Theme of the Month – Growth

Keys to Spiritual Growth

A. The Priority of Spiritual Growth

I believe that there is no more important study in the Word of God for the believer than the theme of spiritual growth. There are important Scriptures that will help us to put that theme in perspective:

1. 2 PETER 3:18 — “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” That is the summation of what Peter had to say in his second epistle.

B. The Perspectives on Spiritual Growth

I would like to share with you some concepts that will help us begin our study.

1. THE MISCONCEPTIONS

First of all, spiritual growth has nothing to do with…

a. Our Position in Christ

A person does not grow into becoming a Christian; conversion is an instantaneous miracle. The new birth is a sudden occurrence in the life of a believer. The moment he exercises faith in Christ, he is placed into the body of Christ. It is not a process; it is a marvelous, instantaneous miracle. There may be a process of exposing someone to the gospel; but the actual point of salvation occurs in a miraculous moment. The new believer passes from death into life, “from the power of darkness…into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:13b). Spiritual growth is not a question of your position in Christ because you were placed in Christ the moment you put your faith in Him.

C. The Purpose of Spiritual Growth

1. THE MASTER KEY

The master key to understanding and experiencing spiritual growth is found in 2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” Growing in grace is equated with giving glory to God. The master key to the process of spiritual growth is understanding what it means to glorify Him.

D. The Process of Spiritual Maturity

As we glorify God, we begin to grow.

1. THE RESPONSE TO GOD’S GLORY

a. Change

1) The Perspective

Second Corinthians 3:18 is a monumental text in the New Testament. Paul says, “But we all [believers are], with unveiled face….” In the Old Testament, the veil of the law covered believers. But the New Testament removed that veil. As a result, no longer are things hidden from us; no longer do we have to search, as the prophets did, to understand what they wrote. Verse 18 continues to say that we are “…beholding as in a glass [focusing into a clear glass] the glory of the Lord….” As we understand the New Testament and its great truths, we focus on the glory of the Lord. Then verse 18 says that we “are changed into the same image from [one level of] glory to [the next level of] glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

E. The Progression of Spiritual Growth

First John 2:12-14 is an essential text because it lists the three basic levels of spiritual growth. Our Lord speaks of those levels from an agricultural analogy: the seed, the corn, and the full ear of corn (Mk. 4:28). John approaches the same subject from the analogy of physical human growth. In verse 12 he says, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” John sums up all believers under one term–little children, or offspring. The Greek word used in verse 12 for children simply refers to anybody born from somebody else. It has nothing to do with age. That word could refer to someone who is eighty-five years old. It has nothing to do with infancy.

Special Thank You to our friends Grace To You.  Excepts taken from Back to Basics: The ABC’s of Christian Living – John MacArthur’s Bible Studies. Read in its entirety HERE.