Spiritual Growth Part 4: The Final Step

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 1:5-8

Originally published January 27, 2015. The conclusion of our spiritual growth series.

When I was a kid, I remember my dad teaching my brothers and I how to place-kick a football. He taught us how to step the distance off from the tee, and how to stand before the kick-off. At first we would rush ahead of his instructions and charge to the tee only to have the ball roll harmlessly out of bounds about 10 yards downfield, or in a few cases, sit idly in the tee as our kicking foot swung wildly at thin air.

What we had not yet learned was the proper steps. The first 2 steps couldn’t be too far apart, or we’d overstep the ball. The third step had to be planted just right to allow the kicking foot a full follow-through. Stride too long, and we had to pull our foot in to make contact; stride too short, and we were lucky to touch the ball at all!

Experienced and practiced-up place kickers don’t have to think twice about what they do. When they pace out their approach, they already have their steps ordered.

“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”

Psalm 119:133

The new believer in Christ sees charity as a quality that older saints wield effortlessly, like a parade baton at highschool halftime. They make it look easy. They seem to always be giving, always sacrificing, and always encouraging others to do so. It comes so natural to one mature in the Lord… and that should come as no surprise.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” says the Book. Those elders in the Lord did not reach the landing at the top of the stairs by JUMPING past the stairs to the top. They climbed each one, and in the practice of repeated steps they show us how to walk with the Lord.

Charity

Charity is the gift of love, the loving giver, and the lover of the receiver. It is that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. It was shown at Christ’s birth, by the angels’ announcement:“Good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) It was demonstrated thru His life, in that He “went about doing good.” (Acts 10:38) And in His death it was displayed when Jesus gave “his life a ransom for all.”  (Matthew 10:45)

Charity is not only love that gives, but a heart that loves to give more than it loves itself. Let us look at the definition of charity found in 1 Corinthians 13:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Paul said that without charity he was nothing. Paul contrasted being childish with showing charity. Maturing is required before charity can be displayed. Paul also said that charity beareth all things. We must have an infrastructure of personal growth before we can bear the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) In our text, 2 Peter 1:8, we are reminded of the goal:

“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren [able to bear] nor unfruitful [displaying the results] in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Is it any wonder why the charitable heart is the ‘holy grail’ of Christian living? And is it any wonder why the pursuit of such an achievement brings disheartenment? Many trip all over themselves wondering why it is so hard to love with charity.

It is hard, that’s why!

Charity is not the first step, it is the final step. 

Without faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, and brotherly kindness it is virtually impossible to attain to the greatest of all characteristics.

Remember that Peanut’s comic strip, where Lucy convinces Charlie Brown she will hold the football while he kicks it? Every time he doubts her sincerity, but every time lands him flat on his back.

I think that’s how many ill-paced, self-trusting believers feel when they overstep God’s leading. Christ leads simply, one step at a time. He leads surely, just one step at a time. He leads directly in God’s favour to a desired end.

Where are you standing in life? Has your faith grown to virtue, knowledge, and temperance? Have you made strides toward loving God before others? Does your godliness urge you to be kind toward the saved and to the unbelievers?

There is just ONE needful step that you must take. So take it!

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