8 Powerful Ways All Believers Should Grow in Christ
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When we surrender in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ, we acknowledge His salvation and Lordship over our lives. We are to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29), which means we are to grow in Christ. How do we do that?
The Bible tells us, “Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11). We, therefore, are to acknowledge and embrace His full presence – as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – within us. Growing in Christ is a daily, sometimes hourly endeavor as we yield to His Spirit to become more like Him and live holy lives (1 Peter 1:16). What joy to know the Lord gives us everything we need to live godly lives (2 Peter 1:3).
We’re going to begin to learn how to grow in Christ by studying some Bible passages that point us away from who we were, and towards who we are in Jesus. Many other passages will be referenced within the explanations of the key passages. Please pause to read them and reflect on what the Lord is telling us in each.
1. Seek Strength in Christ
1 John 5:11-13
“And the witness is this, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have that life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Have you ever wondered if you are truly saved? The Bible gives us assurance of our salvation partly because God knows the enemy will try to put doubt in us as soon as possible after our salvation. As Christ’s church, the devil can no longer possess us, but he can use external things and people and even “whisper” past sins in our ears to try to sway our hearts and thoughts (1 Peter 5:8; 2 Corinthians 2:11).
Yes, spiritual warfare is real, and we will struggle “against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
But take heart, Jesus has overcome the world; He has defeated the devil (John 16:33). When we struggle, it’s not in our own power, but in Christ’s. Our strength and our victory is in Christ. The Bible tells us we are to be strong “in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. As we abide in Him and walk in His triumphal procession (2 Corinthians 2:14), we live out His victory knowing we have eternal life in Him.
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2. Walk in the Light
“For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.”
Before we called Jesus Lord, the verse above tells us we were not only in darkness; we were darkness. That’s a scary reality, because as darkness, we were fruitless and existed apart from Christ. Just as Adam and Eve hid from the Lord once they disobeyed Him, we were hiding. But God knows whom He will call to Himself. He called us out of darkness so we can be in the light.
Growing in Christ means we think, speak, and act as children of light. Why light? Jesus said He is the Light of the world, and His followers will never walk in darkness (John 8:12).
In Matthew 5:14, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” As those belonging to Jesus, we spread the knowledge of Him everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14), and we are no longer hidden but are a shining example of His love. As we grow in Christ, we exemplify Him to a lost and dying world.
3. Seek Forgiveness
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”
We’re saved from God’s wrath, but we’re still sinners. But God gives us a way to keep our walk with Him unstained. Because we have the Holy Spirit in us, we know when we sin and displease God. At the moment we realize our sin(s), wherever we are, we can confess on the spot and ask the Lord’s forgiveness. He cleanses us. And lest we think we don’t sin (Romans 3:23), the next verse reminds us we do, and to deny we sin is akin to calling God a liar.
God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13), so we need to have our sins covered. Because of Jesus, when God looks at us, He doesn’t behold our sin, He sees the atoning blood of Christ which covers our sins. Hallelujah! We’re forgiven!
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4. Follow His Guidance
“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.” (LSB)
Okay, you’re a Christian. You trust God has saved you and you know you are to walk in light. You know what to do when you sin. But how do you live regular, ordinary days? What path are you to take (job, ministry, marriage, etc.)? This is where faith (trust) comes in. No, we don’t sit and wait for God’s thunderous voice from heaven to tell us what to do with life. We have His Word, and we have His Spirit in us to help us understand the Scriptures and bear the wisdom God gives us through them.
No human ever trusts the Lord with all their heart, but we are working toward it as God takes us from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). We still try to do things in our own power and in our own way, yet God has a perfect way and plan, and He enacts it in His timing. As we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through abiding in His Word, meeting with the church, and gaining counsel from godly, more spiritually mature Christians, we also grow in wisdom.
We are avoiding sin as much as possible, right? As we consider various paths in life, we take our choices before the Lord and acknowledge He is sovereign over everything. He will set our paths straight when we bow to His will and not to our own.
