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Approaching God One Thought At A Time

Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
- St. Augustine

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Additions To Faith

Discussed and debated for millennia, in many ways faith remains as mysterious and illusive as ever. Within Modern Christianity billions of believers wade through millions of sermons and songs, teachings and testimonies on the topic. Yet the requirements of authentic and vital Biblical faith continues to be misunderstood and marginalized more often than not.

Those caring enough to invest heavily in diligently seeking and serving God soon find faith more a journey than destination, one requiring addition steps meant to lead genuine Christians to transformation into nothing short of an entirely New Creation!


But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough. For then you must learn to know God better and discover what he wants you to do.

- 2 Peter 1:5 TLB


Churchianity routinely avoids subject matter that won't fit nicely in a chorus or a bumper sticker. Easy believism values inclusivity, promising salvation while skipping over a number of crucial concepts such as temptation and deception, sin and repentance, often to the exclusion of accurate Biblical interpretation much less application.

A common objection to developing deeper and even controversial topics is that they become too complicated and divisive. It is true that Scripture's mega-messages such as the importance of kindness to others and giving thanks, the need for obedience and God's promise to reward goodness should are uncomplicated enough to grasped by children. Nevertheless the Bible's nearly 2,000 pages containing over 12,000 words, it's eternal and glorious Author not to mention its incomparably comprehensive subject matter clearly indicate a depth of complexity.  Thankfully complex needn't translate to complicated when explained a step at a time.

Einstien expressed: "Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." A supposed conversation between a university theologian and cosmologist illustrates the point.  The cosmologist complained to the theologian his colleagues made God far too complicated when Christianity should be as simple as "Jesus loves me this I know."  The theologian admitted a similar frustration with cosmologists, submitting the study of the Universe might likewise be summarized as "Twinkle twinkle little star."

More a journey than destination, Christians by necessity must learn the steps of following Christ. When it comes to the event and process of salvation the great apostle Peter offer's hard won and invaluable insight into the how and why to pursue additions to faith:

  • "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:2-3

Peter continues his explanation of how such "exceedingly great and precious promises" might be received:

  • "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." 2 Peter 1:4-5    
Given an open door to obtain life, goodness, knowledge, glory, virtue etc... Peter explains the importance of giving all diligence to obtaining and growing in seven additions to faith:

1. Virtue:  Excellence, resolution and Christian energy - Amplified Bible (AB)

2. Knowledge:  Intelligence - AB;  spiritual understanding - Message (MSG)

3. Self-control:  Alert discipline - MSG

4. Perseverance:  Steadfastness, patience, endurance - AB

5. Godliness:  Piety - AB ;  reverent wonder - MSG

6. Kindness:  Brotherly affection - AB;   warm friendliness - MSG

7. Love: Generous love - MSG
 
The context and content of Peter's directive argues strongly that these seven additions are more than mere electives, clearly making the case they are each crucial to all aspects of salvation.  Sandwiching these important steps with verses detailing both great promise and peril, he opens the chapter with the opportunity to become "partakers in the divine nature" to the end of escaping the "corruption that is in the world through lust." Further highlighting the importance of growing in grace he continues:

  • 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. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:8-10
As do all Biblical authors, Peter set's before us a choice. Option one: grow in these additions to faith and gain much, including the unimaginable rewards of eternal life. Option two: arrest our spiritual development and loose much, including perhaps salvation itself. Thoughtful believers will note the five benefits for those choosing wisely:

1. Will be neither Barren nor Unfruitful: Few understand Scripture's warning that unfruitfulness can be a Kingdom deal breaker for rebellious Christians ending in a hellish eternity as in Christ's parable of The Vine and Branches.

2. Will not be Short Sighted to Blindness: Given escalating levels of immorality and deception (which Peter points out as deal breakers), approaching judgment and the Great Tribulation, spiritual blindness is paramount to spiritual disaster.

3. Make our Call and Election Sure: Here is one of many quantum verses on the doctrine of election as it relates to myth of eternal security. If the premise is "once saved always saved" then what need is there to make one's "calling and election sure"?

4. Never Stumble: While fallen Christians may regain their footing through genuine repentance, there is a form of stumbling from which recovery is impossible. Besides this passage see also Enduring until the end, Denying Christ, Crucifying Christ twice, Blot out your name from the Book of Life.

5. Will receive Abundant Entrance into Heaven!

Few realize that through the costly atonement of Christ and infilling of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament offers a remarkable gift. A transformation into a new kind of entity, neither “Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female.” A metamorphoses from “mere humans” into an entirely “New Creation.” This is the very purpose of the Gospel!

Why do so few perceive, much less pursue, such an expansive promise? One objection is straightforward. Life’s busy, packed with daily responsibilities. Anything more seems too much. But is it? Through innovation and technology we’ve been given previously unheard of free time and instant access to all the resources of the information age. For such a critical concern as eternal life, can we not dedicate half the commitment of a high school football player or Facebook mom in an effort to seek and save that which is lost? Including the better part of our entire generation and the next. How? By recovering the transformation power of Pentecost necessary to complete such a crucial task.

While reasoning through the New Testament’s teaching on salvation. Many wonder what are the most meaningful steps along the path of following Christ in today’s world? Hundreds of millions have made some sort of start. Unfortunately, most of these have either given up or stopped far short of Christianity’s full potential of being filled with all the fullness of God. For further study see GB's articles: What Must I Do To Be Saved and Following Christ.


