Section 4: Christian Growth

Section Introduction In 2 Peter we have a number of things God tells us we should add to our lives. These are referred to by many as the Christian Graces. I refer to them as a spiritual pattern for Christian growth. In the course of my ministry, in most cases I have seen new born babes in Christ mainly left to themselves to grow. I found it impossible to believe the same God who gave such a specific pattern for alien sinners to follow in order they could become Christians. I began studying on this subject and it has been my main focus for the 40 years I have been studying and teaching the gospel of Christ.

The first pattern I stumbled across was in II Peter 1:3-11, where what the world refers to as the Christian graces are found. As I studied these verses, I found a guarantee from God. God promises if we but add to our Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness and Charity, we will never fall, but we will have a home in Heaven.

I became very excited, because if something has a guarantee from God, then since God cannot lie, it must be true. I studied to better understand these items we are commanded to add, in order to make it to Heaven and I came to the conclusion this was a pattern of Christian growth God has given for all Christians to grow and a mature. When I study the Bible and see the simple pattern God has given that one must follow in order to become a child of God, which is to Hear the Word, to Believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, to Repent of their past life, to be willing to Confess one believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and then to be Baptized in water for the remission of their sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

When the alien sinner goes through this plan of salvation, as they are buried with Christ in baptism, the old man of sin dies, is buried with Christ by baptism into his death and arises with Christ to walk in newness of life, they become a born again Christian. But the problem is when the new Christian comes up out of the watery grave of baptism, they are a spiritual baby. Too many times, spiritual babies are left on their own to find their own means of growing spiritually and we wonder many times what was wrong with the person when they die spiritually and fall away from the Lord and his Church.

Would you put the blame on a physical baby who is left on their own, when they die or on the parents? Clearly the answer is we would be amazed anyone could be so callous and negligent they could just sit around and watch their child starve to death and die. Yet we turn around and blame the spiritual babe in Christ, when they starve to death spiritually.

When I looked around and saw so many babes in Christ not growing, I became very concerned and thus devoted my life to learning God’s pattern for maturing as a Christian. Here in II Peter 1:3-11, I found the first glimmer of knowledge and spiritual wisdom. At first I thought it would be very simple and in one way it is, just add these things to your life and you got it made. God guaranteed it, didn’t he? But in other ways, just as it is much easier to see mistakes other parents make than to not make the same mistakes yourself, it is easier said than done. This is why after studying this subject for about 35 years, I have slowly came to the point I believe I understand it well enough to write a book about this and a few of the other things God says are part of reaching spiritual maturity. I hope these items help you in your spiritual growth and striving for spiritual maturity.

2 Peter 1:3-11 "According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

The purpose of this section of the book is to hopefully help us to better understand this pattern God given us to grow unto Christian maturity. After all, isn’t the entire goal of the Church to get as many of us into Heaven as we can?