(How Grace And Knowledge Work Together)
“…grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Pet 3:18)
To “grow in grace” means to become more like Christ in heart—more patient, kind, forgiving, and humble. To grow “in knowledge” means to understand Him more clearly—who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing now.
These are not separate things. They feed each other. The more you truly know Christ, the more your life changes. And the more you live in His grace, the more clearly you understand Him. Knowing Christ is not just information. It is a living relationship that transforms the heart. (Rom 12:1-2)
“This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Pet 1:12)
Peter is saying that grace is mediated or multiplied through knowledge of Christ. Grace is not received in isolation. In or of itself. Grace is according to our needs, and in each met need our knowledge of Christ deepens. Knowledge here is relational (experiential), not just intellectual. Increased reception of Grace turns into a greater knowledge of Christ, which leads to the transformed life of a Christian. We come to know Christ—and receive His grace—through His promises.
God gives a promise, such as forgiveness, strength, presence, new heart. We believe the promise, not just intellectually,but personally, and we say with belief: “Wow, this is for me.” Our faith connects you to Christ. Faith is not our Savior. Jesus is. Faith is simply the “hand’ by which we appropriate His merits. One of His promises could be that “hand.” The promises are expressions of His character. Claiming the promise, we begin to experience what the promise describes. We may know Him more deeply, not by theory, but by lived reality. Personal experience with Jesus. Every promise reveals something specific about Christ. A promise of forgiveness shows His mercy. A promise of strength shows His power. A promise of presence shows His faithfulness. When we trust a promise of God and experience it, we are not just receiving a benefit, we are encountering the Person behind it. That is why Peter says this leads to being “partakers of the divine nature,” because by this process we begin to share in His character.
Jesus said “Anyone that has my commandments, and keeps them… I will love them, and will manifest myself to them.” (John 14:21) Christ “manifests” (reveals) Himself through lived response to His word, which would include His promises. This is a good example of experiential knowledge. Jesus “manifests” (reveals) Himself through lived response to His word—which includes His promises. This is experiential knowledge. Receiving God’s grace multiplies the ways we can know Him as he truly is. Christ is known through His word, especially by His great and precious promises. Promises, when believed, become channels of grace. Grace experienced leads to deeper knowledge of Him.
“Promises are estimated by the truth of the one who makes them. Many [people] make promises only to break them, to mock the heart that trusted in them. Those who lean upon such [people] lean upon broken reeds. But God is behind the promises He makes. He is ever mindful of His covenant, and His truth endureth to all generations” {7BC 942.12}
“It is the Lord’s desire that His followers shall grow in grace, that their love shall abound more and more, that they shall be filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the praise and glory of God.”{7BC 947.2}
“One of the divine plans for growth is impartation. The Christian is to gain strength by strengthening others. “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.” This is not merely a promise; it is a divine law, a law by which God designs that the streams of benevolence, like the waters of the great deep, shall be kept in constant circulation, continually flowing back to their source. In the fulfilling of this law is the secret of spiritual growth.” {7BC 947.3}
“Peter urged his readers to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; that is, they were to get to know him better and better. This is the best way to discern false teaching. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are in our faith, the sinful world will always challenge our faith. We still have much room for growth. Every day we need to draw closer to Christ so that we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances.” (Life Application Notes)
Why Is Jesus Called Both Lord and Savior?
The verse calls Jesus both “Lord” and “Savior” because He does two inseparable works. As Savior, Jesus rescues us from sin, both its guilt and its penalty. As Lord, Jesus leads our life—guiding, correcting, and speaking the truth in love. If Jesus only saved but did not lead, then what would stop us from falling again? If Jesus only ruled but did not save, how could we ever have hope beyond this life? We would then have no hope. The two titles do belong together. Thats why the Bible says
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” (1 Cor 15:19)
“Why does Paul say believers would be “more to be pitied than anyone in the world” if there were only earthly value to Christianity? In Paul’s day, Christianity often brought a person persecution, ostracism from family, and, in many cases, poverty. There were few tangible benefits from being a Christian in that society. It was certainly not a step up the social or career ladder. More important is the fact that if Christ had not been resurrected from the dead, Christians would not be forgiven of their sins or have any hope of eternal life. If what Christians believe is a lie, we would be pitiful because we would be going through such suffering for no purpose. Fortunately, that is not the case!” (Life Application) Our hope in eternal life goes well beyond the things of this earth.
Many other verses will show us the same thing, how that the two titles, “Savior” and “Lord” do belong together:
Luke 2:11 — “For unto you is born this day… a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Jesus is not partly one and partly the other. He is fully both Savior and Lord.
A Picture of The Growing Christian
If you painted a picture of someone living this verse, you would not just see some manner of outward success. You would also see quiet, steady change such as a person who forgives when hurt, someone who is patient under pressure, a life that reflects humility instead of pride,
or, perhaps the steady trust in God even when things are unclear. This kind of growth is often slow, like light increasing at sunrise. Scripture describes it this way:
Proverbs 4:18 “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”
Knowing God, by experiencing His grace, is not instant perfection. It is steady progress. It is growth. That’s why Peter says “Grow in grace. He is regognizing it is all a process, not just one event.
Growth Under Severe Trial
Now imagine my own, personal experience. In a hospital bed, with severe burns over half their body. Everything outward looks broken—pain, weakness, severe disfigurement, long recovery. What would “growing in grace and knowledge” look like here? If you were able to look at a picture of that, what might you see in the picture? Perhaps, we would see things like trust in God even through intense suffering. Peace that does not come from circumstances or other people. Great patience that endures in a very long healing process, a quiet, powerful testimony that points others to Christ. In such a setting, growth may not look like activity, but it does look like endurance, surrender, and deep trust.
2 Corinthians 4:16 — “Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” Even when the body is breaking down, almost destroyed, the inner life can still grow stronger. We can grow in grace, no matter what.
To grow in grace and knowledge is to live in a deepening relationship with Christ. As Savior, He heals and restores us. As Lord, He guides and shapes us.
In everyday life, this growth shows as steady, consistent character change. In suffering, it shows as quiet endurance and deeper trust. Whether in strength or weakness, the same truth holds. The more we know Jesus, the more we become like Jesus.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory…” (2 Cor 3:18)
“…when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
“…the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” (Col 3:10)
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ…” (John 17:3)
“That I may know him… being made conformable unto his death.” (Phil 3:10)
Seeing JESUS clearly means becoming like JESUS. Growth in knowledge of Christ means renewal into His image. Knowing Christ is not just information. Knowing Christ is transformative, life-giving. Knowing JESUS leads to conformity to His character and experience.
“By beholding we become changed. As we contemplate the character of Christ, we become changed into His image.” (COL 355)
“A true knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom He has sent transforms the character.” (MH 409)
“The more we know of Christ, the more we shall reflect His image.” (RH April 24, 1888)
“When we are united to Christ, the mind is brought into harmony with His mind, the will is merged in His will, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him.” (5T 514)
“Glorious is the triumph awaiting the faithful. The apostle, realizing the possibilities before the Corinthian believers, sought to set before them that which uplifts from the selfish and the sensual, and glorifies life with the hope of immortality. Earnestly he exhorted them to be true to their high calling in Christ. “My beloved brethren,” he pleaded, “be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” {AA 321.1}