“SUPPLEMENT YOUR FAITH” (Part Five)

Bob Myhan

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f we would continue being “partakers of the divine nature” we must “make every effort to supplement…self-control with steadfastness” (2 Peter 1:4-6, ESV). But what is “steadfastness”? The Greek word here is translated “patience” in the KJV and “endurance” in the NKJV. Some seem to think that “patience” simply means “waiting.” That this is not true is seen in the translation, “patient waiting” (2 Thess. 3:5, KJV). Thus, patience is a certain kind of waiting. But what kind of waiting is it? It is a waiting motivated by hope (1 Thess. 1:2,3).

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he word literally means, “an abiding under” (Vine's, p. 849), and “may be passive”--meaning “endurance,” or “active”--meaning “persistence, perseverance” (pp. 849-50). It is endurance when alluding to Satan's attempts to “devour” (1 Peter 5:8,9), and persistence when referring to “abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). It is “the characteristic of a man who is unswerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings” (Thayer, p. 644). Or, as Bill Hall has said, it is “keeping on keeping on!” Moral courage [“virtue”] must precede steadfastness, as it is the proper emotional and mental state regarding potential threats to our faith. Knowledge, especially knowledge of the fact that “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness,” must precede steadfastness for without this information one would be mentally unprepared for trials (James 1:3). Self-control must also precede steadfastness because it enables one to make the effort required for being steadfast.

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ithout these prerequisites to steadfastness we would be too spiritually feeble to face those threats when they come. It is for this reason that we are told in the epistle to the Hebrews, “Therefore strengthen the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed” (12:12,13). There are a number of potential threats to our faith that make it necessary for us to “make every effort to supplement…self-control with steadfastness.”

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hristians are frequently the focus of insults (1 Peter 1:14-16), “trials of various kinds” (James 1:2-4,12-15),“tribulation and persecution” (Matthew 13:20,21). Since we already know that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12), there is no reason why we should not be prepared for adverse situations; after all, “forewarned is forearmed.” There are also distractions, such as “the cares, riches and pleasures of life” (Luke 8:14), the prospect of overconfidence (1 Cor. 10:12) and the danger of just plain growing “weary of doing good” (Gal. 6:6-9).

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he key to supplementing “self-control with steadfastness” is found in the first epistle of Peter. “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1:13, KJV).

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o “gird up the loins of your mind” is to be “preparing your minds for action” (ESV). “Gird up is metaphorical and is based on the literal tucking of flowing garments [into one’s belt, BM] so as to give one’s limbs unimpeded movement on a journey” (Clinton Hamilton, Truth Commentaries: 1 Peter, p. 37). It is equivalent to “rolling up one’s sleeves.”

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his is mental preparation. But what are you to “gird up the loins of your mind” with? What will help you most in your mental preparation? Paul writes, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (Eph. 6:14, KJV). This requires that you learn the truth of God and apply it to your life as preparation both for fulfilling responsibility and facing adversity (see, again, part three of “Supplement Your Faith,” July 20).

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o “be sober” means to have a calm and collected spirit, which is especially needed in the face of adversity. But to be sober in the face of adversity you must have the proper attitude toward adversity in the first place (James 1:2,3; 1 Cor. 10:13). This is moral courage. In other words, because of your prior knowledge of these adversities you resolve to pluck up your courage for whatever comes your way.

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o “hope to the end for the grace” means, having made the mental preparation, and having plucked up your courage, you are to persist in fulfilling responsibility and in facing adversity in order that you may continue to legitimately desire and expect ”the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

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teadfastness, then, demands and results from the exercise of faith, moral courage, knowledge, and self-control. If you want to be able to deal with potential threats, you must be in the habit of doing what is right before these threats become real. This means you must have the faith, moral courage, knowledge and self-control to establish a routine that incorporates all of your responsibilities so that when adversity comes—and it will come—you don’t ask, “What shall I do?” but will just “keep on” doing what you have already been doing. Good habits are as hard to break as bad habits.

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ould the writer of the book of Hebrews have written to you that which he wrote to the saints in Jerusalem (6:8-12)? Would he, by inspiration, have that same confidence in you? Are you making every effort to supplement self-control with steadfastness? If not, why are you not? &

IS TRUTH ESSENTIAL?

1. Truth came by Jesus Christ.

(John 1:17)

2. Jesus came to bear witness to the truth.

(John 18:37)

3. Truth makes us free.

(John 8:32)

4. Truth sanctifies, or sets apart.

(John 17:17)

5. Truth purifies.

(1 Peter 1:22)

6. God’s judgment is according to truth.

(Romans 2:2)

7. Every one that is of the truth hears the voice of Jesus.

(John 18:37)

8. It is God’s desire that all men come to the knowledge of the truth.

(1 Timothy 2:4)

9. Those who do not obey the truth will be lost forever.

(Romans 2:8,9)

WHY SOME DON'T BELIEVE #1

Guest Writer: Bill Walton

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 have sometimes been asked: “If the evi­dence supporting our faith in God is so strong and so convincing, why doesn't everyone believe?” So, in the next few articles on this page, I'm going to tell you why they don't believe. And there are a variety of reasons.

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n the first place, many people do not believe because they have not seen the evidence. Anyone who really looks at the vastness of the universe, the existence of life in the universe, the complexity of living things, the orderliness of nature, and the moral sensibility within man, must conclude that it couldn't just hap­pen. The evidence of design all around us, and within us, makes it obvious that there must be a Designer. The creation provides abundant evidence of the Creator, and every honest person intui­tively understands that there must be a Creator (Heb 3:4; Psa 19:1-4; Rom 1:19-20). And understanding this ought to lead us to seek Him.

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ut while the creation proves there is a Creator, it does not prove that the Creator is the God revealed in the Bible; and it does not prove that Jesus is the Son of God, or that the Bible is the Word of God. We must look to other kinds of evidence for that, and some people have not seen the evidence that would support faith in the God revealed in the Bible, and faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and the Bible as the Word of God. The evidence is there. It is abundant, and it is compelling. But they haven't seen it. You might ask, “Why haven't they seen the evidence?” And I would answer, “In many cases, they haven't seen it because they have no interest in seeing it.” Like the hogs eating the acorns under the oak trees, they couldn't care less where it comes from. They have no interest in anything beyond the here-and-now.

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n my college days I once had a conver­sation with a young man who was ex­pressing his skepticism concerning these fundamentals of the Christian's faith. I listened for a while, and then I asked him, “Have you ever read any books that deal with the scientific accuracy of the Bible, or the historical accuracy of the Bible, or the prophetic accuracy of the Bible?” He said, “No, I haven't.”  Then I asked, “Have you read any books in the area of Christian evidences?” And again, he answered, “NO.” He was content with skepticism and doubt and had no interest in trying to resolve his doubt. It wasn't that he had found the evidence for faith weak and lacking, it was simply the fact that he had no interest in seeing the evi­dence. &