2 Peter 3:17-18 (ERV): “Dear friends, you already know about this. So be careful. Don’t let these evil people lead you away by the wrong they do. Be careful that you do not fall from your strong faith. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to Him, now and forever! Amen.”
Let’s define grace:
- God’s favor toward the unworthy – the undeserving – His unmerited favor.
- God working in us, without which we can do nothing; the active and continual power of God working in the lives of believers.
- The supernatural ability of God given to believers.
- The ability to serve others and exercise our spiritual gifts for the building up of the church.
So, grace is not only a character trait, an inclination in the nature of God, which causes Him to treat us better than we deserve (which is often labeled undeserved - unmerited favor). Grace also embraces this encouraging truth: favor overflows in powerful, practical help from God in our daily lives where we need it most; that help is also called grace because it’s free and it’s undeserved.
As believers our stability comes from our faith in the Word of God, our knowledge of that Word, and our ability to use that Word in the practical decisions of life.
Believers need to be taught the Word of God, or we will be in danger of being “lead away by the wrong others do.."
How can we (believers) maintain our commitment and avoid being easily enticed and led astray?
By growing in grace – by growing spiritually. "But be constantly growing" is the literal translation of 2 Peter 3:18. We should not grow "in spurts,“ our growth should be a constant experience of development.
We must grow "in grace.“ This is in relation to the character traits of the believer, the very things Peter wrote about in 2 Peter 1:5-7: “do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love.”
Peter listed seven characteristics of a godly life, and we are exhorted to develop one quality as we exercise another quality. Just like the "fruit of the Spirit” {Galatians 5:22-23}, these qualities grow out of life and out of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not enough for the believer to "let go and let God," as though spiritual growth were God's work alone. Literally, Peter wrote, “make every effort to bring alongside.” The believer and God work together.
- Faith: unfailing confidence in God
- Goodness: godly character; generosity toward others
- Knowledge: the ability to handle life successfully
- Self-control: mastery over our impulses and desires that enable us to live the life God requires
- Patience: the ability to endure when life becomes difficult
- Devotion to God: a deep commitment, love, and dedication to God; an obedience to His Word
- Kindness: a compassionate and selfless attitude towards others
- Love: a sacrificial, unselfish, loyal, and thoughtful concern for others
In this last exhortation given by Peter this truth is inferred: the process of growing is the believer’s responsibility. This process of growth is not a passive mode of existence, it is one in which the individual believer has an active part.
If we follow Peter's instructions and keep growing in faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, patience, devotion to God, kindness, and love {2 Peter 1:5-7}, we will indeed bring glory to Jesus Christ, while experiencing the “grace to grow.”
God's grace inspires us with the profound truth that His desire - His heart longs to treat us far better than we deserve, and it is manifested in the practical help He extends to us.
