Re-Week 7
Doers of the word and not hearers only.
You will never get the results without the right ingredients.
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. —2 Peter 1:3-4
God has given you everything you need in his word. It is your task to know it, grow it and sow it!
Questions:
Read 2 Peter 1:3-4.
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. —2 Peter 1:3-4
Tell us in your own words what it means.
Read this quote from Daniel Greenberg:
“You can’t make someone learn something - you really can’t teach someone something - they have to want to learn it. And if they want to learn, they will.” —Daniel Greenberg
Do you think this is true? Give some examples of why you think this is true?
Would you say that you want to learn the promises of God?
What does that mean to you?
Read the next passage:
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, —2 Peter 1:5
What do you think it means to respond to God’s promises?
Is there a difference between hearing God’s promises and responding to God’s promises? What is the difference? Explain.
What do you think moral excellence (goodness, virtue) means? If I told you that another translation says “add to your faith virtue”. What do you think that means?
What is the opposite of virtue?
What is the characteristic we would most like to see in others Virtue or Vice?
What is the characteristic we would think there should be more of in the world to make the world what it should be?
Why would moral excellence or virtue be necessary to add to your faith?
Why do you think it tells us to add moral excellence or virtue before knowledge?
What do you think it means by adding knowledge to our virtue? (if Virtue and Vice have to do with right and wrong) What is the knowledge we are supposed to be adding? Where might we find such knowledge?
Virtue or Moral excellence is the willingness to do what is right.
“You can’t make someone learn something - you really can’t teach someone something - they have to want to learn it. And if they want to learn, they will.”
Knowledge: Gnosis = knowing. Comes from Ginosko which is experiential knowing: Functional “working” knowledge.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. —2 Timothy 3:16-17