Growing in Grace

"You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

2 Peter 3:17-18

Peter concluded his epistle with this exhortation to remain faithful to Christ.  Instead of being led astray with the error of the wicked, they were to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."  For much of my early Christian walk, "grace" was an ambiguous term without any depth of meaning or personal significance.  The concept of "growing in grace" was equally as meaningless.  If I didn't understand what grace was, how could I possibly grow in it?

For me, understanding of God's grace awakened when I began to recognise how sinful I am according to God's righteous standard.  From my youth I understood and sang with gusto, "Yes, Jesus loves me!"  yet I did not comprehend that there was nothing in me deserving or worthy of this love.  He loved me with a divine love I could not earn.  The Law of God laid out in the Old Testament laid a death blow to my pride which was convinced I could merit God's favour through obedience.  Romans 3:19-20 reads, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. ²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."  God gave the Law to Moses to establish His perfect standard and to prove to the proudest soul there is none worthy before God.  Break His Law in one tiny aspect and that man is guilty of all.

The Law of God opened my eyes to the grace of God.  I am a guilty sinner deserving of wrath and eternal judgment.  But God in His great love had compassion on me and offered me grace, salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.  Christ does love me, but not because I love Him.  He loved me first and always, and I love Him back.  I can only respond to His love already lavished upon me, an unchanging love not based upon my performance or perceived worthiness.  It is this knowledge of our poverty of soul which causes us to grow in grace.  Our growth is not one to measure against others, but only against the perfect standard established by Jesus Christ.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."  Paul embraced the grace of God from a position of complete unworthiness.  Everything praiseworthy in Paul's life was a product of God's grace at work in Him.  I believe there is a misunderstanding of grace today which justifies sloth concerning our sanctification.  We see our unworthiness or lack and shrug our shoulders and say glibly, "By the grace of God I am what I am."  Paul did not use God's grace as a cloak for carelessness, but to glorify God for the goodness at work in and through His live.  God's grace did not justify Paul being served, but compelled him to greater labours for God.  He was an unworthy minister, yet Paul laboured more abundantly than all others.  He did not just see himself as unworthy.  Oh no, my friends.  He was unworthy, and I am too.  We all are!  Unless we admit we are unworthy, we will never know God's grace nor grow in it.

It is knowledge and acceptance of our unworthiness before God which opens our understanding to receive God's grace.  Growing in grace is not that we are doing more now for God than we used to, but to confess He is doing more in and through our lives according to His grace.  How great is our God, and how wondrous His grace!  James said his faith in Christ was revealed by works, and Paul's growth in grace was accompanied by abundant labour.  It's not so much "What are you doing for God?" but "What has God done and is doing for you?"  May all God's people see their unworthiness and joyfully grow in grace as God's Spirit labours in and through us.