Two Fundamental Things in the Life of a Christian

“. . . for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” Romans 8:13. “For this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue . . . .” 2 Peter 1:5.

It is the Spirit who reveals the deeds of the body to me. These are deeds to which my mind has not consented. “For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.” Romans 7:22. The law of sin in my members is something I have not yet received light over; thus I have not been able to commit it into the death of Christ. But the Spirit is to guide me into all the truth. Therefore, when I want to do the good, the Spirit begins to instruct me about what has not yet been put to death.

I cannot receive light over everything all at once. There is a way through the flesh. The Spirit gives me light bit by bit, as I am able to receive it. Thus it is not I who do what I do not want, but sin that dwells in me. Verse 17. When I see it, I hate it, as it is written, “Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.” Verse 20. Now it becomes a matter of utmost importance for me to serve in the newness of the Spirit and put si to death. In this way my spirit is made alive to god’s wisdom. This is how I grow in Christ. If I do not love the truth, I will be led astray; I will not partake of sanctification by the Spirit, nor will I be able to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:12-15. In order to partake of the gospel, we must be obedient. Romans 1:5.

Then there is another matter of vital importance: We are to add virtue to our faith. 2 Peter 1:5. Reading further, we see that Peter emphasizes strongly that these virtues are to be present, and that they are to abound. Otherwise, we will be unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He writes: “for whoever lacks these things is blind, and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never stumble; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Verses 9-11.

Peter writes that if we add virtue to our faith, and if these virtues are increasing, we will never stumble. 2 Peter 1:5-10. To stumble means that something comes out of us that leaves a bad taste. Think back and recall how things have come out of your mouth that were not good. The reason for this was that you were not thinking about adding virtue to your faith. If this had been on your heart, you would not have stumbled. And so Peter deemed it necessary to arouse them by way of reminder.

If we just think about it a little, we will realize that whenever we do or say something bad, we have a demanding spirit. To demand is the same as to covet or lust. If we had served in the newness of the Spirit, all this demanding would have been put to death, and we would not have stumbled or fallen.

In giving us examples of Jesus’ steps, Peter mentions, among other things, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23. Here we see the humility of Jesus. It wasn’t just that He didn’t revile in return and didn’t threaten; he did not judge, either. He did not reckon that He could judge justly. Many can have come to victory in the sense that they do not answer back; but who, indeed, has overcome to such an extent that he refrains from judging those who reviled him in the first place? In cases where they have not reviled in return, people can, nevertheless, have spoken about it to others. Then they are backbiting. What is more, they seek honor in doing so. They have exalted themselves. This is what the Antichrist does.

Peter gives another example of Jesus’ steps in which we are called to follow: “for Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that the might bring us to god, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18. Jesus was righteous. He never sinned, but it is clear that He was tempted. If He was not tempted, then there was nothing for Him to overcome. He served in the newness of the Spirit. When He was tempted, He saw the lust that was in the flesh. He put this lust to death; therefore, He was made alive in the spirit. This tells us that He had a development, and that was the reason why He was made perfect.

We hare to have this same development. When God condemned sin in the flesh, Jesus understood His own task, which was to put to death what the Father condemned; and He offered Himself in the power of an eternal spirit. It was in the days of His flesh that He learned obedience through what He suffered. In this way He attained to the glory of His Father—He attained to the resurrection from the dead, “called of God High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.’” John 4:34. The apostles did not as yet understand this; but they did later when they received the Holy Spirit. Then doing God’s will, and doing the work Jesus came to accomplish, became their food as well. They began to serve in the newness of the Spirit so that sin could be put to death in the flesh. Does this interest you, or would you rather find fault, backbite, and judge others? John 4:31-34.

Now the question for us is this: do we know what Jesus’ steps are? Do we know how to serve in the newness of the Spirit? When I am reviled, do I listen to the Spirit when He wants to tell me the truth about what dwells in my own flesh? When I have a clear conscience and must suffer for the unjust, can I then be led by the Spirit to the very thing in my flesh that is to be put to death, so that my spirit can become more living for “all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ?” 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 John 1:7-8.

To what was the spirit of Jesus made alive? We read in Colossians 2:2-3, “. . . that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” It was this wisdom and knowledge of God to which His spirit was made alive, as we read in verse 3. And we enter into this same development when we serve in the newness of the Spirit. Then we are not led astray by the spirit of Antichrist.

The root of all sin is the lusts and desires. In order to add virtue to our faith, we must be in the Spirit of Jesus—the One who humbled Himself. Without humility we cannot grow in the virtues. By humility and through the growth of Christ’s virtues in our lives, we become fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. Thus we gain a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.