Living in Christ
Scripture Reading
Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
Illustration
How do you grow in grace? It can be illustrated by the process for increasing your muscle mass. To grow muscle, you need to increase your calorie intake, increase your protein intake, and progressively increase the weight that you use in your exercise routines.
In the same manner, growing in grace can be thought of as building spiritual muscle. To do this you need to increase your knowledge of God, you need to increase your understanding of God's Word, and you need to progressively increase the life application of what you know and understand. It involves obedience. And it takes faith in action.
The Dangers of Immaturity
Confuses said "Don't be afraid of growing slowly. But be afraid of not growing at all."
2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) tells us to “...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." Growing in grace is simply to mature as a Christian. Growing slowly is not a major concern. What is of a critical concern is not growing at all.
Hebrews 6:1 (NIV) tells us "Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity..." because there are dangers for not growing. These dangers are found in verses 4 through 8.
1. There is the danger that you are not truly saved (Hebrew 6:4-6)
2. There is the danger of mocking Christ's sacrifice (Hebrew 6:6)
3. And there is the danger that you will face the judgement as an unbeliever (Hebrew 6:7-8)
These dangers exist because the underlying cause of spiritual immaturity is a refusal to obey God's Word in its entirety. That is why it dangerous to remain a spiritual infant. The Apostle Paul warns Timothy about this very thing in 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV), Paul said "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
This is why there are many false teachers, preachers, and profits. They exist because people come to Christ but they refuse to change. So they gather for themselves false teachers who allow them to continue in their wicked ways. I see that in some churches today. These churches lead people astray in twisted doctrine in the name of tolerance in both moral issues and theology.
Growing in Grace Starts When?
So, grow up my friends, grow in God's grace. By grace alone we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we are sanctified by grace alone. Grace is a gift from God, it is a blessing that we don’t deserve. God’s grace justifies us, sanctifies us, and will one day glorify us. The sanctification process of becoming more like Christ, is what we call growing in grace. Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification. In John 17:17 (NIV) He said "Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth." There are many ways in which we grow in grace, but it starts with reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16).
For believes, growing in grace began when we accepted The Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. At that moment of repentance and forgiveness we were born again by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and we were set apart unto God. By the blood of Christ, we were redeemed and sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:30). In Christ Jesus we are once and forever set apart eternally unto God (Hebrews 10:10). So that while we live in the world, we are not of the world because as children of God, our citizenship is in heaven.
Growing in grace begins with an initial moral change, it is when God's grace breaks us free from the power of sin and our love of it. It is when believers are born again and can count themselves “...dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11 NIV). It is when we are brought out from under the law and into God's grace (Romans 6:14).
Growing in Grace is what God does in Us
Growing in grace is not about what we do, rather it is about what God does in us. Growing in grace is about surrendering our will to God and submitting to the transformation power of the Holy Spirit of God. And we are warned not to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit by being proud, because "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" (James 4:6 NIV). We are set free from sin by the grace of God. And it is by the grace of God that we are able to follow Him. Without God's grace we would be lost in our sins and helpless in our efforts to find God. However, it is God who seeks us, and it is God who wants us to be more like Him. Thus, by remaining in Christ we are able to mature spiritually.
God’s grace involves all three members of the Trinity. It is God the Father "...who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose" (Philippians 2:13 NIV). And God changes our desires, so we want to please Him. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and, in essence, has become our redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus is also the author and perfecter of our faith. The Holy Spirit is the primary agent of our transformation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2), and He is the one who produces in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
We are the clay in the Potter's hand. And we are to trust God as He molds and shapes our lives so that we are able to fulfill His will. Therefore, we are to present our bodies to God (Romans 6:13; 12:1) and yield to the Holy Spirit. For it is God's will that we be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Growing in Grace is to Know and Understand
To grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did for us on the cross. And one way to do this is to learn more about Jesus. The better we get to know Jesus the more we will appreciate His love and sacrifice for us. And the more we appreciate all that Jesus has done, the intimate our relationship with Him will be. And the closer we are to Jesus the more we will be able to appreciate God's grace. So grab hold of your Bibles and begin reading through the pages for the Bible contains all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Growing in Grace is Obedience
God wants us to become more holy like Himself. That is why The Holy Spirit is transforming us into the image of Christ. And the way the Holy Spirit can transform our minds is by helping us to meditate on the Scriptures. And a way for the Holy Spirit can transform our hearts is by helping us to apply God's Word to our lives.
