In 2 Peter 3:18, the Apostle Peter calls us to, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This first sentence leads to a declaration of praise and worship of Christ, as Peter then writes, “To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” There is, it would seem, a direct correlation between the grace and knowledge we possess as Christians and the amount of praise we offer to Christ. At the same time, there’s another direct correlation between our relationship with Christ and the grace and knowledge we possess.

In other words, to praise God more, we need more grace and knowledge. We receive more grace and knowledge from God Himself. In fact, He has appointed various means of growing in knowledge and grace which we must utilize. In theological terms, we refer to means and methods of growing in knowledge and grace as the means of grace.

A slightly technical definition of the “means of grace”, as understood within Protestant circles, would likely look something like this: The divinely appointed yet ordinary tools that God has sovereignly gifted to His saints, whereby they may experience the full benefits of salvation and redemption, and thus grow in grace and knowledge of Christ, leading to greater adoration and worship of Him. A less technical definition would be: The ordinary things that God has given us to use to grow as Christians.

So, what are these divinely appointed tools? The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, in Q&A 88, “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.”

The Word. Sacraments. Prayer. These are the three main means of grace every Christian is afforded. Let us take the time to briefly consider each in connection to our growing in Christ.

The Word as a Means of Grace

Second Timothy 3:16-17 is quite clear that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”  The phrase “All Scripture” is vital here. Though we are new covenant Christians, both the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God. Every verse of all 66 books of the canonical Bible is essential for the Christian life. We need to familiarize ourselves with them in personal study, but also hear them read publicly, and hear them preached as well.

This is why intentionally reading through the Bible in a year is a good practice. It’s also why it’s important to join a church that practices expository, verse-by-verse teaching and preaching through the Scriptures. All Scripture is God’s Word, and we need it all if we’re going to grow in Christ. It is through the preached Word that sinners are saved (Romans 10:17), saints are edified, and God is glorified.

The Word is also a gift of God’s grace. Think of it: the eternal, timeless, perfect, sovereign, holy, infinite God of the cosmos chose to communicate with us, and He did so in a way that would benefit the saints of all ages—through a written account and record of His Word. God has spoken to us! What fools we are to neglect such a gracious gift as the Bible!

The Sacraments as a Means of Grace

Many today shy away from the word “sacraments” in favor of the word “ordinances”. Some use the two words interchangeably. Within our Protestant circles, two sacraments are acknowledged: the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

The Lord’s Supper, of course, was instituted by Jesus as a memorial gift to His church. “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom’” (Matthew 26:26-29). However, the Lord’s Supper is more than a memorial—it is an actual means of grace, whereby God strengthens the saints.

Louis Berkhof, in his Systematic Theology, explained, “The preaching of the Word (or, the Word preached) and the administration of the sacraments (or, the sacraments administered) are the means officially instituted in the Church, by which the Holy Spirit works and confirms faith in the hearts of men.”

The Lord’s Supper is the gospel, given physical form. We can taste, smell, feel, chew, swallow, see, and even hear the bread and wine. Likewise, baptism operates in a very similar way—it visualizes the salvation of the sinner. Consider, for example, Romans 6:3-4, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Baptism signifies this exact transaction. The lowering of the saved sinner beneath the water symbolizes their dying with Christ, their being held beneath the water signifies their burial with Christ, and their raising above the water signifies their resurrection with Christ. The fact that they are baptized by a minister, rather than baptizing themselves, also signifies that our salvation is the work of God, and not a work we perform ourselves.

Thus, these sacraments become signs of the new covenant we’ve been placed in through Christ, and they also act as seals, guaranteeing us—by God’s grace—that we will never be removed from this new covenant. They are reminders to us of what God has done, what He is doing, and what He has promised to do still. They are magnifying glasses whereby we can learn to understand the gospel of God’s grace more perfectly still.

Prayer as a Means of Grace

As important as the Word is, and as vital as the sacraments are, prayer is perhaps the most neglected means of grace that God has gifted to us. Surely, the Word commands us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and to, “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Yet, we pray with much ceasing and worry as though God does not listen.

This ought not to be! If the Word is God speaking to us, and the sacraments are God making His Word visible and tangible before us, then praying is our opportunity to speak to Him and make our requests known to Him. This is a clear means of grace, because Paul promises that when we pray about everything, rather than becoming anxious over anything, we find that, “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

If we want the grace of peace, we must pray. If we want joy, which is closely related to peace, we must pray. If we want to have a relationship with the Lord and communicate with Him, then we must pray!

Yet, think of how incredible this means of grace is: the God of the cosmos, the King of everything, the Creator of all, has invited us to come before Him and speak to Him through the Holy Spirit in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. As we’re called forth in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

There is no swifter or surer way to experience the gift of God’s grace than through prayer. But, when all three means of grace are utilized—the Word, the sacraments, and prayer—we find that our gracious God supplies us with all we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Savior.