A Biblical Practice of Growth

How does Biblical growth happen?

  • Godliness grows as we believe the promises of God.
    • Godliness does not grow as we remain passive when we feel tempted beyond our ability to resist. It grows as we believe the promises God gives us and as we use them to escape the stains of worldliness. (Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You [Ps 119:11]).
    • Godliness does not grow as we try harder to obey God's perfect law in our own strength. It grows as we believe and use God's promises to proactively imitate His character (2Pet 1:4). 
  • Godliness flowers as we imitate the character of God.
    • We are to supply certain character traits to our faith if that faith is to mature in godliness.  Mature people are morally pure, Scripturally knowledgeable, self-controlled, persevering, godly, kind, and loving. 
    • There is no true growth in godliness or maturity in Christ without the development of Christ-like character.  Maturity into spiritual adulthood only develops as we proactively cultivate these habits and character traits in our own hearts and relationships.
  • Godliness comes to fruition as we become useful in the knowledge of God.
    • The knowledge of God has a purpose - in its mature form it is supposed to be put to the use of bearing fruit that others can eat and appreciate. If our knowledge of God is not useful or fruitful, we may rightly question whether that knowledge is mature, and may even be wise to question whether it is saving (cf. James 2:14-26).
    • The character traits listed in 2Peter 1 are the things that make our knowledge of God useful and fruitful.  If these qualities are in us and are increasing, we are useful to God in the building of His church and the spreading of His kingdom.
    • This is the Biblical pattern for spiritual growth.  As Christians who have been called into saving fellowship with God, we must believe God's good promises, using them to kill the weeds of sin and cultivate the character of God in our hearts and in our local churches.  It is in this way that we will bear fruit for God's kingdom both individually and corporately, and prove to be mature adults in the family of God.