God’s grace gives us the ability to grow in faith, and our faith ought to mature into bold action. The grace of God is presented to us in the death of Jesus on the cross. We didn’t deserve his mercy and forgiveness, but God extended them to us nonetheless.
In His quest to bring humanity close to Him, God hatched a plan that entailed His being born as a human (being Immanuel), living our life yet without sin, and, finally dying on the cross as a sacrifice for our atonement.
In his Gospel account, the apostle John notes that “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:11-14).
As his children, God expects us to grow in our knowledge of Him. No parent is pleased with the stunted growth of a child. Every parent looks out for certain milestones that mark growth and when they aren’t achieved, it is always a recipe for worry. While God doesn’t worry. However, He gets disappointed when His children do not hit their spiritual growth milestones as anticipated. Apostle Peter encourages new believers to “put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-2).
The apostle Paul also makes a distinction between food given to mature and immature Christians. “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-4).
What then are marks of one growing in grace?
i. Accepting the gift of grace offered on the Cross. Be born again. Make Jesus your personal Saviour. (Ephesians 2:8-9).
ii. Shunning the company of the ungodly and those who mock the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Psalm 1:1, 2 Peter 3:17).
iii. Delighting in the Word of God (Psalm 1:2), hiding it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11) and meditating on it day and night (Joshua 1:8) for by it we get to know what God requires of us.
iv. Being a part of what happens in the house of the LORD (Psalm 23:6, 92:13-14). The result will be seen in how you thrive in your spirituality, always energetic and zealous for Christ, and, bearing fruit in-keeping with your faith even in your old age.
v. Leaving a legacy that boldly declares that the LORD is your all. (Psalm 92:15; Ephesians 2:10).
Growing in grace is not abstract, but very practical. When the LORD has poured his grace into your heart, there will no doubt be transformation. With that transformation then follows action that clearly indicates that indeed the grace of God abounds in your life. In 2025, desire to grow in God’s grace. The five marks listed above will be a good place to begin this journey. Shalom.
