You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:17-18
It has been said that if we are not growing we are dying. This statement rings true for every living thing. In this physical world, things have a life cycle which begins with growth and ends with decay. We cannot avoid the inevitable decline of all things in the physical realm. If this physical existence is all there is, then human beings are the most miserable of all creatures due to our ability to grasp this concept. In the animal world, creatures simply live by their instincts until they ultimately expire. They do not fret and frown about their demise because they lack the mental ability to contemplate this fact. Unfortunately, many people believe they are merely advanced animals and as a result of such thinking they live in endless sorrow.
Fortunately, we have the revelation from the Almighty to put this inevitable decline into perspective. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
As is true of the physical body, if we are not growing spiritually we are dying. With this in mind, Peter instructed his readers to constantly be supplementing their faith with what we call the Christian graces (2 Peter 1:1-11). This is imperative if we are to receive the promises of God. Peter knew that wrong thinking about the end result of human life leads to despair and ultimately godlessness (2 Peter 3:14-17). It is true some of the things pertaining to the end of the physical realm are difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:16). However, they are not impossible to understand. Peter's prescription for combatting the wrongful conclusions of the scoffers who question the promise of Christ's return is to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
If we apply this to our lives, the inevitable decline of the physical body will become less of a burden and more of a blessing. While the loss of our physical vitality is certainly not pleasant in itself, looking through the eternal lens of Scripture, it is a signal to the faithful child of God that we will soon inhabit our incorruptible bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Armed with this knowledge, we begin to look for and hasten the coming of the day of God (2 Peter 3:12). Therefore, we all must prioritize this growth in the grace and knowledge. This places a great responsibility in our hands.
There is no magic formula for the task at hand. It can only be accomplished by rolling up our sleeves and getting down to the work at hand. As Paul told Timothy, we must be diligent to handle His word rightly (2 Timothy 2:15). Elsewhere Paul told Timothy to give himself entirely to this endeavor that his progress would be evident to all (1 Timothy 4:12-16). The church faces a great many challenges, and for us in the church in modern America, the lack of diligence in pursuing the grace and knowledge of God is one of the greatest of these challenges. We have every resource imaginable to fulfill this call. Will we exert ourselves in this endeavor, or will we allow the distractions of the word to prevent our steady growth? It is yours and mine to determine the answer to this question. Let us strive to grow together day by day.