Sunday Message Summary, 19 February 2023
We have been called to live glorious and virtuous lives, and GOD has already given us everything we need to live godly lives on Earth and to please Him (2 Peter 1:3). The glory is GOD’s part, but virtue is man’s part to do. Considering this, we ought to do the best we can, applying ourselves diligently, being disciplined, making every effort to grow in virtue as children of GOD (2 Peter 1:5). Spiritual growth is intentional, it is what we do, and our response to the Word of GOD. Spiritual growth does not come by prayer, but it comes by us applying ourselves, taking responsibility and giving all diligence.
What is virtue? Virtue is everything that is good, clean, pure, and holy. It is everything that is acceptable, honorable, praiseworthy, and appropriate for a child of GOD. Virtue is that which befits and is becoming of a child of GOD. When we live virtuous lives, we bring glory to GOD. Virtue is staying away from fleshly lusts (1 Peter 2:11), refusing that which we must refuse, and growing in that which we must grow. To refuse fleshly lusts is spiritual growth, so our lifestyle testifies whether we are growing in the spirit or not. Furthermore, our conduct, behavior and lifestyle among unbelievers must stand out. We therefore need to have an abiding awareness of ourselves as children of GOD as we live in the world among unbelievers, because unbelievers will not come to Christ if and when we live as they do (1 Peter 2:12). Even if evildoers say things about us, what they accuse us of must not be true.
We must be holy in ALL our conduct (1 Peter 1:14-15). We have the responsibility to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness, and abstain from fleshly lusts (2 Corinthians 7:1). Furthermore, we must be people who are truthful by nature and character, we must love justice and fairness (Philippians 4:8), dealing fairly with other people, and we must do things to others that we would like done to us. We ought to walk in love towards one another, forgiving one another and bearing with one another. If we do this, there will be no offence taken. We must therefore always be conscious how we live with one another.
For the glory of GOD to manifest in our lives, we have to play our part. Glory will not manifest where virtue is not. Virtue will come out of us subconsciously when the Word dwells within us richly. What is critical then is that we should set our minds on the Word (Philippians 4:8), because what we constantly set our minds on, we will eventually do. Furthermore, we must train ourselves towards holiness, exercising ourselves in godliness (1 Timothy 4:8) by practicing the Word. We must be diligent and disciplined in doing the Word (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). There is no profit in the Kingdom of GOD, in Christianity, and in faith without discipline, and we fall for the same thing repeatedly because we are lacking in the fruit of discipline. Discipline is self-control – a virtue that the Holy Spirit produces in a believer. Virtue is to discipline ourselves to do the Word of GOD.
There is no profit in the Kingdom of GOD, in Christianity, and in faith without discipline
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