But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Pet. 3:18)
Spiritual growth is essential for every Christian and just as crucial as persons maturing through the four main stages in human development. Healthy infants will move from infancy to childhood, from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to adult manhood and womanhood. The stages of human development can be seen outwardly, but inwardly there needs to be guidance. Individuals need help to mature relationally, cognitively, emotionally, and volitionally. Without parental guidance, persons can get stuck inwardly in one stage and appear to be in another. We see this similarly in the Christian faith community as persons can be in the Church, dress the part, know when to say amen, but stuck with no continuing inward work impressing upon their soul and spirit. In 2 Peter, we learn that the Church is vulnerable to corruption from within if our faith is not growing. False teachers are busy influencing the immature believers causing them to live in the shackles of the past and not the freedoms realized by those with an expectant heart of our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The epistle of 2 Peter was written during the late middle 1st century of the New Testament period (63-64 AD), and the world was predominately under the rule of the Roman empire. The Roman Emperor Nero appointed the Roman procurator’s Festus and later Albinus over Judea. Roman influence and her philosophical schools were influential voices in the ears of those living in the Greco-Roman culture. The school of Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, the Cynics, the Stoics, and the school of Pythagoras had many followers. [1] The Epicureans did not believe in prophecy and that no means of predicting the future existed. The thoughts of Christ already coming or never coming back frustrated the peace and blessedness of our living hope in Christ Jesus for many Christians. We, as believers, must live with expectant hearts of Christ return in order to continue to grow and mature spiritually progressively.
In 2 Peter 3:14-18, we are encouraged to turn the page on the chains and pains of the past. To prepare to enter into a new chapter where each day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Our faith in Christ brings us into his kingdom as babes in peace, but we are to be intentional about growing up in faith spiritually as we experience Christ and his kingdom over the process of time (2 Pet 3:14). If we are not diligently building upon our faith, we can become blind, seeing only ourselves (2 Pet 1:5-9). Our experience with Christ and his kingdom will erect the building blocks for a victorious faith in virtue, experiential knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. If we want to be healthier and stronger spiritually, we must keep growing, standing on the gospel message, and the finished work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. False teachers were causing persons to become insecure and unstable in their faith. Believers are compromising by lowering standards to follow the crowd (the world). The results are insecurity and instability whenever we replace the authority, the truth, and the power of God’s word personified in Christ with something else (2 Pet 3:15-17). The holy scriptures are the word of God supervised by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21). If you want security and stability, be on guard and watch your diet and whom you are listening. Humanity shall not live by bread alone but by every word from God’s mouth (Matt 4:4). Many persons drift away from the Lord without even realizing it, being drawn away by false narratives, ideas, and opinions. However, when you are guided by the reality of the sovereignty and care of God and experience with him, his truth and promises, you will dwell safe and secure in our heavenly Father’s arms. That your right thoughts about our LORD, God, and Christ will lead us into the right praise and worship of Him (2 Pet 3:18). The care of his grace and the experiential knowledge of the truth of God provides, can guide us to safety bearing fruit on good soil having Christ as our firm foundation (Col 2:6-7; Eph 4:15-16). If you want better, to make better choices, and respond better to problems and challenges? Stay root and grounded in your faith! Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep growing closer and closer to Him! Keep bearing fruit and glorifying his name! Be thankful to him! Bless his name! Be diligent in faith! Be watchful in hope! Draw near, grow closer and abundant life with Jesus can be yours both now and forever!
Turn the page and walk into your new chapter. These are some thoughts on how you can see the grace and the experience of Christ in your life bearing fruit.
• You are reading the word of God regularly.
• You are praying regularly with your spouse and children.
• You are serving actively in your Church’s body to experience the overflow of a deeper work of Christ.
• You are studying God’s word in a group where you can be vulnerable and can be held accountable.
• You are tithing from a giving heart and enjoy blessedness.
• You are serving outside the Church in the community to be a light in the midst of the darkness.
The next chapter with Jesus will be sweeter than the last as we watchfully GROW!
Because He Lives,
Pastor Reggie Sheppard
[1] Joel B. Green and Lee Martin McDonald, The World of the New Testament : Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013) 143-46.