levels to attain true love...

[LeoSalinas22]

hi everyone, peace be upon you all and the love and grace of our Father in heaven, through our Lord Christ Jesus...

is it me or is Peter explaining some sort of levels to attain true love in the highest form. check it out:
2Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and toself-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
to begin to tread on the narrow path we must have faith. then...
1st step:goodness
2nd step:knowledge
3rd step:self-control
4th step: perseverance
5th step:godliness
6th step:brotherly kindness
7th step:love
if Peter was trying to explain it in such a manner, then i am barely on the 2nd step, which is attaining knowledge of God. can't be 3rd step since i still have trouble with self-control. the flesh is very difficult to control... for now. anyways, just wanted to know which step you guys and gals are at and please give an explanation as to how you got there and why you feel you are at that step. thanks and God bless you all...

 

[Snoopy]

Are there not 8 "steps"; faith being one as well?

Do they have to be sequential? If so, this may be unneccessarily limiting; maybe try to develop whichever ones you feel able to. Perhaps we all have a few / some / all of them to varying degrees and our life's work is to develop them all. The development of one may promote the development of others...



s.

 

[Prober]

I see it like climbing a ladder to Heaven...

Start with Faith and then one step leads to another. If you slip while climbing, go back to the rung before and try again. Each rung is support for the next.

I'm feel like I'm trying to climb to step 4 and I keep slipping back to 3 and sometimes 2.

It does puzzle me that godliness is in the middle before brotherly kindness and love.

Great text!

Thanks Leo.

 

[ardenz]

How about Belief and Intention ?

Perhaps belief is a little like faith - but also intention is very important because it focuses attention, almost like seeing something in your mind and then making a leap of faith to make it happen.

But if its true love you are talking about in terms of another person don't you have to belief in them.

thnkz Leo,

Ardenz

 

[wil]

I believe they are layers, each creating a springboard to excel at the next...

oh and key words in this scripture to me "in increasing measure"

So let's see to the faith of a mustard seed add a pinch of goodness, and then a dollop of knowledge, and a modecum of self control, plenty of perseverance, a goodly amount of godliness, an unconditionally large quantity of brotherly kindness and an infinite portion of love.

 

[pattimax]

hi everyone, peace be upon you all and the love and grace of our Father in heaven, through our Lord Christ Jesus...

is it me or is Peter explaining some sort of levels to attain true love in the highest form. check it out:
2Peter 1:4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and toself-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
to begin to tread on the narrow path we must have faith. then...
1st step:goodness
2nd step:knowledge
3rd step:self-control
4th step: perseverance
5th step:godliness
6th step:brotherly kindness
7th step:love
if Peter was trying to explain it in such a manner, then i am barely on the 2nd step, which is attaining knowledge of God. can't be 3rd step since i still have trouble with self-control. the flesh is very difficult to control... for now. anyways, just wanted to know which step you guys and gals are at and please give an explanation as to how you got there and why you feel you are at that step. thanks and God bless you all...

I think that is how "Methodists" got their name. People used to kid them and say they had a "method". They didn't mind.

Personally, I never considered my faith a check list. It is more of a package deal. I am making progress v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y on all. It is the fruit of the spirit.