After baptism then what…
Listen to some instructions given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Peter…found recorded in 2 Pet 1: 5-8…
yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence…this is a promise with conditions…as my part and then there is God's part. My part is supposed to supply all diligence…what is diligent? It means giving all your effort…to love God with all your strength…to be single minded. In your faith (obedience to the truth) supply virtue…moral excellence. It is written in the prophets that if you practice God's word with an upright heart obeying His word does you no harm…you've been baptized…you have faith in Jesus… your Savior died for you and was raised so that you could be forgiven. You must supply the I want to do it right. You have to supply the hunger and thirst for righteousness… Jesus will help you, but you got to want to do right and be right… so add to the faith that you have moral excellence or virtue...the I want to do it right.
And then add to your virtue…knowledge. Add the know-how to do something like Jesus…I want to do right by the knowing of what is right. Knowledge is lack of ignorance and ignorance is lack of knowledge. After you got the I want to and the I know how to…then plan your work and you work your plan… add to your knowledge self-control. The doing of it…the practicing of the truth learning that way didn't work, try a different way that does. Just make sure your actions or deeds do not offend God. You keep trying to apply the knowledge without offending God… and then your self-control becomes patience or endurance under trials. In other words, the more you know, the more you're able to do. The more you're able to be faithful with, the more enduring you will go through. Remember the Lord won't give you more than you can handle and with the way of temptation he'll provide a way out…but some of us go running into temptation wanting to meet sin…instead of running away from the tempter…
So, we add to our doing of knowledge self-control applied through patience or endurance and then we add to the endurance of trials a character of godliness. What is a natural result of going through a trial and doing what Christ said do? Right doing or a character of right doing called…Godliness. In other words, we become Christ like with this natural progression and the adding to your faith virtue or moral excellence. You learn the truth in Christ producing knowledge…then you learn to apply with self-control which produces patience because you're having to apply self-control under trials. Applying God's word properly with knowledge, remembering the truth, and how to walk in the spirit. The natural result of applying God's word and walking in truth and spirit is godliness and to a character of godliness…we can add brotherly kindness. By being kind or sharing the same love with the brethren other Christians. When we love other Christians s as ourselves instead of just being a good person…when we try to share our goodness or what God has given us with others or increasing in brotherly kindness. Then we add to brotherly kindness love for all men, showing mercy to those who cannot repay…we are adding love to brotherly kindness…Peter says if these traits be in you and abound you will not be barren or unfruitful you'll have fruit fit for heaven…
In John's revelation one of the churches is told to buy gold tried in a fire…that means eternal treasures…a work that will abide in heaven…saving a soul…feeding a Christian…helping a widow…helping an orphan…developing a character full of deeds and treasures fit for Heaven our eternal home.
We are called to be a good person until your kindness overflows to others and then you develop a character of godliness, and you’d be like Christ. Sharing Christ and Christ blessings with others this is called agape love this is the highest form of love it's brotherly love for all men not just Christians. It's wanting what's best for the other guy…So what we have here is a formula on how to grow out of baptism into the mature Christian becoming Christ learning to develop a character fir for heaven our eternal home.
Father, help us to grow and learn to be just like Jesus and You…in Jesus of Nazareth’s name amen.
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