Update 2022

For my part I've spent 40 years strategically seeking and serving God with a single focus:

1. Is Modern Christianity and/or Churchianity working?
2. If not, why?

As a Charismatic minister, with better than average understanding of Biblical truth, the journey led me to the following inconvenient truths

1. 1/3 of my doctrine was accurate.
2. 1/3 of my doctrine was in error.
3. 1/3 of the Bible's most crucial points were either undervalued or missing altogether.

Furthermore, I've found this sad equation is far more often the rule rather than the exception.

With this in mind I've sent over a decade developing a topical Biblical commentary entitled, Quantum Christianity, showcased on my site GodBlog.net.

This was all long before 2020...

If there was ever an acceptable time to confuse Christianity with a pleasure cruise, rather than a Battleship, those days are past.

As Paul warned: “And if the [war] bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?” 1 Corinthians 14:8 AMP

It should be abundantly clear things changed substantially in 2020. Nationally and globally, the world has never scene the like of even the following short list:

1. Covid-19 and variants, of questionable origin, mandates promoting and/or requiring untested and dangerous MRNA “vaccines” and “boosters” with negative efficacy and even deadly side effects revealing unprecedented control of healthcare and politics by the collusion of pharmaceutical companies and bureaucrats. To the point of threatening the removal of medical licenses of physicians prescribing safe and reliable treatments proven effective against respiratory and other illness. Example: In 2015 Ivermectin won the only Nobel Prize award for treatments of infectious diseases since six decades prior. Also report by Fortune Magazine (not right wing magazine) reveals that a simple home remedy of saline solution used for "Twice Daily Nose Flushing Can Reduce Covid Hospitalization and Death Researchers Find" by 85%. This study was conducted Fall 2020, and could have helped prevent 3/4 of Covid deaths.

  • Sample Daniel Horowitz: "Twice Daily Nose Flushing Can Reduce Covid Hospitalization and Death Researchers Find" by 85%
  • Sample Link: Steve Deace **9/15/22 Circumvent Medical Cartels with Dr. Harvey Risch** Simple straight talk from preeminent honored immunologist and cofounder of The Wellness Company TWC.health
  • Sample Link: **Ivermectin Nobel prize** In 2015, the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, in its only award for treatments of infectious diseases since six decades prior, honored the discovery of ivermectin (IVM), a multifaceted drug deployed against some of the world’s most devastating tropical diseases. Since March 2020, when IVM was first used against a new global scourge, COVID-19, more than 20 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have tracked such inpatient and outpatient treatments. Six of seven meta-analyses of IVM treatment RCTs reporting in 2021 found notable reductions in COVID-19 fatalities, with a mean 31% relative risk of mortality vs. controls. During mass IVM treatments in Peru, excess deaths fell by a mean of 74% over 30 days in its ten states with the most extensive treatments.
  • Sample Link: Daniel Horowitz: **The Risk of Cancer from Both the Shots and Perpetual Mask Wearing with Guest: Dr. Colleen Huber | 6/3/22** “Clot shots. Poisoning of Americans (World) beyond belief, as they prepare to stick babies as young ad 6 months old. HOW IS THIS NOT THE ISSUE OF OUR TIME? That it perpetuates the virus, destroys the immune system, and causes every ailment known to man… And yet to this day, it’s like it doesn’t exist. It’s a complete lockout…” “If you don’t get it you have your career destroyed. If you do get it you have your body destroyed. And then everything they plan on doing there on down with it. And everything it represents, with biomedical state, track/trace, transhumanism... Dr. Colleen Huber: Neither Safe Nor Effective: The Evidence Against the COVID Vaccines (Cancer Researcher/Get eBook).

2. Economic and institutional, social and quarantine lockdowns crippling businesses and institutions, education and families, from the elderly to children.

3. Individual mandates, social distancing and mask and "vaccine requirements restricting interaction, breathing and health.
  • Sample Link: Steve Deace: **A Clarion Call Go On The Offensive** Interview with Dr. Peter McCullough
  • Sample Link: Steve Deace: **8/24/22 The jobs/Dr. Ryan Cole**Excellent interview with Dr. Ryan Cole who has treated over 500,000 Covid patients and has impeccable credentials explaining the clot shots are extremely dangerous and genetically mutating.

4. BLM and Antifa’s spreading of widespread rioting and looting, violence and lawlessness in the name of blatantly FALSE narratives such as Critical Race Theory (CRT) and systemic police brutality. Both undermining the foundations of society by “calling good evil and evil good.” All the while elevating career felons like George Floyd to sainthood status while ignoring the plague of black on black violence and murder, particularly within liberally controlled inner cities like the Obama’s Chicago.

5. Campaigns of disinformation and destruction by the emerging Iron Triangle of liberal governments, legacy media and global corporations influencing and poisoning the hearts and minds of billions.
  • Sample Link: **Crimes or Cover Up** Glen Beck Exposing The Worlds Most Dangerous Lie: History of C19 conspiracy with dates and facts.

6. Wokism’s ridiculous and dangerous plandemic of social engineering’s impact on lower and higher education, spread by the super carriers mentioned above.

7. The impact of Transgenderism’s incoherent and devilish reversal of truth and goodness on genuine science and health care, parenting and morality, teens and children.

8. Political attack on democracy, particularly in the U.S. by election fraud, boarder crossing and registration tampering.

9. Worldwide manipulation and control of all the above, as well as governments and economies, national budgets and banking, healthcare and communication, goods and services… by global elites implementing a Great Reset thus instituting a New World Order.

10. Conservatives and Christians fail to appropriately respond:
Such atrocities, and more, have been researched and documented, warned against and explained in detail by reliable professionals in related fields. For just a few examples see sample links above.



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