Can you grow in Christ without intentional effort?
Does all this Christian activity amount to anything?
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. –2 Peter 3:17–18.
There have been seasons in my journey of faith where I have wondered if I was growing at all. In those seasons, I even wondered whether it was possible to grow in the faith. The same old sins taunt and taint my stumbling progress. Prayers feel blunted, rote, and routine. Bible study is stale and predictable, as if it were simply a duty to perform.
In those seasons, it can be difficult to see just how far God has brought me over time, and how He continues to do so even now through the faithful practice of the means of grace He has provided. But then, occasionally, He gives me a glimpse into the cumulative work that He has been doing, changing me, growing me, making me more like His Son.
I recently got one of these glimpses while traveling back to South Africa and hanging out with old friends I hadn’t seen in years. I noticed they were different. Not just older, greyer, slower, chubbier. But also more like Jesus in a way that I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I were observing their stumbling progress every day. But with time and distance, I could see it. God used little acts of faithfulness over the years to move them forward in the faith. I was grateful to hear that they noticed the same in me.
You see, God wants us to grow in the faith. He wants us to grow up in the faith. In the church, we call this process sanctification. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul tells us that we are all being changed from one degree of glory to another until we are all made to resemble our King Jesus. In Philippians 2, he says that God not only desires this work but is Himself the One who empowers and secures it in us, working in us to will and to work as we walk towards greater godliness (Philippians 2:13).
But here’s the mysterious thing: our growth is desired and empowered by God, but we are not purely passive recipients of it. We are called to participate in this amazing work by engaging with the effective tools of transformation that God gives us. Peter commands the church to grow in both grace and knowledge. We grow in grace, remembering that we aren’t engaging in activity for the sake of our salvation, but as an overflow of our salvation. And we grow in knowledge by doing all we can to get to know our King Jesus. And He has given us so many ways to know Him!
This is why consistent practice of Holy Habits matters. They help us to grow in grace and knowledge! This is why church Bible studies and classes matter. They aren’t just busy work in the life of a church. They are avenues for growth in grace and knowledge. This is why we offer programs like ASDP, Rhythms of Recovery, and ReEngage. This is why we put so much effort into sermon guides and written resources. This is why we offer the veritable smorgasbord of retreats we have so that people can grow in grace and knowledge together!
None of these things will save you.
Attending a class or reading a book is not a requirement of right standing with God. But these are examples of means that God has given to our local church so that we can all grow together, slowly, faithfully, over time, and by His grace and power. Growth in the faith won’t just happen to you, though. We have to participate in God’s growing work.
And so, friends, as you bask in the slightly less intense rhythms of summer, and as you think ahead to what you want your next year in the Lord to look like, will you engage meaningfully with means of grace and growth that God has given you through the ministries of our local church? You can and will grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, but only if you are faithful to participate in the growing work that He wants to do in you.
Are you growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus? Do you see the growth in others? Do you think others can see it in you?
