A Spiritual Schizophrenic
“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (II Peter 1: 5 – 9).
After experiencing the marvelous transformation made possible after being born again we are thereafter to “give all diligence” to add to our spiritual stature these admirable attributes. These attributes are not optional. Taken together they lead to a well rounded character. We are to work in partnership with God to develop them. These traits are not to be in us passively, they are to abound. If a person does not abound in these traits they have “I trouble,” that is, they can’t get God focused in their life. Having forgotten what the Lord saved us from we tend to neglect what it means to have a new life in Jesus.
Persons having forgotten what the Lord saved them from and failing to grow in faith become spiritual schizophrenics, that is, they have developed mutually contradictory or antagonistic parts or qualities in life. The religious schizophrenic is the person who claims to be a true Christian and yet their life is not controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Virtue is a reference to moral excellence. A thing is spoken of as being virtuous when it is fulfilling its purpose. The purpose of our moral excellence is virtuous. Virtue, or moral excellence means fulfilling what you are supposed to do, which is to glorify God by your life by becoming like Jesus and following Him.
We are to evidence knowledge. The word for knowledge here (gnwsin/ gnosin) is not the one for intellectual knowledge, but the practical knowledge of understanding and application that comes with experience.
Self-control is an abstinence from the lust of the world. It controls all which includes reason, emotion and will through the knowledge of God’s word and will.
Perseverance as used here (upomonh / hupomon) literally means “to abide/dwell under that which is severe,” hence the idea of endurance. We are not to compromise when our faith is tested by trials. We have to persevere in our trials, living in a sin fallen world because things do not work the way God originally created them.
Godliness means to be sold-out for the Lord. In other words, godliness means to live completely for God and be joyful about it.
Brotherly love exists because of a likeness to the other, especially our Elder Brother, Jesus.
Self-sacrificial love chooses and commits itself to the best interest of the other. This is the love of God that is given to us, and it is the type of love that we should give others.
We are to give diligence to developing these attributes and not being a schizophrenic Christian.