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We all know that a baby shares the nature of its parents. It is also true that an infant at birth has all the organs it will need for the rest of its life. Nourishment and exercise enables the infant to grow into maturity. The same principle is at work in those who become children of God by faith in Jesus the Christ. The Apostle Peter explains this by saying that when we exercise faith in God, we become partakers of God’s divine nature. God comes to live inside of us. From that time on, we begin to grow just as a child grows. In 2 Peter Chapter 1, the Apostle urges us to add to our faith seven virtues: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love for everyone. He says the more we grow in these virtues, the more productive and useful we will be in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we fail to add these virtues, our spiritual life will be anemic. Fortunately, God’s Spirit lives in those who accept God’s Son. He enables us to grow and know God better as we ask and yield ourselves to Him. Peter says the outcome of this kind of spiritual growth will be this: God will give us a lavish welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
