You Know the Grace of Our Lord

The nigh important thing in the life of a Christian is to abound in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Yeah, we were saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), merely grace does not stop there. And salvation ( or eternal life ) involves knowing God (John 17:3).

Then, how do Christians grow in the grace and noesis of our Lord?

Equally Peter writes his final epistle, he was concerned about the false teachers that were plaguing the churches and wanted to encourage the believers to persevere. Thus, Peter repeats what he has emphasized throughout his letter on the danger of being misled by the doctrinal errors of these imitation teachers, and exhorted them to abound in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

What Does it Take to Grow?

Before we look at how and what it means to abound in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to consider several truths about growth in full general.

1) Growth is dependent on life.

Where in that location is life, in that location must be growth. Just you must exist born before you can grow.

This principle is but every bit true spiritually as it is physically. The Bible tells us that nosotros were all born into this world spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:i; Colossians two:13), and that is why we all need to be born again (John 3:seven). Only God tin can impart to us a new life.

2) Growth is never an option, information technology'due south a necessity.

Growth is normal when there is life. Unless a child has a serious health problem, he will grow and non remain a child his entire life. The aforementioned is truthful for the Christian; he must proceed growing in guild to maintain steadfastness. God wants Christians to grow upwards in every way like Christ and not to remain as children (Ephesians iv:14-15).

3) Growth is always gradual, not instant or automatic.

Have you ever seen a baby grow into machismo in just a matter of days, weeks or even a few years? You don't bring a baby abode from the hospital and wait him to do what a twenty-twelvemonth erstwhile can do. Growth is a process; information technology takes fourth dimension to mature and develop.

In contrast to what some people recollect that one can become "holy" instantly through some powerful experience with God, spiritual growth is gradual. It requires cooperation with God and the awarding of spiritual diligence and discipline.

4) Growth is not easy, information technology's difficult and painful.

A infant crawls first before he tin walk. And in one case he gets the hang of walking, he still falls downwards a lot. He fifty-fifty falls flat on his confront sometimes. Information technology'due south the same way with spiritual growth. In that location are a lot of tough lessons that we only larn by trial and mistake. Sometimes we idea nosotros "got it," only to realize later on that we oasis't really learned the lesson so we have to go through it again.

I – Grow in the Grace of our Lord

Grace is God'due south unmerited favor by which He saves and sustains anyone who places their trust in Him. In other words, grace is non but God's fashion of drawing us to Him in the beginning. It is also the style we grow and remain steadfast in our organized religion in Christ.

The new birth is non the end; information technology is but the beginning. And so how practise we grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? To abound in grace means coming to a greater understanding of God's holiness, justice, and sovereignty, which in plough allows us to run into more than of our rebellion, selfishness, and pride.

We practice non simply come to see more and more our unworthiness as the object of God'southward grace, but nosotros also encounter more than and more how cracking His undeserved favor and dear were that drew us to Himself.

Growing in grace involves developing the 7 Christian character traits that Peter wrote about in 2 Peter 1:v-vii: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love. These traits must be produced by the Spirit of God. (See also Galatians 5:22-23.)

"Simply 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 beloved."

God gives these character traits to u.s., but we need to develop them past regular Bible study and prayer, fellowship and service, confession of sin and practicing good stewardship.

Although some unsaved people possess astonishing cocky-control and endurance, these virtues point to them and non to the Lord, so they get the celebrity. Just when God produces the beautiful nature of His Son in the life of a Christian, God receives the praise and celebrity.

We tin abound in the grace of God ( spiritual growth ) and develop these Christian character traits because we were made in the paradigm of God. This growth takes place through the ability of God and the precious promises of God.

2 – Abound in the Noesis of Our Lord

In his epistle, Peter refers to Jesus as "our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" three times (2 Peter 1:11; 2:20; iii:18). In doing and then, Peter gives emphasis to the fact that you lot cannot separate Jesus Christ as Savior from Jesus Christ as Lord .

Peter is maxim that the moment you identify your trust in Christ as Savior, you are yielding all of yourself that you lot know to all of Christ that you know. When you become a Christian, y'all are to progressively grow in submission to Christ. And as a result, yous will see more than of who He is and more of who you are through the Word of God.

