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As Christians, we are called not only to believe in Jesus Christ but also to grow in Him daily. Spiritual growth is not optional; it is a necessity for every believer who desires to live a fruitful and victorious life. Just as parents have expectations for their children to grow, even so God our Father has expectations that we should grow spiritually. The Spirit of God, through Apostle Peter, reveals this profound expectation of God for us in 1 Peter 2:1–2:
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
The Metaphor of “Birth”
The phrase “newborn babes” is metaphoric for those who just came into salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. In the New Testament, the metaphor of “birth” is used to describe the gracious work of God by which He transforms spiritually dead, sinful people into spiritually alive and righteous people.
The concept of being born again came directly from Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemus, a foremost theologian and religious leader in the Jewish faith—Judaism, came to Jesus seeking truth. And, Jesus told him that entry into the kingdom of God—that is, the beautiful experience of a life that God rules over—was only possible through a new birth—not physical, but spiritual. This “new birth” is what the Bible calls being born again.
Being born again describes the spiritual work of a heart transplant that God does upon those who turn to Him through faith in Christ, by which He makes them fit for the life in Him. God takes away their old sinful nature, gives them a new heart, and fills them with His Spirit. God, by Prophet Ezekiel, had foreshown this profound work of grace right from the Old Testament (Ezekiel 11:19–20; Ezekiel 36:26–27). The end product of that spiritual surgery is a totally new person. Apostle Paul captures this profound truth in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
The implication of the term “new”—from the Greek kainosis—is that the born-again person has never existed before; he is freshly made. It is as if a new child just got born into the family of God.
Growth is Expected
Being born again is not all there is to Christian life. It is our induction into the new life in God. The new birth sets our feet at the start line of the narrow path of eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). But the actual journey is the journey of growing.
The joy that parents have at the birth of a child can’t be accurately captured. The anxiety, anticipation, and agony of nine months of pregnancy are soon forgotten, replaced by joy and excitement. I remember how I felt when my daughter—our first child—was born. The joy is indescribable. As I carried her in my arms, I felt a deep emotion. But the joy of parents at the birth of a child will turn to sorrow if, when the child ought to be growing, he isn’t. Every parent expects their child to grow. And this is true also of Christian life.
By the working of God’s grace, we have been born again. However, our Father expects that we should grow (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 4:11-18).
What Does It Mean To Grow Up Spiritually?
To grow up spiritually is to move from spiritual infancy to maturity in Christ. It is the process of becoming more like Jesus in character, worldview, and lifestyle. It entails putting away immature ways of thinking and living and embracing maturity in faith. Apostle Paul described this in 1 Corinthians 13:11:
“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.” [AMPC]
In the same way, spiritual growth means outgrowing and putting away childish behaviors—such as spiritual laziness, selfishness, or lack of commitment—and embracing maturity in Christ.
Spiritual growth is the process of increasingly becoming like Christ. Paul expressed this meaning of spiritual growth to the Galatians in Galatians 4:19: “My little children, I am in pain again over you, like a mother giving birth. I will feel this pain until people can look at you and see Christ.” [Easy-To-Read Version, Emphasis added]
Spiritual growth is not just about religious activities but the transformation of our character, worldviews, and lifestyle. It is about increasingly conforming to the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). As we behold Christ in the Scripture, we see who we ought to be—in speech, thought, behavior, etc. And the Spirit changes us to that image. It is the will of God that we should be conformed to Christ, the firstborn Son and the model Son (Romans 8:29). Christ is the yardstick for our growth (Ephesians 4:13).
First, God saves us as we were—unruly, stingy, lazy, etc. Then He starts to mold us, through His Spirit, into His image, to make us fit for the life He has called us to. Spiritual growth is that we are increasingly reflecting the changes happening inside us by the inworking of the Holy Spirit.
Why Spiritual Growth Matters
Growing spiritually is very critical to us, for many reasons. Here are just a few:
- It is the key to knowing God more intimately
One very vital aspect of our growth as Christians is growing in the knowledge of God. 2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” The more we grow in the knowledge of God, through His word (the Bible), the deeper we know God. It starts as information that we interact with through the Bible and then progresses into personal, practical, experiential, and living knowledge, which influences and shapes our daily lives.
- It is the key to stability
Ephesians 4:14 states one of the reasons why we must grow. It says, “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,” A spiritually immature Christian is unstable, easily swayed by every temptation, trial, and wind of doctrine. But maturity makes us stable, which enables us to resist sin and remain steadfast in faith.
- It is the key to a fruitful life
Fruitfulness is critical to Christian life. It is the proof of possessing the life of God. Fruitfulness glorifies God. Jesus says in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” But we can only be fruitful to the degree of our spiritual growth. Spiritual growth yields spiritual fruits—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These are clear evidence that Christ lives and works in us.
- It is the key to fulfill God’s purpose.
God has specific works for each believer to do. Ephesians 2:10 calls believers God’s workmanship, created for the good works that God ordained beforehand that we should walk in. But God cannot entrust responsibilities to us beyond our level of spiritual maturity, lest we ruin His works and represent Him wrongly to the world. Growth is a requisite condition to serve God and walk in His divine plan.
How to Grow Up Spiritually
There are many things that make for the growth of the believer. Here are just three:
- Feeding on the Word constantly and consistently. The word of God is food for our born-again spirit. The degree to which we feed on it—through reading and hearing—is the degree to which we can grow. Not reading and hearing the word of God is starving our spirit. Acts 20:32 says, ““So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
- Cultivate a strong prayer culture. Prayer is a vital tool in building up our spiritual life. Jude 1:20, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” Prayer—especially one done in a state of yieldedness to the influence of the Holy Spirit—impacts greatly on our spiritual life. God sanctifies us through prayer. He also makes supplies of grace and strength available to us through prayer.
- Fellowship with Believers. Growth happens in community, not isolation. Fellowship with other believers sharpens us in no small way. Proverbs 27:17 says that iron sharpens iron. There is love and care, oversight, encouragement, rebuke and correction, intercession, etc. to be enjoyed in the company of believers. Hence, Hebrews 10:24 warns against neglecting believers’ assembly.
Final Thoughts
Growing up spiritually is not optional for a Christian—it is necessary. It means moving from infancy to maturity in Christ, producing fruit, and becoming equipped to fulfill God’s purpose. Every believer must make the decision and pursue growth daily through prayer, the Word, fellowship, obedience, and cooperation with the Holy Spirit.
