All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel

Look for these things today: 1. Activity 2. Change 3. Head knowledge 4. Heart knowledge

Faith Goodness Knowledge Self-control Perseverance Godliness Mutual affection Charitable love

8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

IF SUM(faith, goodness, knowledge, selfcontrol, perseverance, godliness, kindness, charity); THEN NOT SUM(ineffective , unproductive); REM knowledge of our Lord Jesus; ELSE SUM(nearsighted and blind) AND NOT (forgetting cleansed from past sins)

change

Possess = huparchonta be in you, are yours, found in you, "subsist" that is, supposing these things to have an actual subsistence in you

Qualities = Things (boring) Christian Graces (I really like this label)

Increasing Measure = pleonazonta Grow or Abound (more than others)

Ineffective = Useless Lazy Barren Idle ἀργοὺς VERY UNHAPPY argous

Clark’s Commentary on the Bible – (Language Modernized by Charlie) For if these things are in you and abound If you possess all these graces, and they increase and abound in your soul, they will make (show), you to be neither αργους, idle, nor ακαρπους, unfruitful, in the acknowledgment of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The common translation is here very unhappy: barren and unfruitful certainly convey the same ideas; but idle or inactive, which is the proper sense of αργους, takes away this tautology, and restores the sense. These graces are in themselves active principles; he who possessed them, and had them abounding in him, could not be inactive; and he who is not inactive in the way of life must (will) be fruitful.

Unproductive = ἀκάρπους Akarpous Unfruitful

Knowledge = Epignōsin • Full knowledge • Pursuit of knowledge • Acknowledgement of

There is a knowledge of Christ which is barren and fruitless; and those that have it are so in their conversations, and it will be of no avail to them another day: and this is a mere notional and speculative knowledge, such as is not attended with any inward experience and application of Christ to themselves, or any fruits of righteousness in their lives, and is a bare theory of things relating to his person, offices, and works… 1 of 2

2 of 2 … but there is a knowledge of him that is spiritual and experimental, by which a soul not only approves of Christ, but places its trust and confidence in him, and appropriates him to himself, and practically observes his commands and ordinances

But we don’t have them…

N EAR SIGHTED AND BLIND FORGETTING THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CLEANSED FROM THEIR PAST SINS.

Nearsighted and blind Tuphlos and mu. Opaz. On Short sighted Cannot see afar off Dim-sighted

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted, and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

John 13: 34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

So to what, exactly, is God calling us?

Trick question #1 Q. Is it a command? A. No, it is a promise and a warning.

Trick question #2 Q. Is it a proportionate promise? A. No, if you possess the graces in increasing measure at all, you receive the promise.

HOW?

Do we… Need to strive to keep from being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge? Strive to not be nearsighted and blind, forgetting sin cleansing? No, these are (super)natural fruit of increasing the Christian graces.

Actively Changing to Increase: • • Faith Goodness Knowledge Self-control Perseverance Godliness Mutual affection Charitable love

Do we have the ability to change these in our own strength? Kinda, maybe

Luke 17: 5 -10 Lord, show us how to increase our faith. Faith

Luke 17: 5 -10 Commentary First, he strengthens our faith by telling us in verse 6 that the crucial issue in accomplishing great things to advance the kingdom of God is not the quantity of our faith, but the power of God.

Luke 17: 5 -10 Second, he helps their faith grow by telling them in verses 7 -10 that when they have done all they are commanded to do, they are still radically dependent on grace.

Colossians 2: 7 “Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. …”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Galatians 5: 22 add Goodness

Ephesians 4: 11 -13 knowledge “ 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ

Titus 2 “You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, … 3 Likewise, teach the older women …Then they can urge the younger women to… be selfcontrolled … 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example

Romans 5: 3 -4 Perseverance “ 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

2 Peter 1: 3 -4 Godliness “ 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature,

23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, Love Hebrews 10: 23 -24 Brotherly

Recap: Increasing graces are good They prevent being inert Otherwise you are blind to forgiveness

Recap: Some increase is supernatural Some increase is from obedience Some increase is from equipping