Assurance of Salvation
Growing in GRACE
PROOF of
SALVATION.
"Growing" is an on-going process. The dead won't do it; but the living will. This is why God's people grow in grace.
Growing in Grace
"Growth" for a Christian is both a command and a fact. It is a command, because we have a responsibility to do it. It is a fact, because God makes it possible... and embeds within his people the desire to do so.
There are many passages in Scripture that describe the the way God's people grow. But they don't always use the word "grow," when doing so. A few examples are given here.
"Growing in Grace" - Its Definition and Characteristics
The previous two articles had a more general focus on the concept of "growth." Here, our focus is more specific: on what growing in "grace" is all about.
Sovereignty and Responsibility - Working Together
This characteristic of salvation is no different than any other characteristic that can be called "evidence" of salvation. God's people do it, because of "human responsibility"; and God guarantees it will happen, because of God's sovereignty. However, this does not mean that all Christians will grow at the same rate!
As always, the FAKES will try to imitate the characteristics of God's people; so it's important that we can recognize the difference! This difference is illustrated by what Jesus said in the "Parable of the Sower" (Matthew 13, etc.), and by a "picture gallery" of several examples. Fakes may be able to look back at some point in the past and say that they "grew"; but the "growing" of a child of God is an ongoing, present-tense concept!
Our "theme verse" about "growing in grace" is from 2 Peter 3:18. This book (2 Peter) mentions "grace" only two times - and in each instance, ties it to the concept of "knowledge." In this study, we examine what else Peter says about knowledge... and discover not only what it is, but that it is vital for a Christian's "growth in grace."