“…they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christâ€
(2 Peter 1:8)
What is meant by Christian development? 2 Peter 1:8 suggests that Christian development may be (and should be) measured along the lines of being effective and fruitful. To lack the qualities that result in this development is a critical problem (see 2 Peter 1:8-11).
1. Christian development means, first, becoming a Christian (2 Peter 1:1,2).
2. Christian development involves aspiring to the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3,4).
3. Christian development necessitates pursuing certain qualities (2 Peter 1:5-15).
a. Faith – virtue (1:5)
b. virtue – knowledge (1:5b)
c. knowledge – self-control (1:6)
d. self-control – steadfastness (1:6b)
e. steadfastness – godliness (1:6c)
f. godliness – brotherly affection (1:7)
g. brotherly affection – love (1:7b)
The apostle’s list of qualities activates an effective and fruitful lifestyle (2 Peter 3:18). The word produces our thinking; our thinking produces our emotions; our emotions produce our decisions; our decisions produce our actions; our actions produce our habits; our habits produce our character; and, our character produces our destiny. Life in the overflow.
– Robert M. Housby
(Colossians 1:21-23)
“…if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast,
not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…â€
(Colossians 1:23, ESV)
When George Ricker Berry translated Colossians 1:23, in his literal rendering, directly from the Greek New Testament, he chose the wording: “founded and firm†(Interlinear Greek-English New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1978), 522). The English Standard Version reads: “stable and steadfast;†while the King James Version has—“grounded and settled.â€
Colossians 1:23 describes Christian development in several key ways:
1. Col. 1:21,22 speaks of what God has done, and is doing for the believer. Note the past and present references of benefit here.
2. Although set up as a condition, this conditional sentence, “if†(1:23) expresses Paul’s confidence that the condition will be met with stable and steadfast living.
3. The caution against shifting away from the original gospel and being carried away with another gospel is stressed. Likely, the falsification here meant unnecessary supplementing of the gospel (see 2:6-15).
According to Colossians 1:21-23, Christian development means: (1) Realizing what God has done and is doing for us (2) Accepting the conditional nature of the faith; while having apostolic confidence that one can well continue (3) That the original gospel will be preferred and kept.
– Robert M. Housby