Perfecting Holiness

["GL"]

Originally Posted by keith4him

Very good post, Dan Segraves a long time ago, wrote a book and included a chapter about this very theme in that book.

He made the point that virture came before knowledge, some people skip the first step and go for knowledge and that produces pride and ego.

Good point made by Seagraves. What book was this? I'm wondering if I have it buried somewhere in my library...

[mfblume]

Note that Peter speaks of an abundant entrance into the kingdom if we add to our faith. Jesus said not everyone who says LORD LORD shall ENTER the KINGDOM. But we must hear His words and DO THEM. Putting that together with Peter's words helps us realize the DOING Jesus spoke about it adding to our faith the seven things Peter listed.

Peter also said adding these things makes us so we never fall.

Jesus said the one who does His words is like the wise man who built his house on the rock THAT DOES NOT FALL.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by keith4him

Very good post, Dan Segraves a long time ago, wrote a book and included a chapter about this very theme in that book.

He made the point that virture came before knowledge, some people skip the first step and go for knowledge and that produces pride and ego.

WOW!

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by originalsecretplace

Excellent post. Very encouraging.

Do you think this growth is from one stage to another? Where in the state of maturity we can love each other as Jesus loved us -- the last "addition" to our faith being charity?

Is NT holiness ultimately, being matured into the image of Christ, coming to a place where we have true charity and unity?

I may be whislting in the dark here -- but 1COR13 "that which is perfect" could that be true charity?

ANOTHER WOW. I think you're onto something!

Col 3:14 KJV And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

[mfblume]

Had pants or dresses been mentioned in this topic, it might get more bandwidth. heh heh

[Trouvere]

Originally Posted by mfblume

While reading 2 Peter 1, one day, I realized what Paul meant by perfecting holiness in 2 Cor 7.



There are seven things Peter told us that we must add to our faith once we are saved. We HAVE faith when we are saved. Peter said we obtained like precious faith in verse 1. And from verse 5 we are told to ADD seven things to that faith.

We are CALLED TO glory and virtue. In fact, VIRTUE is one of the things we must add to our faith (See verse 5). And when I think of this understanding of having need to ADD to our faith, I think of having escaped Egypt and now in the wilderness in need of going on to Canaan. Canaan always represents spiritual maturity.

We have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (EGYPT), and now must become partakers of his divine nature (Canaan).

This is perfecting holiness.

His divine nature is altogether holy. But the things we add to our faith in order to partake of His divine nature are listed as follows:

1) virtue;
2) knowledge;
3) temperance;
4) patience;
5) godliness;
6) brotherly kindness;
7) charity.

It is interestoing that many who tout the term "holiness" do not really know what some of these elements listed above even are!

Virtue is sort of described as getting a backbone and standing for truth. The others are pretty much self explanatory. But these things make us solid and sure.

They make our CALLING AND ELECTION sure. They make us so we never fall. They make us so we are not barren nor unfruitful. And they make us so that we obtain an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God.

Brother Blume did you parse this from the Greek?

Originally Posted by mfblume

Had pants or dresses been mentioned in this topic, it might get more bandwidth. heh heh

Scott's trying to help out too, bro...

http://www.apostolicfriendsforum.com...ead.php?t=4856

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Trouvere

Brother Blume did you parse this from the Greek?

No. Just the english. I do not have the tools to accomplish very much parsing of passages in Greek, but only to get definitions of words. The parsing would translate into the english as it is in Greek, though. Otherwise, it's not a translation.

[Trouvere]

Originally Posted by mfblume

No. Just the english. I do not have the tools to accomplish very much parsing of passages in Greek, but only to get definitions of words. The parsing would translate into the english as it is in Greek, though. Otherwise, it's not a translation.

Use your e-sword Brother.No it does not always translate out the same unfortunately.I did go to e-sword and in reading it you can realize that
the words of what comes before what are just an argument of words.
If that were so each described event would come in order then if one came
before the other the sequence would tumble.So to say that virtue has
to come before knowledge in order for the scripture to be valid would
not be a valid argument.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Trouvere

Use your e-sword Brother.No it does not always translate out the same unfortunately.I did go to e-sword and in reading it you can realize that
the words of what comes before what are just an argument of words.
If that were so each described event would come in order then if one came
before the other the sequence would tumble.So to say that virtue has
to come before knowledge in order for the scripture to be valid would
not be a valid argument.

I did not note that one element definitely comes before another, so I never caught this as your drift. I thought you were speaking of the need for us to realize that holiness is realized through addition of these elements. But someone here did perhaps imply an order when they said charity was listed last and would be the completion. Were you referring to that post?