1. Adding these seven things will not make us perfect, for we will never be perfect in this body.

2. Adding these seven things will make us complete, for seven is the Bible number for completeness.

1. We start out with faith, which is not what we add.

2. We receive faith at salvation.

It is a gift of God, not something we "struggle up" from the depths of our souls.

It is presupposed the believer will have faith, and they will!

1. This word means purity, or cleanness.

2. The word virtue in Matt. 5:30 means power.

3. The very first thing we ought to diligently try to do is clean up our lives and not live the way we did when we were lost.

4. II Peter 1:3 - God has called us to glory and virtue.

1. Ignorance is never a Christian virtue.

2. God's children should seek to know God's ways, for this will keep them from sinning.

3. II Samuel 6 - David tried to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem, but was ignorant of the proper procedure. His plan failed, but after much study, he determined the proper procedure. This time he successfully brought the Ark of God to Jerusalem.

4. II Peter 3:17,18 - If we grow in the knowledge of God, we set in motion a system in our lives that ensures that we won't fail.

1. This word does not mean "not to drink alcoholic beverages".

2. It means to have self control or to control our impulses.

3. Gal. 5:23 - Temperance is a fruit of the spirit.

4. I Cor. 9:25 - "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things..."

1. Patience is a greater virtue than self control for patience is a continuing quality, not a temporary measure.

2. Romans 5:3 - Tribulation worketh patience.

3. James 1:3 - The trying of our faith worketh patience.

4. Hebrews 10:36 - We need patience after we have done the will of God in order to receive the promise.

5. Hebrews 12:1 - Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

1. This means to add those things to our personality that make us to be like Christ.

2. I Tim. 2:2 - We must pray that we will be able to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.

3. I Tim. 4:7,8 - True godliness will enable us to completely enjoy our present life and our future life in eternity with God.

4. I Tim. 6:6 - "Godliness with contentment is great gain."

5. II Peter 3:11 - We ought to live godly because we know that this earth will soon be destroyed.

1. The sixth thing we are to add to our lives is to show the first five to our brothers in Christ.

2. This does not mean that we are bragging about ourselves, but it means we are not ashamed of letting others see Christ in us.

3. Col. 3:12,13 - Here are some things we ought to do to one another.

4. Eph. 4:32 - "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

5. Matt. 5:43-48 - We are to love our enemies, for Christ loved His enemies.

6. Luke 6:35 - Christ commanded us to love our enemies that we might be the children of the Highest.

1. This is the seventh of the things we ought to add to ourselves.

2. Some might think love (charity) would be the first and all these other things would come from love.

3. The truth is that a young saved person cannot love with that self sacrificing love a mature Christian can love with.

4. Col. 3:14 - The greatest thing we can add to our lives is charity, which is the bond of completeness.

5. III John 6 - The love we have for God will be revealed in our lives. Others will see this love and be encouraged to follow Christian virtues.

1. Learn the promises of God, live by them, and take on the nature of Christ.

2. Don't learn the promises of God, become blind and forget that you were ever saved.

1. See my notes on Genesis chapter 12 to see how Abram failed to believe the promises of God, and what it cost him.

2. We will also pay a price for not believing.

1. They must not only be in you, but they must abound (exist in great quantities) in you.

2. Romans 15:13 - "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

3. II Cor. 8:7 - Paul tells the Corinthians they must first abound in faith, utterance, knowledge, and all diligence before they can abound in giving material things.

1. These things take away all powers of personalities and programs.

2. They focus our attention on the true attributes of holiness.

3. These things are our assurance that we cannot be barren nor unfruitful.

1. This is the only knowledge that really counts.

2. All other knowledge will perish when this world perishes.

1. We need leaves - for our personal growth.

2. We need fruit - for the glory of God.

3. John 15:5 - We can bear much fruit, if we have the proper knowledge about Christ.

1. This is because the person has not tried to add these virtues to his life.

2. The newborn Christian also lacks these virtues, but Christ "overlooks" this deficiency because they haven't had time to grow up.

1. Matt. 15:14, They are not suitable for leadership, for when the blind lead the blind, both fall into the ditch.

2. They can see things up close, but they can never see the overall picture.

3. This lack leaves them without a clear direction for their lives, so they needlessly spend their lives wandering around.

1. This doesn't mean they have lost their salvation.

2. Forgot doesn't mean they have forgotten the time they were saved, but they are in a spiritual daze, and they have forgotten the joy they had when they were saved.

3. They will never bear fruit to perfection (until they begin to add the seven items in this scripture).

4. Every man that has cultivated fruit knows that no tree can bear very richly the first year. The first year a tree bears, the fruit is of the lowest quality; the second year it is a little better; the third year it is still better; the fourth year it is better yet; and it continues to improve every year until the tenth; and then you begin to know what is the best thing that tree can do. Trees have to go through a maturing process of ten years' duration before they can bear fruit of the highest flavors. So it is with the Christian. Beecher

5. This is the reason the Bible states that a pastor must not be a novice, I Tim. 3:6.

1. Don't do like those people in verse 9, but rather like the people in verse 8.

He calls them brethren, for he does not doubt their salvation, and they continued efforts to serve God.

1. Diligence means to try to find out whether you are called and elected.

2. This is the personal responsibility of every person who believes they are saved.

3. Calling and election are two different things that are irreversibly linked together.

1. Col. 1:9,10 - When we are filled with the knowledge of God, we will walk worthy of His holy name, and be fruitful.

2. John 15:1-5 - When we abide with Christ like we ought to, we will bear much fruit to the glory of God.

3. This scripture is not talking about bearing these fruits so that we won't lose our salvation.

4. The word "fall" is referring to verse 9.

1. This is not an entrance into heaven.

2. If this was an entrance into heaven, it would mean salvation came because of our works.

1. Satan has a kingdom on this earth.

2. Christ also has a kingdom.