Grace by itself is a fantastic concept as it teaches us how God blesses us with unmerited favor. In the Bible you’ll find three terms that show us how we should understand what we receive from God. First there is justice, where we get exactly what we deserve. Justice is fairness so if we received “just punishment” for our sins, it would be exactly what we deserve. Secondly there is mercy, where we do not get all we deserve. Sometimes the word mercy also denotes grace, but for discussion purposes, let’s stick with “not all we deserve” is mercy. Thirdly there is grace, where we get what we totally do not deserve.
This can be illustrated in the account of a father disciplining his son for showing disrespect to his mother. First, the father confronted his son and made sure he understood his violation of family rules. Secondly, the father meted out the just punishment to the son in stating he was grounded to his room for six hours. But thirdly, the father showed mercy to the son in cutting his time to three hours, at which time the father graciously invited the son out for ice cream demonstrating grace. As they ate their ice cream, the father made sure his son realized his punishment for showing disrespect to his mother was just, but he had received mercy in that he did not receive all that justice would have given him, and his enjoying ice cream with his dad was a demonstration of pure grace from the love of his father.
Having such a handle then upon the concept of grace, let’s consider growing in grace and the words of Peter as he closes out his second epistle.
2 Peter 3:18 (ESV) — 18 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.
Notice the call to grow in two phases of the Christian life: grace and knowledge. Although the two go hand in hand, let’s take them separately and begin with grace.
Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) — 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
It’s important to understand that we are saved by grace through faith as it says above, and even that faith is a gift (grace) of God. Let’s back up in that chapter and notice the magnitude of grace.
Ephesians 2:1–5 (ESV) — 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
We were not only dead in our sins, but we were also serving the devil, raising our fists in defiance of God, and set in our ways to never change. But verse 4 above notifies us of a great change as it begins, “but God,” as He totally changes the scene and bestows grace upon grace to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.
How do we grow in grace? We learn about grace, we take notice of how God is bestowing grace upon us through the Lord Jesus Christ, and most important, we are grateful for His grace that He gives us freely.
2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV) — 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Hence, the reason Peter emphasizes a focus on growing in grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, in His prayer, gave us insight into what eternal life is and how knowing Him, which is the only way to know the Father, is life eternal.
John 17:3 (ESV) — 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
We are to understand that when we come to Christ as the Spirit of God raises us from being dead in sins to alive in Christ, that it’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that is alive in us.
Ephesians 1:19–20 (ESV) — 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
We begin this journey as babes in Christ unable to grasp the meat of the word, so we take in the word of God as newborn babes.
1 Peter 2:2–3 (ESV) — 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
But we don’t stop there, because our quest is to grow by using what we learn and advancing in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
Hebrews 5:14 (ESV) — 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Are you growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, or have you become stagnant and cold? May Peter’s admonition and this consideration of the greatness of grace spur you on to apply yourself to God’s word and the application to your life.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
