Grow in Grace and Knowledge

Introduction-II Peter 3:11-18

Last week we considered the importance of being connected to Christ and to His church.

Today we will consider the next step in the process. Growing in grace and knowledge.

We believe at HPBC that every believer once CONNECTED to Christ and His Church should then begin to experience spiritual GROWTH whereby each is transformed to become progressively more like Jesus Christ.

This process of growth is a vital part of the Christian experience and no true believer remains as he was before he met Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV 1900): Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 Corinthians 6:11 (KJV 1900): And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

The passage of scripture before us today details the growth that should be taking place in the life of every believer.

What We Ought to Be (Vs. 11-13)

Peter writes this portion of the letter with the return of Christ and the end of all things in view.

He understood plainly that the Lord Jesus Christ could return at any moment initiating the day of the Lord and the destruction of all things as we know them.

He also speaks of the promise of the new heavens and the new earth where perfect righteousness will reign supreme.

Yet in the midst of this conversation he also speaks of what manner of person we ought to be now.

Sadly there are a great many believers in our world who know that the Lord is soon returning, who are aware that the earth will be destroyed and that God will create a new heavens and a new earth, but for whom these truths have made very little impact upon their lives now.

Peter insists under the inspiration of the Spirit of God that these truths should have a powerful effect upon how we live today.

Notice in verse 11 he speaks to his readers regarding “what manner of persons ought ye (we) to be.”

Here we find that we ought to be holy in our conversation. This involves more than just our talk, our lifestyle as a whole should be marked by holiness.

We should live as one who is dedicated to God and who is intent on keeping himself pure.

Our lives ought also to be marked by godliness meaning our behavior should reflect the character of the God we serve.

There are many in our world today that would suggest holiness and godliness are not necessary but the Word of God says plainly that this is the manner of person we ought to be.

1 Peter 1:15–16 (KJV 1900): But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Many believers continue to live in a manner characterized by carnality, worldliness, and sin but this is certainly not by God’s design.

The knowledge that what we see is only temporary and will one day be dissolved should cause us to consider how we live our lives now from an eternal perspective.

What We Must Avoid (Vs. 14-17)

This next section begins with an exhortation to believers to be diligent.

He exhorts his fellow believers first to be diligent in guarding their testimonies that they may be found “without spot and blameless” when the Lord returns.

James 1:27 (KJV 1900): Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Spiritual growth brings about a greater awareness of those things which would soil our testimony and bring reproach upon the name of Christ.

It ought to be our desire that when Christ returns He would find us unspotted from the world and blameless (that we would not be to blame for others rejection of Christ).

Philippians 2:15 (KJV 1900): That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Peter also here speaks of some who are unlearned and unstable who have chosen to “wrest” the scriptures to their own destruction

This ought to serve as a warning to you and I that we would not be guilty of following such a pattern ourselves.

We must not attempt to twist and misuse the scriptures in an attempt to support our own opinions. Rather we must simply let the scriptures speak and conform our lives to them.

If we are to continue to grow we must be willing to submit our lives to the correction and instruction of the Word of God.

He also encourages the believers to avoid being led away by these false teachers into error.

The believers apparently had a proven track record of stedfastness but Peter warns that they too may be led away if they are less than diligent in guarding themselves.

What We Must Pursue (Vs. 18)

Finally we come to the final verse which is somewhat of a concluding thought to the letter.

Here Peter encourages believers to grow in grace and to grow in their knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

This is what is required of every believer who has a desire to please God and to bring glory to His name.

If we will continue to pursue growth in grace, meaning simply that we allow God’s grace to continually transform us into what we ought to be, God will be glorified.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (KJV 1900): But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

It is the grace of God which produces change in the life of the believer.

If we will continue to pursue growth in our knowledge of Jesus Christ, meaning that we continue to seek a greater knowledge of who He is which will then inform us as to who we ought to be, God will be glorified.

The process of spiritual growth in the life of the believer is a continual process which will not be complete until we see our savior face to face.

We ought to recognize that we have not yet arrived and that there is still a need in each of us for continued growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can spend a lifetime of studying God’s Word and still not come close to knowing all that there is to know of Christ.

We may spend a lifetime striving to allow God’s grace to work in every area of our life but there will always be more work to do.

We must continue to pursue personal spiritual growth and it is this pursuit which will lead us to holy living and will help us to avoid error and will keep us moving forward and not sliding backward.

The moment that something ceases to grow it begins to decay and this is true of our spiritual life as well. If we are not ever progressing forward toward spiritual maturity, we will begin to slide backward into sin and carnality.

Conclusion

The life of the believer should involve continuing growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

There is never to be a point at which we count ourselves to have arrived. We must continually pursue holiness and godliness and we must strive always to avoid error as we allow God to transform us into what He would have us to be.

It is clear on the basis of the authority of scripture that Christians grow best when they are deeply CONNECTED to a body of like minded believers.

It is important for every believer to continue to grow throughout the course of their life and that we are never satisfied with where we are but always desiring to be further transformed.

This process cannot begin until first you have been CONNECTED to Christ. If you have not yet trusted Christ as savior you can begin this process today by turning to Him in faith!

Jesus died for you and rose again to redeem you from sin and reconcile you to God. If you will turn to Him in faith you can begin this wonderful process of spiritual growth today!