9 Principles of Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth for a person is of great importance. What principles of spiritual growth can we find in the world's most-read book, the Bible? When we began to learn the basic principles of Christianity, believed in Christ, and were baptized, it was only the beginning of our long Christian marathon. Interestingly, the Apostle Paul in his epistles several times compares our lives with different sports. Our lives are like running. And this is not a sprint – a short distance race, but a long marathon in which we need to properly distribute our forces and keep them until the end.

The Christian life is like boxing (1 Corinthians 9:26), since the expression "to beat the air" means a fight with a shadow, that is, training with an imaginary opponent, but our opponent is Satan with his great army, who really opposes us. The lives of believers are like a struggle (1 Corinthians 15:32) as we fight for our character, for our faithfulness, for other brothers and sisters, and for unbelievers. In the 1st century in the Roman Empire, marathons and pankration (a mixture of boxing and wrestling) were among the most popular sports.

Often Christians get tired, slow down, or stop. Personally, I have been a Christian for a long time, and very often my prayer is: "God! I can't anymore! Give me physical, spiritual, and emotional strength!" God wants us to never quit, but through difficulties, we become stronger and grow spiritually. I am inspired by the example of Gordon Fegunson, who shared with us at a pastoral meeting that he and his wife, despite the fact that they are over 70 years old and have various illnesses, decided not only to slow down in their ministry, but also to increase their speed.

They recently moved to live and serve in Los Angeles and travel the world preaching and teaching siblings. When we had a 3-day pastoral school in Kyiv from 10 to 16, I, frankly, was tired, despite the fact that I sat and listened. Gordon stood all this time, deeply taught, consulted, and answered various questions. It's amazing that before that, he taught church workers for a whole week, and spent a few more days flying! About his wife, he shared that often he doesn't even know where she is because she either spends a lot of time in Bible classes or supports weak sisters.

God's desire is that we become not weaker, but stronger in Christ every year. Someone may say: I have many different problems, difficulties, and trials in my life, and when I solve everything, then I will grow spiritually and devote more time to serving God. In 2 Peter 1:3, the apostle says that God, by His great power, has already given me all that I need for a successful Christian life and that by knowing Christ, I will be able to follow Him.

Principles of Human Spiritual Growth

 In 2 Peter 1:5-8, God reveals 9 principles of spiritual growth that we can develop good results in our spiritual lives.

then you, making every effort to do so, show in your faith virtue, in virtue prudence, in prudence abstinence, in abstinence patience, in patience piety, in piety brotherly love, in brotherly love love. If this is in you and multiplied, then you will not be left without success and fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)

It's like a gym where I have to train every muscle evenly to become like God and become partakers of God's nature (1:4). Before starting a workout, I need to learn and study each individual muscle, and make a set of exercises for it independently or with the help of a trainer.

 The Principle of Diligence

 Diligence. "then ye, making every effort unto this" (2 Peter 1:5). My effort shows how much I give my heart to the service of God. In Deuteronomy 26:16, God wants me to live "on this day," that is, every day, giving all my heart and soul to God. He wants me to try my best, not do everything "through my sleeves." When history books review the lives of the kings of Israel, they conclude: "And in all things... he acted with all his heart and had success" (2Paralipomenon 31:21) or "and he did what he pleased in the eyes of the Lord, but not from the full heart" (2Paralipomenon 25:2). My diligence and my zeal should not always be expressed only in great deeds. But when I come to Christian meetings in a church or in a home group, how much I warmly welcome brothers and sisters and try to support them. When I sing songs, listen to the Word, and communicate with Christians, am I doing all this as for the Lord? (Colossians 3:17). I may not succeed, but my attitude is always very important for God and other people.

 The Principle of Faith

 Belief. "show in your faith" (1:5). Faith is an amazing gift from God that can grow continuously. Why do people often lose faith? Psalm 77:11 says that "they have forgotten His works and the miracles He has shown them." A person's memory is so arranged that a person often remembers bad things for a very long time, and quickly forgets good things. Therefore, we need to make an effort and remember what God has already created in our lives, in the lives of our loved ones, in the lives of great and simple people of the Bible. When we hear the good news and miracles that are happening to our brothers and sisters around the world, we are strengthened and grown in our faith (Proverbs 15:30).

