Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Paul said in Colossians 3:1–4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Peter also confirms that we need to grow in our knowledge of Jesus and to have that intimate relationship with Him because the more we know of Him, the more of Him will be seen in our lives. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God. How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). God’s grace never increases it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less.
To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. The more grace we have and ask God for, the more mature as Christians we will be. Without God’s grace, His favor, we would be hopelessly lost in this world. Grace is that attribute of God that enables us to break free of our sinful nature and follow Him. We are not to impair it by being proud, because God says that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Understanding and applying God’s grace in our lives is important. Therefore, maturing in our Christian life is not about what we do, but about what God does in us, by His grace. Those actions by themselves don’t mature us, but God uses these spiritual disciplines to help us grow. We grow in grace by reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) and by praying. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone.
Second Peter 3:18 tells us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian.
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