Here’s an example:
John would love to go to law school. As he prays about it, he considers his reasons for wanting to go. He looks at the cost — financial and personal. Can he or his family financially afford it? Does he have a talent for being an attorney and all it entails? Are his grades good enough to get him admittance into a good law school, etc.? There are many questions, and God’s Word has all the general answers to help him make his decision.
Acknowledging God instead of our own will means looking at every decision based upon how it will impact our life as a Christ follower. If a decision points you away from your walk with Christ, it’s not the right one. Remember, if anything is done without faith, it’s sin (Romans 14:23).
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5. Put Christ First
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
This verse goes hand-in hand with the Proverbs 3:5-6. It makes us think about the wonderful unity of God’s Word and how Scripture is the best interpreter of itself. If one passage or verse leaves you wondering, look into cross-references or expand the context of the passage and see what else is in the chapter and book where the verse is located. The answers are there. Trust God for them because He is the Bible’s Author.
This verse is all about putting Christ and His will first in your life. He must have first place in our thoughts and plans. Again, we will have struggles, but we find our rest both here and in eternity in Christ. When we look to Jesus first and seek to make much of Him and His righteousness, He will provide all we need to grow in Him and live a life pleasing to Him.
6. Treasure the Word of God
Psalm 119:9, 11
“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word…
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.”
Growing in Christ means immersing ourselves in His Word on a daily basis. A quick glance at a devotional or a “daily verse” is not enough to truly grow in His grace and knowledge. It’s hard work, yes, but Bible study is the best work we can do, for in it we learn more about the Lord and about how we are to live as Christians.
There’s an old but precious adage that says, “Sin will keep you from the Word, and the Word will keep you from sin.” The psalmist said as much when he treasures God’s Word so he understands what sin is and how to steer clear of it.
Stay in the Word and grow in Christ.
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7. Pray and Seek Accountability
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
James 5:16 includes prayer and also accountability.
Prayer is the vehicle God has given us to stay in communication with Him. We can pray anytime and anywhere, even atop the holiest Muslim site (as this author did when she visited Jerusalem). God hears our prayers whether they are out loud or in silence from our hearts (Matthew 9:4; Luke 5:22). When we pray for each other, our first priority is to pray for spiritual healing because that’s what’s most important. No physical health will ever replace or eclipse spiritual health.
Accountability is vital for growing in Christ because no person is an island. We are part of His church and He created us for community so we would grow in Him together (Colossians 2:19). Make sure to have a spiritually mature friend with whom you can worship, share, pray, and grow.
8. Share the Good News
“Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”
Jesus said this to a man He had healed from demon possession. Hasn’t he healed us from that same sort of destiny by saving us? How can we stay silent with such life-changing news? The truth is we shouldn’t. We should exclaim with sheer wonder, “You’ve got to see this!” “You’ve got to hear about the One who told me all about myself and saved me from God’s wrath!” “You’ve got to hear how I now have eternal life and you can too!” There aren’t enough exclamation points to add to the profound nature of the truth of Jesus Christ.
As we share the good news (the gospel) of Jesus Christ, we grow in Him because we are obeying our Lord.
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A Lifelong Endeavor
This list of passages is just a beginning. Growing in Christ is a lifelong vocation. And we can regard it as a vocation — our premier calling as kingdom dwellers getting ready for Christ to consummate history and usher in His rightful reign. One day time will end and eternity in God’s presence will begin (Revelation 21:3-4). Until that time, we continue in the God-ordained and led sanctification process He began in us the moment He drew us to Him in Christ Jesus.
Beloved ones, enjoy every moment of your walk with Jesus as He molds you into the person He created you to be. Trials are sure to come (James 1:2-4), but remain steadfast in prayer, faith, and perseverance as you “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14; Hebrews 6:1).
Let’s pray.
Magnificent Lord Jesus,
You have called me to be like You, and I can’t do that without You! I don’t want to do anything or go anywhere without You! Just like Moses said to the Father, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” Help me understand and obey Your will for me as I serve You in love and obedience. I trust You for everything and in everything. I love You. I worship You. I praise You, and I thank You. In Your glorious and mighty name I pray.
Amen.
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