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Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ
Spiritual growth is rarely immediate. Believers often desire immediate change, victory, and maturity, but Scripture describes the Christian life as a lifelong process rooted in the grace and faithfulness of God.
In this episode of Contending for the Word Q&A, Dave Jenkins explains what it means to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. He considers how God matures His people through the ordinary means of grace and why Christians should not lose heart when progress feels slow.
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Spiritual Growth Is a Lifelong Process
Second Peter 3:18 calls believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Spiritual growth is the lifelong process through which God transforms His people into the likeness of Christ by His Word, Spirit, and grace.
This growth is ordinarily gradual. Christians should not measure maturity by sinless perfection or dramatic experiences. Genuine growth is seen in increasing dependence on Christ, a deepening hatred of sin, a growing love for God’s Word, and a greater desire to honor the Lord.
God Provides the Means of Grace
God has not left Christians to mature through their own strength. He uses His Word, prayer, the local church, biblical fellowship, the ordinances, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and sanctify His people.
These ordinary means of grace may not always appear dramatic, but they are God’s appointed instruments for nurturing faith and producing lasting spiritual maturity. Christians grow as they remain rooted in Scripture, committed to prayer, and faithfully involved in the life of a biblical local church.
God Is Working When Growth Feels Slow
Every Christian experiences seasons when spiritual progress feels slow. Temptation, weakness, suffering, and remaining sin can make believers wonder whether they are truly growing.
Such struggles do not mean that God has stopped working. The Lord often uses difficulty to deepen faith, cultivate humility, expose self-reliance, and teach His people to depend more fully upon Christ.
The Christian life is not always a straight path of visible improvement, but God remains faithful through every season.
Confidence in the Faithfulness of God
The believer’s ultimate confidence is not found in personal strength, discipline, or sufficiency. It is found in the faithfulness of God. Philippians 1:6 declares that the One who began a good work in His people will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
The God who saves is also the God who sanctifies. He does not abandon His people halfway through the work. This promise gives Christians hope and perseverance even when growth appears painfully slow.
Growing in Dependence on Christ
Growing in grace means recognizing that spiritual maturity is a lifelong process, faithfully using the means God has provided, refusing to lose heart during difficult seasons, and trusting God to finish the work He began.
Spiritual maturity is not about becoming impressive. It is about becoming increasingly dependent upon Christ. As believers walk with the Lord, He faithfully transforms them day by day for His glory.
In This Episode
- Why spiritual growth ordinarily takes time
- What it means to grow in grace and knowledge
- How God uses the ordinary means of grace
- Why slow progress does not mean God has stopped working
- How God’s faithfulness gives believers lasting hope
- Why Christian maturity produces greater dependence on Christ
Thank you for listening to or watching Contending for the Word Q&A or at our YouTube. Please subscribe to the show and share this episode with someone who would benefit from this biblical encouragement.
