he has none. The natural minded man cannot understand the things of God. He is not able because they are spiritually appraised. The Spirit has been given to us so that we can see that which is of the divine nature - that which is of Christ.

 

God the Holy Spirit through the pen of Peter tells us simply that if the qualities of the divine nature are lacking in us then we lost sight of our regeneration.

 

We lost sight of who we are. In a world where the quality of the believer in Christ is never spoken of, never heralded, and actually criticized, there are many temptations that draw the believer's eyes away from Christ. The world promotes the sin nature of man and that nature remains in the believer, though it is crucified with Christ. Therefore, there is a part in every believer, a sinful and evil part, that the world glorifies and magnifies, and so the believer sees further temptation to get his eyes off of Christ in that as well.

 

With our eyes off of Christ and therefore off of who we are in Him, we lose sight of heaven and we get completely enveloped in the ways of the world. Our heavenly lives turn to the natural and we live in the natural.

 

The natural world is not the realm of the extraordinary. Everyone in Christ is perrison.

 

MAT 5:47

"And if you greet your brothers only, what perrison (extraordinary) - translated: do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?"

 

"He cannot see the things of heaven, though he may be quick enough in regard to worldly matters." [Mayor]

 

HEB 12:1-3

let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus … For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

 

And since such a tragedy of blindness can be true:

 

2PE 1:10 Therefore [because of verses 5-9], brethren, be all the more diligent [spoudazo again: aorist active imperative] to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

 

Spoudazo (aorist active imperative) comes with the adverb mallon (more) = become more diligent.

 

To make: middle infinitive = make for yourselves.

 

be,baioj[bebaios] = stable, firm, secure.

 

Bebaioshas a legal sense. It is the legal guarantee, obtained by the buyer from the seller, to be as a safeguard in case someone else claimed the object purchased. Here the readers are exhorted to produce a guarantee of their calling and election. It is interesting to think how this may be done. I could keep written promises in my pocket. I will be reminded by Bible study. But think of how Peter has presented this chapter. Perhaps the best way that we confirm within ourselves that we are the called and elected is to constantly produce the Christian virtues here listed and increasing in them.