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Peter’s Counsel to Parents
life story is a clear illustration of it. So Ellen White could say, “Let
parents study the first chapter of the second epistle of Peter. Here is
represented the exalted excellence of Bible truth.”
Sermon
In the second letter addressed by Peter to those who had obtained
“like precious faith” with himself, the apostle sets forth the divine plan
for the development of Christian character. He writes:
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of
God, and of Jesus our Lord, 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: whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and
to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temper-
ance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.“
Ladder of Christian progress
These words are full of instruction, and strike the keynote of vic-
tory. The apostle presents before the believers the ladder of Christian
progress, every step of which represents advancement in the knowl-
edge of God, and in the climbing of which there is to be no standstill.
Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly
kindness, and charity are the rounds of the ladder. We are saved by
climbing round after round, mounting step after step, to the height of
Christ’s ideal for us. Thus He is made unto us wisdom, and righteous-
ness, and sanctification, and redemption.
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Virtue
God has called His people to glory and virtue, and these will be
manifest in the lives of all who are truly connected with Him. Having