How to Grow in Grace

The Bible commands us to grow spiritually (2 Peter 3:18). But how? Spiritual growth is indirect rather than direct. We cannot make ourselves grow; that is something only God can do. Our job is to create the conditions for growth. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” John 15:5 Our job is not to grow, but to "remain". It is to stay close. To abide in Christ. To maintain a constant, close connection with the vine. How do we create the conditions necessary for spiritual growth? There are positive and negative conditions for growth. The positive conditions are the means of grace, a.k.a. spiritual disciplines. These include Bible study (1 Pt 2:2), private prayer (Col 4:2), and reading Christian literature (Pr 2:3-5). These are considered private means of grace, or private disciplines. The are also public means of grace, such as corporate worship, biblical fellowship,