2 Peter 1:9

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Peter says the problem is not merely weakness. It is forgetfulness. A man stops growing in virtue and patience and godliness because he loses sight of what Jesus already did for him. His vision gets short. His soul gets cramped. He cannot see afar off because he has forgotten he was purged from his old sins.

That word purged takes us right back to John 15. Jesus spoke of abiding, of fruitfulness, of the Father pruning the branch so that it might bring forth more fruit. I love that, because pruning is not punishment. It is care. It is the work of a wise Husbandman who sees what we cannot see.

Sometimes we feel the cut and think something is wrong. In reality, however, the Lord may be removing what keeps us from fruitfulness. He trims back pride, self reliance, old habits, old fears, and the clutter that steals our strength. Why? Because He wants life to flow more freely through us.

But Peter says there is another danger. We can forget we were already cleansed. We can start living as though we are still dirty, still condemned, still chained to the old life. And when that happens, spiritual blindness settles in. We stop looking ahead. We stop expecting fruit. We stop walking like people who belong to Jesus.

Here is the thing. The branch does not bear fruit by gritting its teeth. It bears fruit by abiding in the vine.

That means the answer is not to stare at yourself until you become better. The answer is to remember the cleansing Christ has already given, stay close to Him, and let His life do in you what your own effort never could. The one who knows he has been washed will walk differently. The one who remembers grace will grow.

Maybe that is where someone is today. Not in open rebellion. Just in a fog. Just spiritually nearsighted. Just tired, dry, and unable to see very far. Know this, the cure is not to invent a new self. The cure is to return to the old, beautiful truth that Jesus has purged you from your sins.

When you remember that, your eyes start clearing again.

And fruit starts growing again.