Growing in grace is being obedient to the Word of God by earnestly applying God's Word to our lives (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14), so that we will be ready to be sent out into the world to share the message of salvation. Just as the Jesus prayed in John 17:18-19 (NIV) "As you sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."
Growing in grace is the concept of being set apart for the purpose of being sent into the world to fulfill God's plan. Just as Jesus set Himself apart unto God in-order to fulfill the purpose for which God the Father sent Him (John 10:36), likewise we are to be set apart unto God so that we will not lose our witness as we go into the world spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
Growing in Grace is a Process
Growing in grace is a gradual but steady transformation to be more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). This change is the result of a daily spiritual renewal (Colossians 3:10) that takes a lifetime. The Apostle Paul himself was still growing in grace even as he preached of Christ to others. Paul said he had not reached perfection, however he “pressed on” to attain all that Christ desired for him (Philippians 3:12).
Because God has given us a free will, we have to choose to do what is right. We need to put to death the “misdeeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). We need to strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14). We need to flee from immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). We need to cleanse ourselves from every defilement (2 Corinthians 7:1). And we need to make every effort to supplement our faith (2 Peter 1:5-11). Although, you may still stumble and fall into sin from time to time, you can be "...confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6 NIV).
Growing in Grace Climax
The climax of growing in grace will happen when The Lord Jesus Christ returns. The Apostle Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV) “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul said it again in Colossians 3:4 (NIV), he said “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
This glorified state will be the climax of our growing in God's grace. Our sanctification will finally be complete when Christ Jesus returns for His own. When we are caught up into the sky to meet Jesus we will receive glorified bodies (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
Conclusion
To summarize, growing in grace is the same as sanctification. And sanctification is a lifelong process. First, we are set apart unto Christ when we are born again. Then, begins a lifelong transformation of our being into the likeness of Christ. Then finally, we will be changed into the perfect likeness of Christ when He returns for His own.
By the grace of God, He has taken away all of your negatives, that is He has wash away your sin. By His grace He has set you apart unto Himself. And because of God's grace Christ Jesus dwells in you, and therefore God sees you with the righteousness of Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV) says "...you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Since this is true, are you living in God's grace? Take some time and truly answer this question: "If you say you are a Christian, then are growing in God's grace?
Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
Illustration
How do you grow in grace? It can be illustrated by the process for increasing your muscle mass. To grow muscle, you need to increase your calorie intake, increase your protein intake, and progressively increase the weight that you use in your exercise routines.
In the same manner, growing in grace can be thought of as building spiritual muscle. To do this you need to increase your knowledge of God, you need to increase your understanding of God's Word, and you need to progressively increase the life application of what you know and understand. It involves obedience. And it takes faith in action.
The Dangers of Immaturity
Confuses said "Don't be afraid of growing slowly. But be afraid of not growing at all."
2 Peter 3:18 (NIV) tells us to “...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." Growing in grace is simply to mature as a Christian. Growing slowly is not a major concern. What is of a critical concern is not growing at all.
Hebrews 6:1 (NIV) tells us "Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity..." because there are dangers for not growing. These dangers are found in verses 4 through 8.
1. There is the danger that you are not truly saved (Hebrew 6:4-6)
2. There is the danger of mocking Christ's sacrifice (Hebrew 6:6)
3. And there is the danger that you will face the judgement as an unbeliever (Hebrew 6:7-8)
These dangers exist because the underlying cause of spiritual immaturity is a refusal to obey God's Word in its entirety. That is why it dangerous to remain a spiritual infant. The Apostle Paul warns Timothy about this very thing in 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV), Paul said "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
This is why there are many false teachers, preachers, and profits. They exist because people come to Christ but they refuse to change. So they gather for themselves false teachers who allow them to continue in their wicked ways. I see that in some churches today. These churches lead people astray in twisted doctrine in the name of tolerance in both moral issues and theology.
Growing in Grace Starts When?
So, grow up my friends, grow in God's grace. By grace alone we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we are sanctified by grace alone. Grace is a gift from God, it is a blessing that we don’t deserve. God’s grace justifies us, sanctifies us, and will one day glorify us. The sanctification process of becoming more like Christ, is what we call growing in grace. Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification. In John 17:17 (NIV) He said "Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth." There are many ways in which we grow in grace, but it starts with reading God’s Word and letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16).
For believes, growing in grace began when we accepted The Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. At that moment of repentance and forgiveness we were born again by the baptism of the Holy Spirit and we were set apart unto God. By the blood of Christ, we were redeemed and sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:30). In Christ Jesus we are once and forever set apart eternally unto God (Hebrews 10:10). So that while we live in the world, we are not of the world because as children of God, our citizenship is in heaven.
