This series of articles is written by Dr Peter Masters (https://metropolitantabernacle.org/articles/a-spiritual-growth-check/).
Growth means dependence upon God, communion with Christ, daily engagement in holiness, prayer and proclamation. We cannot select one or two of these but must engage in all. ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen’ (2 Peter 3.18). This well-known command to grow in grace and knowledge was given by Peter as the essential antidote to backsliding and apostasy, the apostle having just written: ‘Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.’ From the second chapter of this epistle, Peter has warned of false teachers who claimed to know Christ, but later ceased to respect the Scriptures, twisting passages to give themselves licence to do whatever they wanted to do.
You find this today, even among Bible believers. There are many who justify their wholesale adoption of modern entertainment culture in their worship as well as in their personal lives, by twisting various passages of Scripture, and ignoring others. It is in the light of all this that Peter gives the final verse of the epistle: ‘But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’
The command is to grow, but this means much more than simply growing larger or increasing in knowledge. Growth illustrations in the Scripture are very full of meaning, such as that used by Peter when he speaks of growing like babies. Growth through infancy, childhood and youth is more than growth in size. A babe, for example, cannot speak, but slowly learns to do so in an increasingly sophisticated way. Constantly he acquires various skills and powers, becoming stronger all the time, and soon requires no help in feeding and dressing. Numerous skills are rapidly added, and ultimately the person becomes a productive adult, supporting others. Growth is far more than the enlargement of limbs; it is the appearance and refinement of many new factors.
You cannot have growth in grace without growth in knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Other growth illustrations (used by the apostle Paul) feature a tree or plant or building. The point about a tree is not so much that it becomes very large, but that it puts down roots, enabling it to thrive despite drought or tempest, to be hospitable to birds and insects, to produce flowers and fruit, and to propagate. Similarly, the Christian develops spiritual stability and endurance, with skills to refute and reject Satan, and to witness and minister to others.
Here we shall briefly set out five aspects of the Christian life in which we must consciously seek growth, but first we should note that growth in grace is mentioned before growth in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, and this is significant. It is not that one is more important than the other, because growth in grace and in knowledge go hand in hand. You cannot have growth in grace without growth in knowledge. However, you can have growth in knowledge without growth in grace. Perhaps this is why knowledge is placed second in this verse.
Sometimes believers run further ahead in knowledge than in grace. They want to argue, discuss and display their prowess in the learning process, but they are sometimes stunted in growth of grace, the great fruits of Christian character being small in their lives.
How shall we define growing in grace? It is the ongoing Christian walk of proving the free favour of God in daily forgiveness, answered prayer, help in holiness and progress in service. It includes advancing in obedience to the Lord and communion with him. Here are five vital aspects of growth to monitor.
. . . to be continued