Discipleship: 8 Virtues Flashcards
Why is behaviour change insufficient
Behaviour is an identity performance
You do what you do
Because you are what you are,
To change what you do,
You need to Co-operate with God to change what you are
2 Peter 1:5-8
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control [a]perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Virtues of 2 Peter 1:5-7
- Saving Faith
- Virtue /Moral Excellence / Goodness
- Knowledge
- Self-Controll
- Preserverence
- Godliness
- Brotherly kindness
- Love
Saving Faith: Signs that a person is unsaved and Alienated from God
According to Matthew 7:15-20, both the unbeliever and the believer can be known by their “fruit” or behaviour.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
The spirit of God gives believers a Love for God, His word, His people, and for rightiousness. Without the spirit of God, there is:
- No love for God
John 15:18
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.
1 Corinthians 12:3
So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
- No love for or understanding of God’s Word
Psalm 119:72
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
1 Coriinthians 1:18
18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14
14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
John 8:43-44
43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
1 John 4:6
6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
- No Love for God’s people.
1 John 13:35
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 4:20
20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer,[a] that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?
Matthew 10:22
22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.[a] But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.
John 15:19
19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.
- Love for sin
Romans 8:13-14
13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,[a] you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children[b] of God.
1 John 3:6 6
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
1 John 3:8
8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:9
9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
Saving Faith: What does it take to have a “Saving faith”
According to Rom 3:21-29, It is by acknowledging that we are sinners, for which the penalty is death, and through believing that Jesus paid the penalty of our sin, by sacrificing His life and by shedding His blood. By Accepting the Lord’s sacrifice as a free gift of Grace from God.
- Acknowledge before God, that you are a sinner, worthy of eternal death in hell, for choosing to sin against God, by turning to your own ways and by doing what is right in your own sight
- Ask God for the offer of Salvation, that Jesus gives to ANYONE who asks to be forgiven. Ask God to forgive you of your sin
Romans 10:13
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 3:21-19 - Becoming Right with God
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses[i] and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30 There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.[j] 31 Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Saving Faith: All have sinned
Romans 5:12
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him, the iniquity of us all.
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
What enables Christians to live the Christian life?
God doesn’t just save us and then leave us, God has given us “all things that pertains to life and godliness” 2 Peter 1:3,
God has given us His spirit, and His word which enables us to become “partakers of the divine nature”,
Being partakers of the divine nature is to develop the character qualities of christ-likeness, namely: saving faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, preserverance, godliness, brotherly-affection, and love.
Isaiah 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Hebrews 13:5 “for God has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”
Hebrew 13:6 “6 Therefore, we can say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”
Virtue: What is it?
Virtue is “moral exellence” or goodness. It is the nature and character of Christ. Peter is saying, that the first step to Christ-likeness, is the desire and commitment to become like Jesus
Adding virtue means being commited to developing and displaying the Character of Jesus Christ.
Part of overcoming life-dominating sin, is choosing the right Goal, which is to become like Christ
Virtue Prayer
Lord Jesus, because of what you have done in my place on the cross.
And because of what you have said to me in your word.
And because of what you will require of me at the judgment.
I commit myself to becoming more like you today.
And to living all my life under your Lordship.
Virtue: Why is it important to make it our daily commitment?
Being aware each day and throughout the day that Jesus is developing within us these virtues and qualities, we are more likely to co-operate with God by submitting to His will.
Knowledge: What does it mean to add knowledge?
To read, memorize, and meditate on scripture
Knowledge: Why is it so important to add knowledge?
Without an understanding of God’s laws, our journey to freedom and maturity will be a long, slow and painful one.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
45 I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
4 You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed. - Psalm 119:4
89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
59 I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
Knowledge: How are we to study the word of God?
According to Psalm 119, we are to:
Value the word of God above all else
- The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Ask God through prayer to give us understanding
12 Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
18 Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
Be willing and ready to obey
33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.[b]
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Memorize Scripture:
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Recall and Recite Scripture
13 With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
Reflect deeply on the meaning of word of God:
- Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
15 I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
59 I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
Preserverance: How do we preservere during difficult times.
Psalm 109 tells us, we preservere by:
- Holding to God’s promises
- My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life. - By delighting in God’s word
- If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
Knowledge: The hardened heart
A heart that delights in the law of God, that is willing to “do” the will of God. Is a prerequisite to understanding the word of God.
Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. - Psalm 119:70
42 Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. 43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me! 44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! 46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God. - John 8:42-47
14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 15 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ - Mattew 13:14 -15
Self-Control
It is not about pullng yourself up by your own bootstraps, or about gridding your teeth and hanging on
Self-control is instantly obeying God’s word, in the power of God’s Spirit
59 I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands. - Psalm 119:59-60
We have only two choices, pleasing ourselves or pleasing God..
Self-Control: Slaves to sin
Romans 6:19
19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. - Romans 6:19
When we sin we become a slave to sin [wickedness, impurity, lawlessness]. Now that we belong to God, we should no longer sin, but live holy lives