Growing in grace begins with an initial moral change, it is when God's grace breaks us free from the power of sin and our love of it. It is when believers are born again and can count themselves “...dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11 NIV). It is when we are brought out from under the law and into God's grace (Romans 6:14).
Growing in Grace is what God does in Us
Growing in grace is not about what we do, rather it is about what God does in us. Growing in grace is about surrendering our will to God and submitting to the transformation power of the Holy Spirit of God. And we are warned not to hinder the work of the Holy Spirit by being proud, because "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble" (James 4:6 NIV). We are set free from sin by the grace of God. And it is by the grace of God that we are able to follow Him. Without God's grace we would be lost in our sins and helpless in our efforts to find God. However, it is God who seeks us, and it is God who wants us to be more like Him. Thus, by remaining in Christ we are able to mature spiritually.
God’s grace involves all three members of the Trinity. It is God the Father "...who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose" (Philippians 2:13 NIV). And God changes our desires, so we want to please Him. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and, in essence, has become our redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus is also the author and perfecter of our faith. The Holy Spirit is the primary agent of our transformation (1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2), and He is the one who produces in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
We are the clay in the Potter's hand. And we are to trust God as He molds and shapes our lives so that we are able to fulfill His will. Therefore, we are to present our bodies to God (Romans 6:13; 12:1) and yield to the Holy Spirit. For it is God's will that we be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Growing in Grace is to Know and Understand
To grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did for us on the cross. And one way to do this is to learn more about Jesus. The better we get to know Jesus the more we will appreciate His love and sacrifice for us. And the more we appreciate all that Jesus has done, the intimate our relationship with Him will be. And the closer we are to Jesus the more we will be able to appreciate God's grace. So grab hold of your Bibles and begin reading through the pages for the Bible contains all the knowledge we will ever need to learn of God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Growing in Grace is Obedience
God wants us to become more holy like Himself. That is why The Holy Spirit is transforming us into the image of Christ. And the way the Holy Spirit can transform our minds is by helping us to meditate on the Scriptures. And a way for the Holy Spirit can transform our hearts is by helping us to apply God's Word to our lives.
Growing in grace is being obedient to the Word of God by earnestly applying God's Word to our lives (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14), so that we will be ready to be sent out into the world to share the message of salvation. Just as the Jesus prayed in John 17:18-19 (NIV) "As you sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."
Growing in grace is the concept of being set apart for the purpose of being sent into the world to fulfill God's plan. Just as Jesus set Himself apart unto God in-order to fulfill the purpose for which God the Father sent Him (John 10:36), likewise we are to be set apart unto God so that we will not lose our witness as we go into the world spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.
Growing in Grace is a Process
Growing in grace is a gradual but steady transformation to be more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). This change is the result of a daily spiritual renewal (Colossians 3:10) that takes a lifetime. The Apostle Paul himself was still growing in grace even as he preached of Christ to others. Paul said he had not reached perfection, however he “pressed on” to attain all that Christ desired for him (Philippians 3:12).
Because God has given us a free will, we have to choose to do what is right. We need to put to death the “misdeeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). We need to strive for holiness (Hebrews 12:14). We need to flee from immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). We need to cleanse ourselves from every defilement (2 Corinthians 7:1). And we need to make every effort to supplement our faith (2 Peter 1:5-11). Although, you may still stumble and fall into sin from time to time, you can be "...confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6 NIV).
Growing in Grace Climax
The climax of growing in grace will happen when The Lord Jesus Christ returns. The Apostle Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NIV) “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul said it again in Colossians 3:4 (NIV), he said “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
This glorified state will be the climax of our growing in God's grace. Our sanctification will finally be complete when Christ Jesus returns for His own. When we are caught up into the sky to meet Jesus we will receive glorified bodies (Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49).
Conclusion
To summarize, growing in grace is the same as sanctification. And sanctification is a lifelong process. First, we are set apart unto Christ when we are born again. Then, begins a lifelong transformation of our being into the likeness of Christ. Then finally, we will be changed into the perfect likeness of Christ when He returns for His own.
By the grace of God, He has taken away all of your negatives, that is He has wash away your sin. By His grace He has set you apart unto Himself. And because of God's grace Christ Jesus dwells in you, and therefore God sees you with the righteousness of Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV) says "...you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Since this is true, are you living in God's grace? Take some time and truly answer this question: "If you say you are a Christian, then are growing in God's grace?