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, service (ministry), and personal evangelism.  

A key to the positive means of grace is consistency.  They work just like diet and exercise.  You must practice the means of grace consistently over an extended period of time for them to be effective.  

There are also several negative conditions that we must create in order to grow.  First, we must avoid temptation.  To overcome sin, it is not enough to focus on avoiding sin; you must stay away from things and situations that tempt you to sin.  The best way to avoid temptation is to avoid it altogether.  Second, we must avoid sinful companions (1 Cor 15:33).  Third, do not take pride in your progress (James 4:6).  Don't look down on others, and give God all the glory and praise for any growth you experience.  Four, do not pursue growth for selfish reasons.  Your ultimate motive for growth must be a sincere desire to please God out of gratitude for His goodness to you.  If your motive for growing is because you want to be happier, or more prosperous, or you are tired of being beaten up by sin, then God will not help you.  Fifth, we must not pursue growth to earn salvation.  Salvation is a free gift received by faith in Jesus Christ.  We don't pursue growth to earn salvation, but out of gratitude for salvation.  

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