Becoming a Christian involves knowledge and agreement. Such noesis of Christ includes both facts about Him, equally revealed in Scriptures, and knowing Him personally. Growing in the knowledge of our Lord does non simply involve reading the Bible in club to know what He has revealed about Himself; it also involves establishing a personal relationship and intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

How do we grow in the noesis of our Lord?

1) Upon establishing a personal and intimate relationship with God through faith in Christ Jesus, nosotros abound in the noesis of our Lord by continually seeking Him.

Since God solitary is the writer of our noesis of Himself, only He can reveal Himself. We cannot possibly know God if He does not reveal Himself to us. The knowledge of God is received by those who go along to seek Him and call upon his Name (Jeremiah 29:13; Jeremiah 33:three).

2) Growing in spiritual wisdom and agreement involves complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit to illuminate our minds to the truth (John 16:xiii).

The Holy Spirit uses the Give-and-take of God to teach and transform believers. As we read, study, memorize and meditate Scriptures, the Holy Spirit not but illuminates our minds to the knowledge of God just He also equips us to instruct others in the knowledge of God.

We cannot ignore the handbook God has given us and expect to gain knowledge of Him in some other manner. A patient study of Scriptures enables united states to hear God's voice and to acquire about how God views Himself, ourselves and others. Nosotros will also know how God wants united states of america to serve Him in lodge to accomplish His purposes.

3) Growing in the noesis of our Lord involves faithfulness and obedience to Him.

This is the part where the laic exhibits in his life the noesis of God he received by living a life that is worthy of God. This ways that the way a laic conducts himself and lives his life must correspond to the grapheme of Christ. Christians grow in the knowledge of God by living in consummate submission to and obedience to God.

4) Growing in the knowledge of our Lord requires patient endurance and a teachable spirit.

The Christian life is for long-distance runners, not sprinters. If you want to grow in the cognition of our Lord, y'all demand to exist open to learning from God'due south Word and the Spirit. Christians who remember they know information technology all have no more than room for growth.

God does not reveal Himself and everything we demand to know about Him all at once. We must learn to be patient and wait upon Him. We need to go on to persevere in God'southward Word and abide in Christ. And that requires patient endurance on our part. The skilful news is that God will requite united states the strength to endure.

Conclusion

Did yous know that you can be a Christian and never grow upward? A famous quote by Maya Angelou says, "Everyone grows onetime but not everyone grows up." This is not simply true in the concrete sense; it'due south also truthful in the spiritual sense.

Hebrews five:12-13 (NLT)

"Yous take been believers so long at present that you lot ought to be education others. Instead, you lot need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are similar babies who need milk and cannot consume solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an babe and doesn't know how to do what is correct."

Growing in the grace and noesis of God is a process, information technology's non automatic.  There is no instant pill you tin accept today that will make you spiritually mature tomorrow. There is no shortcut to spiritual growth.  It takes time, effort and intentional pursuit.

And then how can you tell if you're growing in the grace and knowledge of God? When y'all are learning more than and more through God's Discussion how He wants you to alive and when the grapheme traits of Christ become more and more axiomatic in your life, then you are definitely on the right track.

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Recommended Resource:

Growing Your Religion: How to Mature in Christ past Jerry Bridges

When you're gripped by the astonishing fact of Christ's beloved for you, you lot desire to draw close to Him. But what can you do to deepen your relationship with Jesus? What does He expect of you, and how can y'all exist more like Him?

In Growing Your Faith, Bridges presents the essential elements of Christian life in a highly readable, surprisingly practical grade.

You'll learn how to feed your spiritual life through taking in the Scriptures, rely on the Holy Spirit in obedience and prayer, trust God during life'due south trials, and contribute your unique gifts to serve others.

Whether yous're a new Christian seeking direction in growing spiritually or a time-tested saint looking for a refresher, Growing Your Faith offers a solid foundation for genuine growth in spiritual maturity.

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Source: https://biblical-christianity.com/how-to-grow-in-the-grace-and-knowledge-of-our-lord

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