Growing in the Grace and Knowledge of Our Lord

Published: 2 June 2026

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." — 2 Peter 3:18, KJV

Truth Exposes, Grace Supplies

There is a difference between the past and the present because the more truth we know, the more sin we discover, and the more sin we discover, the more we need Christ to be our life. The greater the capacity we have, the more we need Christ. Daily we have to study God's Word carefully so that we will see what is sinful. The more we see our sins, the more we have to tell the Lord, "God, show me in these matters that Christ is my victory and my supply."

Brothers and sisters, if we want to grow, the light of the truth is indispensable. The light of the truth will reveal our mistakes and show us our own vulnerability. Once the light of the truth exposes our condition, our capacity will be increased, and the more our capacity is increased, the more we can assimilate.

Growing in Grace

I like 2 Peter 3:18 very much. It says, "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This is one of the few places in the Bible that speaks of growth. We grow in grace. What does growing in grace mean? No one grows into grace; we all grow in grace. We cannot grow into grace; we can only grow in grace.

What is grace? Grace is God doing something for us. For us to grow in grace means that we need God to do more things for us. Suppose God has done five things for me already. But there are still three things which God has to do for me. My need has increased; therefore, I need God to do more for me.

Here lies the relationship between truth and grace: Truth exposes our need, while grace supplies our need. Truth shows us where our lack is, while grace fills up that lack. Hallelujah! God has not only truth but also grace! In the Old Testament, men failed repeatedly because they only had the truth; they did not have grace. They had the law, but they did not have the strength to keep the law. We thank and praise the Lord:

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." — John 1:17, KJV

Thank the Lord that He has shown us the truth and supplied us with grace! Hallelujah!

Forever a Beggar

I can say before God, "I am forever a beggar. I am forever a pauper. I have to come to You today, and I will come to You tomorrow and the day after." Thank God that I can ask of Him every day. I can ask of Him on Monday, and I can ask of Him on Tuesday. If we bother God this way and ask of Him in this way, He will say that we have grown in grace.

The more we see our failures, the more we will ask of God. We will ask all the more for Him to take responsibility of our case. We will say, "Lord, I am still helpless. I still need You to bear my responsibility."

Once we see that we have done something wrong, the first thing to do is say to God, "I confess my sins." (At such times, you must call sin by its proper name. You must call sin a sin.) "God, I will not change myself anymore. I have learned one more lesson. I can never change, and I do not intend to change. God, I thank You because this is another chance to boast in my weakness! God, I thank You because You can make it! I thank You because You can remove my weakness."

Brothers and sisters, every time we boast in our weakness, the power of Christ will tabernacle over us. Every time we say that we cannot make it, God will show us that He can make it. If we do this time after time, we will grow.

Extracted from CWWN, Set 2 Volume 24: The Overcoming Life, Chapter Nine: "Growth". A fellowship given by Watchman Nee in 1935 in Shanghai, published by Living Stream Ministry. Used with respect and thanksgiving for a faithful servant of the Lord.