#26 Part 7 A True Living Active Faith AND Proper Saving Knowledge of Christ.1 Pet. 1:8-9: For whenever you possess such, it will not make you lazy or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But anyone who does not possess this is blind and with his hands is groping in the dark (that is to say, he does not possess any proper, saving knowledge of God and His Son Jesus Christ. He has no true, living, active faith. He is unable to properly and rigidly set his foot on the Way. Instead, he gropes around like a blind person). Indeed, he also forgets the cleansing of his former sins. For without a true, living, active faith and without the proper saving knowledge of Christ, he cannot partake of the grace of God or the forgiveness of sins or the hope of everlasting life. Take note: this is the heartfelt apostolic description of true godliness, what it entails, and what pertains to it. It is in such a context that the apostle especially here uses the word “godliness” as he says to Timothy: train yourself in godliness, that is to say, in faith, in virtue, in discernment, in moderation, in patience, in godliness, in brotherly love and love in general, so that you are not found to be lazy or fruitless in the knowledge of Christ. (Schola Pietatus-Volume 1 by Johann Gerhard, Repristination Press, p. 13-14)
