Growth in Christian Virtue (Part 10) Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Growth in Christian Virtue (Part 10) ----------------------- Date: 06/07/1999 Keywords: "Christian love" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: 2 Peter 1:2-8, looking today primarily at verse 7* 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3. seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6. and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7. and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, Christian love. 8. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Questions 1. What is the difference between "brotherly kindness" and "Christian love"?   Practical help Actually, it is a mistake to consider all of these virtues as completely separate or different from one another. I think Peter is telling us to be sure that Christ's love is the source of our kindness. In other words, we are often kind to each other for selfish reasons. If I'm nice to you, maybe then you will come through for me. But if I'm kind to you because Jesus loves me so much it overflows into your life, then you don't owe me a thing. This type of love brings freedom to both of us. So the end of the list is freedom in Christ's love. We are free to pursue God and free from things that enslave us, like pornography. Pray that God's virtues will grow in you as you take the strong stand to resist temptations. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 1999 by eXXit *"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."