Increasing in Favour with God

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men."

Luke 2:52

The Bible never ceases to amaze.  It can illuminate the darkest heart and reveals hidden motives.  God's word can confront and shock as it exposes our ignorance, misconceptions and our need to personally change in ways impossible to accomplish without the Holy Spirit.  God and His unerring truth thunders forth with a still, small voice.  With one sentence He can send our heads spinning, and that is what He did to me with this familiar verse that literally kept me up at night.

Though Jesus existed before He put on human flesh, His body grew and developed like ours.  As a child our thoughts were simple and concrete before we grew to understand abstract reasoning.  It makes sense Jesus increased in wisdom as He physically grew, a healthy body and mind worked together.  What floored me was how Jesus could possibly increase "in favour with God."  To increase in favour or grace ("charis" in Greek) with men is no surprise, but to increase in favour with God?  How is this possible when God's grace is infinite and already extended in full to His only begotten Son?  Therein lies part of the problem, for it is impossible for us finite beings to comprehend the infinite--though we imagine we understand God's grace because we can concisely define it.  To the contrary:  God's grace is amazing not because we fully comprehend it but because we have received it according to our limited knowledge of God and His word.

Growing in grace is connected with our knowledge of God and grateful submission to Him in faith.  Faith is not a belief system but a life lived according to God's will that requires trust and obedience in Him.  Jesus increased in favour with God as He intentionally took steps to follow Him.  As an infant incapable of making decisions or choices there was not yet opportunity provided to walk in faith.  A child learning to walk provides a good illustration of the walk of faith in following Christ.  It takes time to learn to walk and skillfully balance on two legs, to gain the coordination and strength day by day to stand, walk and run without falling.  A paralysed man can read about walking, understand the physics and the anatomical requirements, yet this knowledge does not empower Him to overcome the disconnect between the brain, nerves and muscles to do it himself.  After a person is born again through faith in God we are able to receive and tap into God's limitless supply of grace He freely gives to all.  It is faith in Jesus that makes us upright and is accounted for righteousness.

See the connection that is made by Peter when he bid believers to consider what kind of people they ought to be and to avoid the errors of people who distort scripture to their own ends.  2 Peter 3:17-18 says, "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 Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."  Though God's grace is beyond reckoning, it is something we can grow in according to our knowledge of God and recognision of our total need for Him.  As the body of Jesus grew physically, He grew in grace with God and men.  This was not because He was more deserving because this undermines what grace is:  loving favour freely given and received out of God's goodness which cannot be earned.  If anyone could have earned God's favour, it was Jesus.  He grew in favour with God as He joyfully obeyed His Father in heaven, not thinking His deeds or sacrifices made Him worthy of grace.  Jesus grew in God's favour because He received it by faith and walked according to it.

It is ironic how easily we can be tempted into a performance or works-based arrangement with God when all we are and have received is of God's grace.  John 1:16-17 wrote concerning our Saviour, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."  God gives grace again and again and our lives are a testimony of His faithfulness that transcends our circumstances.  Paul was unlawfully imprisoned and it actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel.  God allowed a messenger of Satan to buffet Paul and this evil spirit became an unwitting importer of God's grace to him.  God refused to deliver Paul from the troubles he prayed to escape from, and God brought him to a glorious conclusion in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  Paul wanted God to drive away his tormentor, yet God was gracious to use this infirmity to draw Paul to Himself with love.

God's grace is sufficient, of His fulness we have received, and grace for grace.  May we grow in grace and knowledge of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.  God's grace is without limit, and since human beings are finite it is clear God has grace we have yet to personally experience.  Brothers and sisters, do you see your need to grow in grace?  Let us receive grace, walk in grace and extend it freely to others.  We cannot earn this privilege:  it is a responsibility and calling for all children of God He enables us to walk and rejoice in.