2 Pet 3:18 – But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

At the end of the Apostle Peter’s second epistle, he tells of the coming “day of the Lord” in which the earth and all of its elements will be subject to an intense fire of judgment and completely destroyed. The purpose of this fiery judgment is specifically reserved for the utter destruction of ungodly men. The first of this type of judgement was the flood, this coming second judgement will be with fire.

Because of this, he strongly admonishes believers to be sober, watchful and diligent: Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless (2 Pet 3:14). He then ends his letter by exhorting  Christians to “grow” in Grace:

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But *grow in grace*, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen (2 Pet 3:17-18).

What’s striking about this charge to “grow” in Grace is that it seems almost contrary to its most commonly understood definition, that being “God’s unmerited favor”. How is it possible to “grow” in God’s unmerited favor? Isn’t God’s Grace a “static” thing granted to believers and not something that has a dynamic (variable) property? It would seem that you either have it or you don’t, how then can you “grow” in it? Also, being that it is “unmerited”, how could we possibly “effect it” by anything we do? Why is he charging us with the task of growing in it?

Unless…..we’ve woefully misunderstood Grace or have misdefined it and how it’s supposed to function in a believers life. I think that is exactly what we have done in modern day theology and teaching.

Grace is NOT best defined as “Gods unmerited favor”, but rather it is the power of God working in His people, enabling us to walk as He has called us to walk. Grace makes freely available to us the strength of the Holy Spirit to enable us to succeed in living the Christian life in all godliness and practical righteousness. This is clearly spelled out in Titus 2:11-12 – For the *grace* of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, TEACHING US that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Gods Grace “teaches us” how we should be living, here, now, “in this present world”, that being soberly, righteously and godly. It’s the enabling agent, it’s the POWER of God working in us to do what we could never do in our own strength. When Paul asked the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh, God replied with: My *Grace* is sufficient for you, for my POWER is perfected in weakness (2 Cor 12:9). Grace is divine power given to us by God as referred to in 2 Pet 1:3 – According as his *divine power* hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.

Yes, we are weak and utterly unable in our own strength to live as God has called us to live, so he grants us His strength and it’s completely sufficient to the task. In fact embedded in the Greek definition of the word Grace is exactly that: the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life. The best measure of a Christian living “under Gods Grace” is that we are actually succeeding in subduing the flesh, conquering sin and walking before Him in a level of practical righteousness that we could never do on our own because we are yielding to the power of God working in us. To grow in grace is to grow in righteousness, Godliness and Christlikeness.

We seem to have turned the definition of Grace on its head and instead invoke it as a covering when we sin, stumble and miss the mark. “Oops, oh well, it’s a good thing we are *under Grace*”. Wait a minute….God’s Grace is not the “smoothing over” when we fail, but the divine power of God available to us that is meant to PREVENT us from failing when we are properly walking in it. If a believer is not walking in holiness in this present world, then it’s actually a failure of walking in God’s Grace and we are warned to be diligent and not let that happen: Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: *Looking diligently* lest any man FAIL of the Grace of God (Heb 12:14-15).

Whether or not we choose to walk in and grow in the Grace (power) of God is really up to us. God grants it to His people freely, but will not force it upon us. He makes it available to us, but it’s up to us to trust Him, follow His leading and walk it out in Faith. That is what it means to *look diligently* so that we don’t fail, that is what it means to be a good and faithful servant . Whenever a Christian does not walk in the fullness of what God has provided it is never, ever a deficiency on His part or a lack of provision, it is ALWAYS a problem on our end. Because of this it is vitally important that we look diligently unto Him and be determined to walk in faith and “grow” in Grace.