 The Principle of Good Deeds

 Good deeds. "show in your faith the virtue" (1:5). Virtue is good works that I can do for God and other people. In fact, there are a lot of good deeds, but I need to pray to God that He will show me what needs to be done. In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "It is not my will, but thy will be" (Luke 22:42). I need to seek God's will for my life. If I do many good things, but without the will of God, it is no longer a virtue, but a vanity of vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:13-14).

 Principle of prudence

 Prudence. "in the virtue of prudence" (1:5). Prudence means intuition, correct understanding, and application of truth. Ephesians 1:8 says that God has given us all wisdom and understanding. Wisdom (Greek Sophia) means a description of various Christian doctrines, such as life and death, God and man, righteousness and sin, heaven and hell, the meaning of life and happiness, and time and eternity. Understanding (Greek phronesis) means practical understanding, that is, it describes how wisdom with its Christian doctrines can practically be applied to our Christian life, to our needs and problems. That is, we need to study Scripture and think about how we can put It into practice.

 The principle of abstinence

 Abstinence. "abstinence in prudence" (1:5). Literally, the word means "holding oneself in," and in New Testament days it was applied to athletes who needed to limit and discipline themselves. Christians must control passions and bodily lusts instead of allowing them to control themselves (1 Corinthians 9:27; Galatians 5:23). We must also learn to control all of our negative emotions (Ephesians 4:29-31).

 The Principle of Patience

 Patience. "patience in abstinence" (1:6). Patience is the ability to do the right thing and live the truth, even in trials or temptations. This word is used in sports as power endurance. I used to do kayaking. When I competed in a kayak double or four, the first half of the distance you pass normally, and then your hands and whole body go numb, really you can no longer row, but you do not have the right to throw and let the whole team down. Likewise, we are all rowing in a big Christian boat and together we will finish our swim in heaven.

Many scientists have been looking for the secrets of youth and longevity for hundreds of years and spend billions of dollars on research. Recently, scientists have made a surprising discovery, they have discovered how people begin to produce the hormone of youth. This happened at a time when people were running out of energy in sports training, and their coach forced them to continue physical exercises through "I can't". That is, scientists have confirmed the truth of the Bible, that when a person undergoes super-tests, in fact he is renewed. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it is written that God will never give us trials beyond strength, I can go through trials with joy (1 Peter 1:6-7) and faith that I will only become stronger.

 The Principle of Piety

 Piety. "godliness is in patience" (1:6). Piety is a reverent and obedient attitude toward God and the fulfillment of his commandments. In 1 Timothy 6:6, Paul writes that it is a great acquisition to be godly and content, and shows that there is a connection between piety and contentment. A godly person is not a "jerk" who is always short of everything, but he is a grateful person who is happy and has learned to rejoice in all that God gives him.

 The principle of brotherly love

 Brotherly love. "brotherly love in piety" (1:7). Brotherly love is fraternal affection and mutual sacrifice towards each other. In 1 John 4:20, it is written that our love for God is evident in how much we love our brothers. We don't see God, and sometimes it's hard to know if we really love God. I can always take a very simple test: assess how much I love my siblings and see the magnitude of my love for God. Some Christians retire, separate from others, or go to a monastery to show love for God. But how, living alone, can I love my brothers and sisters, much less God? My love for God is proportional to my love for His Church and His Kingdom.

 The Principle of Love

 Love. "in brotherly love love" (1:7). Love represents a wider audience and includes non-believers. God wants me not only to feel responsible and want to save people because of a sense of duty, but to have a heartache for them, I feel sorry for them, and I truly loved them. In Mark 6:34, Jesus felt sorry for unbelievers, he understood that in fact, people without God are unhappy, they try to find joy in sin, but there comes a lot of disappointment. People are lonely and they have no real friends, but God wants each person to have a spiritual family that will take care of and loves them.

In 1:8 it is written that if I have these 9 qualities and continue to grow in them, there will be successes and spiritual fruits in my life through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and if not (1:9), then I am blind spiritually and have lost gratitude for my salvation (Luke 10:20). As I grow and develop these qualities, I will be more firm in my calling as a disciple of Christ and in the belief that God has chosen me (1:10) and I will never stumble or abandon God. This is how I will be given free entry into the eternal kingdom of Christ (1:11). In verses 12-15, the Apostle Peter focuses our attention on this teaching three more times, and calls us to remember all these things even after His death!