Add To Your Faith

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7

So now you have believed in Jesus Christ and are IN HIM forever. You are learning about this Sovereign Ruler of the Universe Who is your eternal Father. You are studying the scriptures with a good pastor-teacher and memorizing all those promises, and eliminating the legalism and superstition from your thinking. Where you go from here is a matter of your volition. There are behaviors we Christians need to cultivate, not in order to BE saved (that's already done), but because we ARE saved. Remember Whose you are, and learn to appreciate and practice: divine goodness (God's kind, not human good), knowledge of the Biblical, doctrinal variety (not worldly intellectualism), self-control (we don't have to allow our sin nature's emotional pattern to control our behaviors anymore. Remember: emotions cannot think! We have the mind of Christ. You are in charge of your behaviors). Persevere in your growth to spiritual maturity. You'll fail along the way. Get up, confess that stupidity to God, and move on to the high ground. He can't use you while you're wallowing in self-loathing. Now you're ready to embrace for yourself godliness (likemindedness with God, identification with God in all areas of your life. Thinking like God). Only now can you really comprehend the brotherhood of fellow believers. We are family. Royal Family of God. We are capable of comprehending His unconditional love for us and we are capable of experiencing that love for one another. Not in order to BE saved. That is not possible. This happens to us believers because we ARE saved. Whom you love, you grow to resemble.