8 Ways to Grow in Christ

As Christians we are used to being told that we need to be leading godly lives. We know we should be following in Christ’s example. But what does that look like? Is it praying, studying scripture, attending and serving at church? These are all good things that we should do and they should be a response from our faith in Christ, but they are themselves not the core qualities a Christian should have. In 2 Peter 1:5-7, we are given eight qualities that a Christian should have and should be growing in: faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. These qualities are not unique to this list, with some being listed in the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). But what is unique with this list is the way in which Peter arranges them. Here each quality interacts with one another, and they build off of one another in the order they have been placed. One starts with faith and ends with love. It can be thought of as layers of a cake. All of the qualities are essential and will always be there, but they are layered intentionally.

Faith

The verses leading up to list, explain that through the knowledge of God, we can attain everything that is necessary for life and godliness. This is a knowledge that is tied closely to faith. Before we can have faith in God, we need to know who He is. This, then, leads into the first quality that Peter lists, faith. Faith is the stepping stone for everything in the Christian life. This is a reasonable faith where one is justified in their belief. It is firmly based in the knowledge of God. Through faith we get the Helper, the Holy Spirit. Without the power of the Spirit we cannot fully attain any of these qualities.

Virtue

Peter then tells us that we should supplement (add to) our faith with virtue. Virtue is the excellence of character, or moral excellence. So, when we are told to add on virtue to our faith, we are being told to be concerned with what God considers good and holy. If you had virtue without faith, you would not have the standard of God with which to evaluate yourself. You would have to base your morality off of what you or society says. To understand the necessity of godly virtue, carefully examine the stark contrast between the values our current culture espouses and the teachings of Christ.

Knowledge

We are then told to add knowledge onto our virtue. When we add knowledge to virtue, we are adding understanding to what God considers good and evil. This would be moral discernment -- the ability to judge the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. As Christians we need to be able to discern our own actions and the world around us. We cannot live holy lives, as we are commanded, if we lack proper discernment. We cannot properly interact with the world if we cannot discern what is sinful or unchristian behavior.

Self-Control

Then we are told to supplement our knowledge with self-control. What does it look like to add knowledge onto self-control? Here's a good way to think about it: self-control is the application of our discernment. It is knowing that an action is sinful and freely choosing not to do it. If we do not have discernment, we cannot have self-control in relation to our sin, because we would not even know the difference between what is and is not a sin. But if we have no self-control with our discernment, we will never act on our knowledge.

Steadfastness

This can also be defined as perseverance, an endurance that is developed by persistent self-control. To be steadfast, to endure is of the upmost importance in the Christian life. We need to persevere through the temptations that are thrown at us (1 Cor 10:13). When we are steadfast, we can endure the suffering that we will undoubtedly face in our lives. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit and practicing self-control, can we build up this quality in our life.

Godliness

Peter then instructs us to add on godliness to our steadfastness. Godliness is defined as being like God and wanting what He desires. Being steadfast is not enough as a Christian, we need to desire the things of God. We should not persevere just to obey, but because we desire the life God wants for us. But if we choose to cling to God and remain steadfast in the Christian life, our desires will change. We will change from wanting the things of the world, to desiring the things of God.

Brotherly Affection

The next step after Godliness is to add on brotherly affection. If we are truly striving to align ourselves with God’s desires and want to seek His will, we will love the brethren, the Church. This is absolutely vital to the Body of believers. If we cannot love one another, how can we minister to each other? How can we do ministry together? A large problem with the image of the Church today is how Christians treat one another. We have let the polarization of the world infiltrate the Church. We seem to split over lower secondary or tertiary issues and we seem incapable of having loving conversations over doctrine. If the world sees how poorly we treat one another, why should they be interested in anything we have to say? If we cannot even love our brothers and sisters, how can we show God’s love to the world?

Love

This final quality we are to add is love. This is a love that is to go out to all people, believers and unbelievers. This love should be obvious when we deal with others. I cannot state it better than Paul himself in 1 Cor 13:4-7,

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Conclusion

This list of qualities is a good test to show where you are in your walk with Christ. There is no shame if you are a new believer and do not have all of these qualities. It takes time, practice, and the power of the Holy Spirit to attain and grow in these qualities. Of course none of us in this life will perfectly attain them all, I for one have a long way to go. It also cannot be stressed enough, that the power of the Holy Spirit is needed for us to successfully grow in these qualities. Human effort can only go so far. By the grace of God may we all be strengthened in these qualities so we may go forth and proclaim Christ boldly.