… and to goodness, knowledge …
Summary: Human knowledge is every bit as reliable as humans. Goodness is a reflection of God’s love for us. There is a reason that Peter adds goodness to our faith before knowledge.
Because we are allowed to participate in the Divine Nature of God, we need to live according to the Divine Nature. Jesus tells us this when he says:
“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” (Matthew 16:27)
And again when he says:
“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)
Because of this, Peter instructs us to add goodness to our faith, and to goodness, knowledge.
Of course, you know what comes next!
What is knowledge?
My online dictionary defines knowledge as “facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education.” This seems like a reasonable definition to me.
When a person acquires “facts” or “information” through experience, we acquire knowledge directly. Education is an indirect, or secondary, form of acquisition.
The question that confronts us with any knowledge we acquire is, can we trust it? How reliable is the knowledge that we have?
If someone gives you a map and a set of directions to get to a certain place, we say that you “know how to get there.” The test of this “knowledge” is whether or not following the directions gets you where you want to go.
Most of us have had the experience of trying to follow someone’s directions, only to end up driving down the wrong road. We have to wander around looking for a clue to get us back on the right track. After we find our way to where we want to be, we still might not “know” how we got there.
This is “testing” our knowledge. Until we have tested what we think we know and prove it to be true, we cannot know if something is true.
This is where things get a bit confusing. There are some things we cannot “test.” For example, we cannot test for God. There are many indications that God is real, but the reason we call our faith in God “faith” is that the ultimate test of faith is death, and death is a one-way door.
Math equations can be tested, maps can be tested, and strength can be tested. We can test our knowledge of God’s Word by reciting Scripture.
Sometimes, because we dislike being wrong, we refuse to test our knowledge. This is where we go off track. Because certain kinds of knowledge cannot be tested, some people jump to the conclusion that whatever they believe is right must be right. If this belief is strong enough, they may take it upon themselves to try to force others to accept their beliefs for their own.
As Christians, we begin with faith. As Peter points out in verse one, we receive our faith not from human origins, but from God. To faith, we add goodness. There is a reason Peter does not add knowledge to faith first. First comes goodness. We have to reflect God’s goodness to us and share that with others first. Only then, to the foundation of faith and goodness, do we dare add knowledge.
Christian knowledge is based both on things that are seen and those that are unseen. We test our personal faith by exercising it and finding that God is faithful to us when we trust him. We subordinate our knowledge to our faith in God and to our need to reflect God’s goodness in a broken world.
Human knowledge, like humans, is always going to be flawed. If we remember that, and if we remember that goodness comes first, we will be on the path that Peter is showing us.
Application: Remember that what you know is never as important as the goodness you give to others.
Food for Thought: What do you “know” about goodness?
Simply put “goodness” is being kind, merciful, understanding, and compassionate to others. One can’t be in a permanent state of goodness, a person has to choose every second between goodness and evil, and those choices are shown in our actions. When I really think about it, I think it is possible to follow the law to the letter, and not show goodness.
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Psalm 143:10
Thank you, Chris!
Great verses! You make a good point about our being in a constant state of choosing between good and evil. It is so common that we are not aware of it, but still it happens.
Good thoughts Chris.
One thing I know about goodness is that God is good. It seems clear in Scripture that goodness is a part of God’s character. I believe we can look at the life of Jesus and see how His morality was lived out. We can model those characteristics and hopefully be aligned to behavior and thinking that reflects the nature of Christ.
Thank you, Rich.
What a great point! God is the ultimate good. If we keep our eyes on him we always have goodness in sight.
Great question and responses!
09-13-2021, 2Peter 1:5d, What do you “know” about goodness?
Only God is good:
True Goodness is from God and our human minds will never be able to comprehend the full extent of His goodness. All the intentions and motives of the Lord are pure, free of sin. He is holy and separated from all evil, by nature good and always does what is right. In Genesis we see everything that the Lord created was good. No one is like God. Even our good intentions are sprinkled with sin. God did not create evil and sins of mankind yet He does allow them for His good purposes.
Psalm 119:68, Nahum 1:7, Luke 18:18-19, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23
God’s goodness never ends:
God doesn’t just stop being good. Satan will present a broken view of God which will say “I messed up this week and I know God is going to get me.” Actually we mess up every day, but God is continually pouring out His goodness, grace and His mercy upon us.
Psalm 23:6, Psalm 31:19, Romans 8:28
God’s goodness leads to repentance:
God’s great love and goodness is seen by all as written in His laws and in the hearts of all mankind. In His actions as gave His only Begotten Son as the Sacrifice for the sins of this world, and sent His Holy Spirit to convict all of sin, righteousness, and Judgement. His goodness and His patience towards us leads us to have a change of mind about Christ and our sin. Ultimately it is His goodness that compels us to Him.
Romans 2:12-16, John 3:16, John 16:8-13, Romans 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9
We are good because of God:
God’s standards are far higher than ours. Jesus explained the mere thought of sin in our hearts is the the act itself. Those who have put their trust in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins have been given a new identity. We are new creations and are seen as saints. When God looks at all who are in Christ, He no longer sees sin. Instead, He sees the perfect work of His Son. He sees the ultimate act of goodness on the cross and He looks to each in love.
Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 9:4, 15:18-19, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17
The goodness of God should lead us to praise Him:
Praising the Lord is when we take our eyes off ourselves or this world and set our focus on Him, His will for all. We will remain sinners while on this earth and will always battle against being self-centered individuals seeking to become fully Christ-centered members of the body of Christ on this earth. As we learn to be still for a moment and dwell on His goodness, we learn to praise the Lord in all situations for He is good.
Psalm 46:10, 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 107:1
Wow, Ron.
Your discussion on goodness is also a beautiful presentation of the Gospel! Thank you!
Well after reading all the comments here I know all there is to know about goodness now,..and I am no where near what I read here,..one day at a time sweet Jesus,..and I thank Him everyday for His goodness toward me,..so undeserving but through His grace He saved me,..I am forever grateful,..
None of us are, John. But like you, at least we know which direction we are going in! 🙂