When we think of our
growth in Christ it’s easy to go to one of two extremes. We will tend to focus
too much on our own responsibility OR to focus too much on God’s role in our
growth. Paradoxically, both perspectives are important and both must be embraced,
even though at times they seem contradictory.
The apostle Peter
handles this often misunderstood aspect of the
the Christian’s walk in his second epistle.
2 Peter 1:2–3 (NAS):
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us
everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and
excellence.
In chapter one, we
see a great emphasis on what Peter calls, “the true knowledge” of Christ. In the amplified version, which gives a
closer rendering to the Greek, it says,
2 Peter 1:2 (AMP):[the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Verse three clearly
states that we have been granted everything we need for life and godliness
THROUGH this deep personal relationship with Christ. It appears that His divine
power has already granted us EVERYTHING.
When we come to Christ we are coming to a true knowledge of Him and He
is the One who has called us to Himself.
What a tremendous promise! In
Christ we already have everything we need to be effective in living life AND
living it in a godly way. How insecure
and inconsequential we often feel. What
a false illusion. Through Christ we are
totally equipped for the life ahead. We
are empowered to live in a godly way.
This is something God has done for us.
It is part of the inheritance we have in Christ. It is a certainty.
If we read just a
little further, however we see another perspective.
2 Peter 1:5–8 (NAS): Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith
supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge,
self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance,
godliness,
7 and in your godliness,
brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are
yours and are increasing, they
render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Peter lists a series
of areas to grow in as a Christian. It
appears that we are to apply diligence to
the pursuit of a variety of character qualities. They seem to build on one another. In this section the emphasis is on us. It appears we have some work to do. Furthermore, verse 8 indicates that if we are
making significant progress in these areas that we will be neither useless or
unfruitful in the true knowledge of the Lord. I suppose we could have an
incomplete, impersonal, inaccurate, and incorrect knowledge of God. What makes the difference- applying
diligence.
It appears that as we apply diligence in our character growth that it
contributes to our true knowledge of Christ.
So is our growth
mainly something God does in us and for us?
Or might it be mainly dependent on our effort? Or both?
We start with a true
knowledge of God in Christ at salvation, which equips us for life and
godliness, but we must continue to grow in that knowledge of God. We are not complete. There are progressive areas of development
both in our character as well as in our relationship with Christ. It's 100% God AND 100% us. His power makes it all possible, but we also
must apply ourselves to our growth.
In recent days I've
been asking young men how their walk with God is going. I ask what they do to stay close to Him and
grow in their relationship with Him.
Most seem to be well connected to others for fellowship and
encouragement. Most say they grow from
sermons and online resources. When I ask
about their personal time of prayer, bible study, and meditation I often get a
blank stare. This concerns me. If we take to heart what the apostle Paul is
saying we would conclude that through Christ we have everything we need for godliness,
BUT we ALSO must apply diligence in our growth.
I don't see very many young men applying diligence in some of the most
important areas. How about you?
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