Articles & Media Archives - South Amarillo Church of Christ

Add to Your Faith – Self-Control

Our series of articles has been building the case that faith was never meant to remain idle or static, but to grow intentionally into a complete and fruitful Christian character. By first establishing the foundation of grace & peace — then faith, virtue, and knowledge, we have seen that spiritual growth is both God-enabled and personally pursued with diligence. Now, as we turn to adding self-control, we do so understanding that knowledge must shape behavior — because genuine faith matures when what we know about Christ begins to govern how we live. Recent Articles: What About Faith | Grace and Peace | But Also For This Very Reason | Add to Your Faith – Virtue | Add to Your Faith – Knowledge It is our goal to establish that while we may not know much about virtue in the beginning, we will gain virtue as we add knowledge. Similarly, we will find that self-control is related to knowledge. Let us read 2 Peter 1:5–9 again: 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. … Read more

Add to Your Faith – Knowledge

We are several articles into a series on 2 Peter 1:1-11: Adding to Our Faith Recent Articles:What About Faith | Grace and Peace | But Also For This Very Reason | Add to Your Faith – Virtue Today we turn our attention to the second of the seven qualities found in 2 Peter 1:5–7. Peter writes: “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. 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.” In our last article, we saw that we must be diligent to add virtue to our faith. Peter’s list is progressive—each quality building on the one before it. Once we begin adding virtue (moral excellence) to our faith, we then build upon that virtue by adding knowledge. But immediately, a question arises. Peter calls us to knowledge, yet Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 8:1 … Read more

Add to Your Faith – Virtue

“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 1:5–7 Especially for the new Christian, this is one of the most important passages in the New Testament. It is not addressed to the person who is seeking how to be saved, but to the Christian who desires to grow — who longs to become stronger and draw nearer to his Sovereign Lord. Faith is certainly the foundation of all that pertains to our Christian life. As we are reminded in Hebrews 11:6, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Peter opens his second epistle by addressing those “who have obtained like precious faith” and assures us that God’s divine power “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:1–3). It is because of this gracious provision that Peter begins, “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith…” … Read more

But Also For This Very Reason

2 Peter 1:5 begins with a phrase that deserves our careful attention: “But also for this very reason.” These words do not stand alone. They reach backward, connecting what Peter is about to say with what he has already established. To understand the call to diligence that follows, we must first appreciate the reason that makes such diligence necessary. Our study continues from our last article (Grace and Peace), focused on 2 Peter 1:2–3, where Peter reminds his readers of the abundant provision God has already made. He opens with a blessing: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Grace and peace are not merely granted; they are multiplied through knowledge — knowledge rooted in God’s revelation of Himself through His Word. Peter goes on to affirm that God’s divine power has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” Nothing essential is lacking. Our physical needs and our spiritual needs are fully supplied, and they are supplied through knowing Him who called us by glory and virtue. This knowledge is not abstract or theoretical; it is transformational. We should take note of verse 4, where Peter speaks … Read more

Grace and Peace

2 Peter 1:2–3 “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.” One translation concludes verse three with the words, “who called us by His own glory and excellence.” From the opening of this letter, Peter offers more than a polite greeting. He speaks a blessing — one that points directly to the life God desires for His people. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you.” These words appear often in the New Testament. Paul, Peter, and John regularly begin their letters this way, sometimes adding mercy as well. One writer observed that grace was a familiar Greek greeting, while peace was a traditional Hebrew one. When the apostles joined them together, they did more than combine cultures — they deepened the meaning. And since multiple writers use the same blessing, the wisdom behind it is best attributed not to human creativity, but to the Holy Spirit. Grace and peace are not simply polite wishes. They describe the condition of a heart shaped by … Read more

What About Faith?

Faith is a word we use often, yet it is one that deserves careful thought. As we journey through 2 Peter 1:1-11 in this series of articles — this being the first — we will think not only about having faith, but about what it means for faith to grow — and for us to grow because of it. The writer of Hebrews gives us a helpful starting point. Faith, he tells us, is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). It is the quiet confidence that what God has promised is real, even when it cannot yet be seen. By faith, God’s people have always understood that the visible world itself rests on the invisible word of God (Hebrews 11:3). But faith is not merely something we possess; it is something that moves us. Hebrews goes on to describe the Christian life as a race — one run with endurance, focus, and intention. Surrounded by the faithful who have gone before us, we are called to lay aside what weighs us down and to fix our eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1–3). Faith looks forward, but … Read more

The Word was God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3 In a previous article (In the Beginning), we had established that John is demonstrating Jesus’ deity as he opens his gospel and throughout the book of John. We have seen through the study of just the first six words of his gospel “In the beginning was the Word” that: As we begin to look at the remainder of our text, it is important that we get a good working definition of the word ‘God.’ This may seem strange and unnecessary as we all know who God is, but do we understand the basic title ‘God’ as found in our passage and other parts of the Bible? ‘God’ is too often mistaken as being the Almighty Father’s name. Yahweh is the name our God expresses as His in Exodus when talking with Moses at the burning bush. This name is His covenant name with the people of Israel. The word ‘God,’ in the New Testament and the Septuagint is derived … Read more

IN THE BEGINNING

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3 In the Beginning John starts his gospel with the same words as the book of Genesis — In the Beginning! In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2 This is the same beginning that John references here at the beginning of his Gospel: This is the same beginning that John references in 1 John 1 when he says: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — that which we have seen and … Read more

Vocal Ascend – Volume One

In Colossians 3:16, Paul writes, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Music is a gift from God — Not only for our enjoyment — but for our comfort, growth, and mutual encouragement. We hope you will find this collection of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” to be a blessing to you. If you do find the blessing in this music, please pass it along. There are social links at the bottom of the page. If you don’t have access to Spotify, you can listen here on YouTube:

A Prayer for Understanding

Prayer is vital in our relationship with our Father in Heaven. The disciples knew this and asked Jesus how to pray. Jesus gives them an example, not a prayer to recite, but an example:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13