Growing in grace

In Christian circles, growing usually means learning more about God and becoming more like Jesus Christ. It is a positive word, but not an academic one. That is, I can fill my mind with all sorts of information from the Bible and from Bible teachers, but that will not insure that I am growing. This passage hints at what is involved in spiritual growth:

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:14–18)

I love that phrase: “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus” because exploring it shows the riches of what God wants for me. These words are loaded with meaning.

Grace = God’s unconditional love that transforms sinners into His children. This is not because of anything we are or do but because God is gracious. Eternal life is God’s free gift to me!

Knowledge = even though grace involves knowing Christ in a personal way, this word is about knowing the facts about Jesus. As the passage says, there are people who twist the Scriptures, who say things about Jesus that are not true. I cannot grow to be like Him if I think He was only a teacher, or only a good man. I need to know the truth about who He is and what He does if I am going to grow. The Holy Spirit reveals these truths to me!

Lord and Savior = Some separate the two, as if Jesus can be your Savior but not your Lord. The crazy thing about this is that He is Lord, regardless of what my understanding or attitude is. He rules. He is sovereign. I can accept Him as Savior or not but I cannot change the fact that He is Lord. Apart from Him, I could not take another breath!

“For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” (Romans 10:11–12)

To be like Jesus, I rely on grace for I cannot make myself grow no more than a flower has that choice. I also must know the truth about this God-man who came from heaven to earth and died for me, rose from the dead, and returned to heaven promising us that He will come back. I need Him to save me from sin’s power as well as its penalty and must bow before Him in obedience. A rebel heart is as far from being like Jesus as I could be.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord, the changes You have already made in my life have gone from seemingly unreal to amazing to a new reality that is like Tozer says, a general rising on a line on a graph. Not perfection but growing in grace. You put me into Your family and on my way to heaven, but also on a life-change adventure where I daily move in the direction of Your goodness. Utterly amazing!