NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
By Alonzo T. Jones
“PRECIOUS faith.” It is of peculiar interest to notice this apostle’s use of this word “precious.” “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, ... but with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Pet. 1: 18, 19. “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious; ... Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.” 1 Pet. 2: 4–7. “The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet. 1: 7. And here he writes this letter to those who have “obtained like precious faith ... through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Thus we have presented to us the precious Son of God, given to be a precious Saviour, who redeemed us by his precious blood. Our faith in him is a precious faith, and the trial of our faith itself is precious, all more precious than gold that perisheth. Surely upon us, who believe in Christ, has come the fullness of the blessing pronounced of old upon Joseph. “Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of Heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and for the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush.” Deut. 33: 13–19. And added to all this “are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” Precious, precious indeed, are the gifts and promises of God. “AND beside this, giving all diligence, add.” Now begins our part of the work. Through faith in Christ we have received, by the mercy of God, the forgiveness of sins, have been made partakers of the divine nature, and now we must begin to “work out” our “own salvation with fear and trembling.” Phil. 2: 12. God gives it to us to “add,” and while we “add,” he “multiplies” (verse 2) “grace and peace.” While we “add,” in our obedience, each Christian grace to our lives, he multiplies grace by which we may add the next. So that as before, sin reigned unto death, even so now grace reigns, through righteousness, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 5: 21. “ADD to your faith.” Justification is entirely by faith without works. David “describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” Rom. 4: 6. This righteousness is imputed because of faith, and that alone. Abraham “was strong in faith, ... and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Rom. 4: 20–24. But if we must be justified by faith without works, then what is the use of works? What use? Why to show the virtue of our faith, to be sure, and to maintain our justification, that is, to keep from sin, for if we sin we need justification again, and must again be justified by faith. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2: 1. Good works therefore are to maintain a righteous character before God, and because we must work out our salvation. The justification that has been obtained by faith must be retained by works. It is gotten without works, but it cannot be kept without works. Without works all faith will avail nothing. It is dead. James 2: 14–26. SO PETER says, “Add to your faith virtue.” Is your faith of any account? Is there any virtue in it? Show it by a consistent Christian course of conduct in all things. Your faith is in God, and you are to add to it the virtues of God. This is what you are called for. This is that for which he has chosen you, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. ADD to virtue knowledge. “Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Col. 1: 10. “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all sense [margin].” Phil. 1: 9. “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3: 18. It is in his word that God has given us a knowledge of himself and of his dear Son, our Lord and Saviour. And to grow in knowledge we must study that word. There is nothing in this world that feeds, strengthens, enlarges, and enlightens the mind as does diligent study of the word of God. This is just what is commanded, Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge. ADD to knowledge temperance. Temperance cannot be known, much less practiced, without the knowledge of God as revealed in his word. Temperance does not consist of abstinence from strong drink alone. A person may be grossly intemperate and never touch a drop of strong drink. A person may be intemperate in drinking cold water, or in eating good food. How often it happens that persons will exert themselves till they get very hot and thirsty; then drink too much cold water; it may be only a little, yet too much; and so make themselves sick, or kill themselves outright; and all because of a lack of self-control—intemperance. Temperance is self-control. True temperance is “temperance in all things”—self-control in all things—because there is nothing that may not be carried to excess and so made an injury. “Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” Rom. 14: 22. ADD to temperance patience. James says: “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye359may be perfect and entire.” Chap. 1: 4. But it is absolutely impossible for a person who is intemperate in anything, to be patient in all things. These graces are put, by inspiration, in their proper order, and not one of them can be added out of its place. We cannot add temperance to virtue, neither can we add patience to knowledge; we cannot add godliness to faith, nor charity to godliness, leaving the other out. Each one must be added just as God has placed it. When we have added temperance (that means control your temper as well as your appetite), then we can add patience, and not till then. THEN to patience we can add godliness, and we cannot add it to anything but patience, and as long as we are impatient we are ungodly. Godliness is god-like-ness. It is doing as God would do. And how would he do if he were here? He would do just as he did when he was here. His name was called Immanuel, that is, God with us. “He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father,” said Jesus. John 14: 9. “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Col. 2: 9. “And ye are complete in him.” Verse 10. A godly life is a Christ life in the world; we are in his stead here; and we can reach godliness only through faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, and patience. ADD to godliness, brotherly kindness. When a person has reached this place he can fulfill the commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” and not before. Christ did this, and God commanded us to do it. And when we have added the graces that precede it, it will be a good deal easier for us all to do, because we shall then not think so much of ourselves as to render it impossible for us to love our neighbor as we do ourselves. That is the trouble with thousands of people, they cannot love their neighbor as they love themselves, because they love themselves too much. But when we follow the course mapped out by Peter here, by the time we reach brotherly kindness, we shall see so little in ourselves that is lovable that we shall have no difficulty in loving our neighbor as the commandment directs. We shall have no trouble in finding in him just as much good as is in ourselves. ADD to brotherly kindness charity. “And charity is the bond of perfectness.” Col. 3: 14. “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.” Charity loves God with all the heart and its neighbor as itself. “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves.” 1 Pet. 4: 8. “For if these things [these things that must be added] be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.” There is the whole secret of backsliding set forth in a single sentence. He that lacks these additions of the Christian virtues, will be barren and unfruitful, and will forget that he was purged from his old sins. He adds nothing, and how can God multiply to him? “WHEREFORE the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” There is God’s surety against our falling from grace. If we do these things, we shall never fail. But if we do not do these things, how can we stand in the great day when the towers fall? “FOR so [in this way, by this means] an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” There is no other way opened, there is no other means provided by which that abundant entrance can be ministered unto us. Here is our work set before us each day as it comes. We live but a day at a time, and the Lord wants us to live in to-day. “To-day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts.” Each morning as we arise set our faith anew upon Christ as our Saviour; then show the virtue, the worth of our faith by confessing him before men, both in our words and our lives; then study the words of God for knowledge to guide us during the day; then practice the temperance—the self-control—that is enjoined everywhere and in all things in the word of God; then add patience in all the affairs of the day; add godliness by exemplifying the life of Christ among men by doing good; add brotherly kindness in all our associations with our neighbor; and all crowned by adding sweet charity, the bond of perfectness; the love of God shed abroad in the heart, loving him with all the heart, and loving our neighbor as ourselves, thus completing the day with a well-rounded Christian character. Can it not be done one day? Can it not be done to-day? That is all the Lord asks of us. Do “these things” to-day “while it is called to-day,” and so to-day each day as God gives us opportunity to do. And we shall then never fail, but unto all such an abundant entrance will be ministered into the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A. T. J.